Leaves can transform poor soil as they decompose into humus. Humus increases the soil's CEC allowing it to retain fertilizer ...

Simply put, the soil is made up of stuff and not stuff. The stuff consists of the mineral fraction (sand, silt, and clay) ...

THE part played by humic manures in soil processes and in plant nutrition, both as a source of mineral elements and by improving the physical condition of the soil, is well known. The advantages ...

Humus is highly recalcitrant, and this resistance to decomposition leads to a long residence time in soil. Plant debris is less recalcitrant, resulting in a much shorter residence time in soil.

Will such soil in the Bavarian Alps soon just be a mere memory? Humus-rich soil in the Wetterstein Forest near Garmisch-Partenkirchen.