Capillary fringe

Okay kiddo, so you know how when you pour water on the ground or in a cup, it soaks into the surface and makes it wet? Well, the same thing happens in the ground when it rains or when people water plants. The water soaks into the dirt and goes deeper and deeper until it reaches a place where there is too much dirt for it to go any further.

This place is called the capillary fringe. It’s like a sponge in the ground that sucks up water and makes it stop moving down through the soil.

Now here’s where it gets a little tricky - the capillary fringe is made up of really tiny spaces between the dirt particles. These spaces are so small that the water kind of sticks to the dirt particles and can’t move easily. It’s like when you try to pour syrup on pancakes - it sticks to the surface and doesn’t move around easily.

Sometimes, plants can use the water in the capillary fringe to grow. Their roots can reach down into the spaces between the dirt particles and suck up the water. But it’s important for us to remember that there’s only so much water in the capillary fringe. We have to be careful not to use too much water or waste it because we want to make sure there’s enough for the plants and for us too!