A soil covering material (I), for conditioning plant growth soil, contains particles which are recoverable by an attractive force (specifically magnetic force). Independent claims are included for: (1) a method for recovering (I) from soil, involving applying an attractive force in the vicinity of (I) to recover the particles; (2) apparatus for recovering (I) from soil by applying an attractive force; and (3) a method for conditioning plant growth soil, involving application of (I).