Soils matter
The three drivers of moisture storage in soils are:
- depth: determines the potential storage volume
- stones: reduce the potential soil volume
- pore volume: determines the maximum volume of water stored per unit of fine substrate volume
Alpine substrates are commonly rich in medium size pores and have a high water holding capacity (often around 50 %), however stones and shallow depth can cause problems.
Design your drought risk scenario:
Allow for
- a 500 mm soil depth,
- a medium size pore volume of 50 % and
- starting conditions with maximum water content (after coarse pores have drained)
and assume
- daily water loss by evapotranspiration of 4 mm during a completely rainless period.
Try the following:
- Vary your stone content between 0 and 80 % at constant soil depth.
- Vary your soil depth at a constant 50 % stone volume.
Note the effect on the stored water and the number of days this water can support a 4 mm daily water loss, as is typical for bright summer weather.
Now combine A and B (increase stone content and reduce depth).
Do you have a feeling for the key role soil depth and stones play in actual water relations of plants under a given precipitation regime?