Ground Cover

Soil Health

Ground cover refers to any materials that cover the soil protecting it from sun, rain and wind. The best ground covers are living vegetation and mulches/plant debris. Ground cover is a management tool that helps reduce erosion, hold moisture, regulate soil temperature, keep weeds in check, and support biodiversity. It also ties into key regenerative principles; keeping the soil covered, whether with crop or crop residue, helps armor the surface from wind, rain, and temperature. And when that cover includes a living root, it actively feeds soil microbes, supports nutrient cycling, and strengthens soil structure over time.

Types of Ground Cover: Cover Crops

Cover crops are used as ground cover to keep living roots in the soil between cash crops. What you plant usually depends on what was in the field last, what’s going in next, and what the soil needs. Some use a single species, others go with a mix—it all depends on the goals and context. Cover crop components include:

• Grains
• Legumes
• Brassicas
• Grasses
• Forbs

Types of Ground Cover: Crop Residue

After a crop is harvested, leftover plant material (like stems, stalks, roots, and leaves) is called
crop residue. Instead of removing it, farmers can choose to leave this residue on the field as
ground cover, thereby avoiding bare soil.

Ground Cover Doubles as Forage

Ground cover, whether it is from cover crops or leftover crop residue, can also double as forage for livestock. Grazing animals on these covers helps cycle nutrients back into the soil, especially when their manure is left behind. Practices like bale grazing, where hay is brought onto a field for animals to feed on, are another way to link livestock and ground cover.

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Bare Soil:  

Water is the leading cause of soil erosion, and bare soil significantly increases the risk. When rain falls on bare soil, the impact of raindrops can dislodge soil particles and break them free from the surface. The loose particles are easily carried off the field by surface runoff. Rainfall can also compact the soil and form a surface crust, reducing water infiltration and increasing erosion risk.

Covered Soil:

Ground cover is a simple, effective strategy to prevent soil erosion and restore soil quality. More ground cover leads to less erosion.

• 10% cover — 78% of potential soil loss
• 20% cover — 60% of potential soil loss
• 50% cover — 30% of potential soil loss 

When rain falls, ground cover acts as a cushion by absorbing the kinetic energy of the raindrops. This helps prevent soil particles from being dislodged. With ground cover, living plant roots and litter support water infiltration by maintaining soil aggregation, structure, and porosity. This reduces the risk of erosion by minimizing the amount of soil carried away by surface runoff and helps recharge the groundwater supply.

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Ground Cover Retains Soil Temperature

Ground cover acts as a physical buffer that insulates soil from temperature shifts. It reduces heat loss during colder months and limits heat buildup during warmer months. Soil temperature plays a key role in agriculture, directly influencing seed germination and plant growth. It also affects the physical, chemical, and biological processes in soil, which shape microbial activity and nutrient cycling. Maintaining stable temperatures is especially important for supporting soil biology – when microbial life is disrupted, the rest of the system starts to break down.

Ground Cover Throughout the Seasons

In Winter
Ground cover helps retain warmth, trapping heat in the soil and keeping near-surface temperatures higher than bare soil.

In Summer
Ground cover shades the soil, reducing heat absorption and keeping temperatures cooler and more stable.

Temperature Control and Water Management

Temperature control is closely tied to water management. Bare soil loses moisture faster than soil with ground cover. By shading the surface and shielding it from direct sun and wind, ground cover slows evaporation and helps retain moisture during dry periods.

Cover Crops as Ground Cover

Cover crops as ground cover can support water management by improving water infiltration. They help strengthen the physical properties of soil, like aggregation, which allows water to move more easily into the ground. However, because cover crops are living plants, they also use water, which can reduce availability for the following crop. In regions prone to drought stress, using crop residue as an alternative may be a better strategy, as it helps retain moisture without competing for it.

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Why Monitor This Metric?

Ground cover is a fantastic farm management tool that helps maintain soil temperature while protecting the soil from the impact of rain and other external stresses. Keeping soil covered throughout the year reduces soil erosion, thereby preventing nutrient loss to runoff.. Monitoring ground cover gives greater insight into how covered soil holds more water, keeps soil cool, and prevents nutrient loss.

Tools Needed:

• Measuring Tape
• Garden Stakes
• Pen/Pencil
• Data Sheet/Paper

The Process

1. Identify an area where you would like to measure ground cover.
2. Using the measuring tape, lay out a 10′ long transect. If required, use stakes to hold down the measuring tape in position.
3. On your data sheet or paper, create a grid with increments on one side and a space for a check mark on the other side.
4. Walk along the transect and examine the ground at every 1′ interval. If the ground immediately adjacent to the 1′ interval is covered by a plant, mulch, or litter (living or dead), put a checkmark beside the increment on your data sheet. If the ground is bare, leave the space blank on your data sheet.
5. Once you have examined each 1′ increment on the transect, count how many checkmarks you placed on your data sheet. Divide the number of covered ground points by the number of total points, and then multiply by 100%. This number will give you the percentage of ground cover in the sample area.

Use Your Observations to Rate Soil Cover (adapted from ROC)

• Poor: less than 35%.
• Fair: between 35-50%.
• Good: greater than 50%.

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What Is an Eco-Buffer?

An eco-buffer is a planting of perennial trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants designed to mimic a natural forest. These areas provide ecosystem services such as soil conservation, water quality protection, groundwater recharge and habitat for wildlife both above and below the soil’s surface. An eco-buffer is created by planting dense rows that include species of varying types and heights within the rows.

Eco-Buffers vs. Shelter Belts

The big difference between eco-buffers and shelterbelts is that eco-buffers contain a great deal of diversity of plant types and heights. They also tend to be denser and are typically composed of native species. This creates resiliency to changes in environmental conditions and are less prone to pest pressure due to their diverse nature. Eco-buffers can also double as a source of berries to achieve secondary goals of the farm. Shelterbelts tend to be in a monoculture format, emphasizing single species rows, and they tend not to mimic nature.

The Benefits of Eco-Buffers

1. Windbreaks ⟶ Eco-buffers reduce wind speed and wind erosion, which then protects crops and livestock.
2. Snow Management ⟶ Eco-buffers trap and store snow which can help provide moisture in periods of drought.
3. Ground Water Recharge ⟶ Eco-buffers help recharge aquifers and groundwater levels by promoting water infiltration in the soil and invigorating the small water cycle.
4. Water Quality Protection ⟶ Eco-buffers help to filter out pollutants and nutrients from runoff. This helps to maintain water quality of nearby water bodies.
5. Soil Conservation ⟶ Eco-buffers help prevent soil erosion by stabilizing the soil with their root systems.
6. Nutrient Cycling and Carbon Sequestration ⟶ Eco-buffer areas provide decomposing organic matter that increases nutrients and carbon in the soil.
7. Habitat for Wildlife ⟶ Eco-buffers provide habitat for birds, mammals, pollinators and enhanced biodiversity.
8. Soil Biology ⟶ There is ongoing research that suggests eco-buffers provide a refuge for soil organisms and microbes (halo effect). This can play an important role in re-establishing microbial life in the soil following a tillage or other disturbance events.

How to Plan Your Own Eco-Buffer

1. Define Your Goals and Assess Your Site
   • Determine what you want to achieve by planting an eco-buffer; which ecosystem functions are desired and what problems will you be addressing.
   • Assess potential sites that meet your desired goals.
2. Design
   • Plan the layout of the eco-buffer with the species mix and spacing.
   • Take into account sunlight, surrounding vegetation, soil pH and moisture availability of the location.
3. Obtain Stock
   • Source native trees and shrubs that are well adapted to your area. Native are always the best.
4. Prepare Your Site
   • Remove weeds and ensure there are proper soil conditions for the species involved. Having good organic matter and mulch is crucial and tilling can be performed as necessary.
5. Get Planting
   • Ensure proper spacing and plant according to your design. Typically, eco-buffers have 3-5 rows with a spacing of about 3 feet between plants within a row, and 6-8 feet between rows.
   • Include long-lived trees every 6th plant in a row to provide structure and stability.
6. Maintain Your Eco-Buffer
   • Regularly monitor your eco-buffer to ensure its health and effectiveness. Keep an eye on plant health, growth, coverage and maintenance needs. Regular observations – especially in the first year – will keep your eco-buffer in good condition.

Guides and Worksheets to Help Create Your Eco-Buffer

The following links are a guide and two worksheets developed by the Agroforestry and Woodlot
Extension Society (AWES):

• Practical Guide to Establishing an Eco-Buffer – AWES | Agroforestry and Woodlot Extension Society of Alberta
• AWES Planting Assessment Worksheet
• Tree Planting Project Planning Worksheet

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