Soil is just one of those things that for some is extremely dull and for others, like gardeners, is quite exciting. For those that get excited by soil, here are five things you may not already know.

One: It is a known fact that an estimated 25 per cent of all the world’s soil is being degraded through intensive agricultural practices such as tilling and poor crop rotation.

Secondly, about 10 tonnes of living organisms can be found in 1 acre of soil.

Thirdly, it is estimated that food is grown on about 10% of the world’s land in order to provide food for both human-beings and animals.

Fourthly, It’s incredible to think that plants’ roots search through the soil to find new areas of moisture at a rate of one half an inch per day.

5. During the period of a year, earthworms can eat, digest and recycle an astonishing thirty-six tons of soil which helps make it more rich.

Sixthly, if you were to count all the earthworms in a single acre of grassed pasture, you could be looking at a number close to a million.

7. Just 1 spadeful of soil could contain more species of living things than the Amazon rain forest contains in total above ground.

8. Some wildlife that likes to bury nuts and seeds into soil to keep them safe, are actually helping soil get richer as the items decompose over time.

9. If one was to count all of the people in the entire world, there would still be more clay particles in one handful of clay.

10. Soil usually contains minerals at forty-five per cent , air at twenty-five per cent, water at twenty-five per cent and organic matter at twenty-five per cent.

Soil is clearly a massive subject and to know everything about it could take you some time. Time isn’t something that every person has however, and so this list of ten soil facts is intended to highlight some of the most interesting.