Knowing how easily water infiltrates into your soil tells you how well it’s soaking up rain. You want water to be stored in the soil profile, and not to run off into water courses.
If your infiltration rate is quick, it indicates top soil structure is good, with stable aggregates, around which water can percolate down into the soil profile. If your infiltration rate is slow, it indicates top soil structure is poor, with unstable aggregates and compaction, blocking water from percolating downwards. Instead water runs off taking topsoil and nutrients with it!
The testing area should not be saturated, so if it has rained heavily wait until the area is drier. Learn how to make an infiltration rate tube here.
What to record?
– Number of minutes for 25mm/1 inch of water to infiltrate into the soil. Record two pours separately – ‘1st inch’ & ‘2nd inch’
– Make notes – anything interesting you’ve noticed!
– Photos
Equipment
– 150 x 150 mm tubes (with 85mm depth marked)
– Water bottle with 450ml marked – (this is 1″ depth when poured into the tube)
– Water (4L or so – so you can do a few different samples!)
– Mallet – for driving tube into soil (optional)
– Wood block – to prevent damage when hammering (optional)
– Stopwatch (on phone)