soil

the top layer of the earth’s surface, consisting of rock and mineral particles mixed with organic matter

  organic

of, relating to, or derived from living organisms

inorganic

Involving neither living organisms or products of living organisms

humidity

dampness, especially of the air

weather

The state of the atmosphere at a given time and place, with respect to variables such as temperature, moisture, wind velocity, and barometric pressure.

temperature

The degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment.

organisms

an individual form of life

humus

Nonliving, finely divided organic matter in soil, derived from microbial decomposition of plant and animal substances

decomposition

The act or result of disintegration

decompose

To separate into components or basic elements. To become broken down into components; disintegrate. To cause to rot. To decay

vegetation

The plants of an area or a region; plant life

nutrients

source of nourishment

absorption

The act or process of taking something in

compost

A mixture of decaying organic matter, as from leaves and manure, used to improve soil structure and provide nutrients.

vermicompost

is the product or process of composting utilizing various species of worms, specifically red wigglers, white worms, and earthworms

bacteria

Group of microscopic, single-celled organisms that inhabit virtually all environments, including soil, water, organic matter, and the bodies of multicellular animals.

microbes

A minute life form

thermophiles

An organism that thrives at high temperatures

topsoil

The upper part of the soil

weathering

Any of the chemical or mechanical processes by which rocks exposed to the weather undergo changes in character and break down.

particles

A very small piece or part; a tiny portion or speck.

eroded

To wear (something) away by or as if by abrasion: Waves eroded the shore.

cultivation

Loosening and breaking up (tilling) of the soil.

rocks

Relatively hard, naturally formed mineral or petrified matter; stone

minerals

inorganic nutrients

clay

A fine-grained, firm earthy material that is plastic when wet and hardens when heated

silt

A sedimentary material consisting of very fine particles intermediate in size between sand and clay.

sediment

Material that settles to the bottom of a liquid; lees. Solid fragments of inorganic or organic material that come from the weathering of rock and are carried and deposited by wind, water, or ice.

sieves

sifts

sand

Small loose grains of worn or disintegrated rock.

gravel

An unconsolidated mixture of rock fragments or pebbles.

pebbles

usually balls of hard flint or hard burned white porcelain.

loams

a rich soil consisting of a mixture of sand and clay and decaying organic materials

percolation

the slow passage of a liquid through a filtering medium; "the percolation of rainwater through the soil"

red wigglers

the most common type of composting worm