Rob Cumming Home Page Select Another Soil Note Lets now have a look at the importance of organic matter. Organic matter is an important part of the life of agricultural or garden soils. The amount of organic matter in soil varies greatly between different soils. Alluvial soils often have high levels of organic matter and sandy soils, low levels. Without adequate organic matter, soils will not store adequate nutrients or have good structure.
Organic matter is broken down organic material from plants.
It is formed following the death of plant roots or tops. The organic material falls on the surface of the soil in the case of tops and roots, where they are in the soil. The organic matter formed from the tops is formed on the soil surface during plant decomposition. Substances such as straw for example, may take a long time to decompose. The action of burrowing animals or earthworms is important in moving organic matter into the soil where it is decomposed further.