ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Lessivage

Lessivage is a big word that describes what happens when rainwater goes through the ground and washes away the minerals and nutrients from the soil.

When it rains, the water soaks into the ground and travels down through the soil. While it's traveling, the water picks up some of the minerals and nutrients that are in the soil.

But sometimes, the water picks up too much of these things and carries them away from where they're supposed to be. This is like when you pour too much water on a plant, and some of the soil and nutrients wash away from the roots.

This process of washing away the important stuff in the soil is called lessivage. It can cause problems for plants because they need these minerals and nutrients to grow and stay healthy.

To help prevent lessivage, people can add things to the soil like compost or fertilizer to replace the nutrients that might be lost. They can also design their gardens in a way that helps the soil hold onto more water and nutrients so that less lessivage happens.