Aerating Your Soil with Perlite

One of the biggest problems we have with soil in Australia is one of compaction.  Agricultural soil becomes compacted through over-tilling, over-cropping and use of machinery.  Garden soil becomes compacted from the building process and then us walking on it when wet.  Soil in a natural bush environment also becomes compacted as a result of various processes, including water saturation.

If soil is compacted, then there are a reduced number of pore spaces available for water and air infiltration.  The soil will drain very slowly.  It may become anaerobic.  There will be little root penetration.

In short, a compacted soil is not great for growing plants in!