Before spring planting expert says, "Dig a little. Learn a lot."

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USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service

Apr 03, 2013, 12:50 ET

DAVIS, Calif., April 3, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As spring temperatures go up, it's an excellent time for farmers, ranchers and gardeners to focus their attention down to the soil below them. A spring check-up of your soil's health gives clues of your ground's ability to feed plants, hold water, capture carbon and more. No fancy equipment required. Just grab a spade or shovel and prepare your senses to dig a little and learn a lot.

"It doesn't matter what kind of landowner you are," says State Agronomist Dennis Chessman with USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). "Small farmers, large farmers, organic farmers and even home gardeners can all benefit from this simple discovery project of one of their most important resources. And in the process you can reap big rewards for your crops and the environment around you," Chessman said.

With your shovel, nose, eyes and hands ready, Chessman suggests the following steps to investigate soil health:

LOOK—first at the soil surface which should be covered with plant residue, providing organic matter and preventing erosion. Dig into the soil and observe the color and structure. It should be dark, crumbly, and porous--rather like chocolate cake. Healthy soil is full of air holes and live roots, and of course, you should see earthworms—our wonderful soil engineers! Poorer soils are lighter in color, compacted or unstructured, and lack living roots and critters.

SMELL—Healthy soil should have a sweet earthy smell, indicating the presence of geosmin, a byproduct of soil microbes called actinomycetes. These microbes decompose the tough plant and animal residues in and on the soil and bring nitrogen from the air into the soil to feed plants. An unhealthy, out-of-balance soil smells sour or metallic, or like kitchen cleanser.

TOUCH--Soil should be loose and crumble easily indicating a porous texture. This holds water better making it available for plants and stemming flooding and runoff. In healthy soil, roots can grow straight and deep, allowing plants to reach nutrients and water they need to produce the food we love to eat.

"We are blessed with productive soils in California," says Chessman. "We want to keep them that way and even build them where possible."

In addition to the vital production values of soil health to the individual farmer or gardener, Chessman explains that healthy soil has clear impacts on many of the larger agricultural and environmental issues of our day from sustainable food production to water quality to mitigating climate change. Healthy soil holds, filters and regulates water, mitigates drought and flooding, reduces runoff and erosion, cycles nutrients, sequesters carbon and suppresses weeds and pests naturally—all while supporting our homes and buildings. For all these reasons NRCS has recently launched a nationwide effort to "Unlock the Secrets of the Soil."

Not sure your soil passes the sniff-feel-see tests? Visit the Soil Health portal at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/soils/health/ or contact your local NRCS office.

For images to complement this story see ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/CA/news/photos/SH-2.jpg and ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/CA/news/photos/Soils-3.jpg.

SOURCE USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service