Roots don’t just drink water and nutrients—they also breathe. Without enough air in the soil, roots slow down, struggle, or even rot.
This is especially easy to miss during seed starting and pre-growing in pots. Small containers, frequent watering, and fine potting mixes can stay wet for too long, pushing air out of the soil. The result is weak roots and stressed plants, even when water and nutrients seem plentiful.
In garden soil, structure matters just as much as moisture. Earthworms help by creating tunnels that move air and water down to the roots. Those channels also guide roots deeper, improving stability and drought resilience.
Roots themselves help build this structure. When you leave roots in the ground after harvest or pruning, they decay slowly and leave behind tiny air-filled pathways. These act like natural scaffolding for soil life.
Good soil isn’t just fertile—it’s breathable. By avoiding waterlogged pots, encouraging worms, and leaving roots in place, you support a living soil that feeds plants with both nutrients and oxygen.
