Flocculation is a property that causes soil particles to cling together. Flocculation is destroyed by long periods of drought and by washing away the magnetism in the soil. Magnetism in the soil? What the heck is that? Well, the level of magnetism is governed by carbon. That little carbon atom weighs more than many of the other atoms in the soil and has a direct influence on its magnetic properties and ability to flocculate soil particles. This is very important, as soil needs to have space to breathe in order to access oxygen, water and nutrients.
We already know how important carbon is to building Soil Organic Matter (SOM). I’ve talked about providing farmers with carbon credits, similar to what the government does for large oil companies. This is not a zero-sum game – all parties can benefit without one being negatively impacted.
So back to magnetic soils. When we increase carbon, soils become more magnetic. The prime source of energy for the plant is photosynthesis, using the sun’s energy to make sugars which are then distributed to all parts of the plant and beyond, to the soil microbial community. The sun delivers energy through ionization — the process of assembling and disassembling molecules of so-called fertility compounds. As this ionization occurs nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen are being pulled and pushed through the plant and throughout the microbial community.
A good example of this process is similar to electroplating or using an electrolytic cell, which consists of putting a negative charge on the metal and dipping it into a solution that contains metal salt (electrolytes) which contain positively charged metal ions. The most common form of electroplating is used for creating coins, such as U.S. pennies which are made of zinc covered in a layer of copper.
In the soil, the key electrolyte is nitrogen. In order to make an amino acid, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen are required. Amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, are essential in providing immediate energy to the plant for growth, which then increases its ability to photosynthesize and begins the process of driving energy, via root exudation of sugars, to the soil to feed the biology. This also contributes carbon to the soil, enabling more flocculation and creating more space between particles and more productive soils.
