I have a lot of maple trees in my yard, and there are some places between their roots where nothing grows. I would take a run 'n go, straight down the creek knowing when I hit that spot of clay I would land in a splash right on the seat of my pants.
Oftentimes residues of these products may be present and can be taken up by your vegetable plants.improve soil structure to improve drainage and make nutrients more available to plants.provide nutrients to plants to ensure health, and enhance growth.
You can also select crops with deep tap roots, like, to pull nutrients into the top soil from the subsoil while, at the same time, breaking up the compact clay.Plant these crops in the fall, after the rains begin, so that the soil is softer.
Here's a brief overview of some to consider: Nut shells from pecans, hazelnuts, and others make long-lasting mulches that hold their rich color well and add texture to the landscape.
In addition to using amendments, build raised beds to encourage crop areas to drain faster. The North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension recommends incorporating a 3- to 6-inch layer of decomposed organic material on the ground that needs...
The reason for sampling several spots is that since soil is in continuous movement from gravity, moisture, root growth, shade, earthworms, microbes and more, the overall sample will be a better representation of my soil.
There are other factors that go along with this, however, such as so-called “free lime” in alkaline soils, which may make lowering the pH difficult. If you have poor soil life, yields will suffer.
The first garden we put in at our farm was the result of tilling under a lawn that had been heavily fertilized before we moved in. Unfortunately, over the past several years, we've seen an increase in the use of aminopyralid, a persistent herbicide, on...
Acidic Soil Lime (aka limestone) is most often used to raise the soil's pH and make it less acidic, but not all liming materials are created equal. To the left is a chart of some common vegetables and their pH tolerances.
Calcitic limestone is preferred in areas already high in magnesium, which your test should indicate. In alkaline soils, sulphur or peat moss can be added to increase acidity. For that reason, as you dig in, consider trying more comprehensive tests over...
Testing soil and ash can keep you from accidentally overshooting and raising pH and potassium levels high enough to inhibit growth. I think I'll drink a beer while I sketch out this project.
Getting a soil test is the only way to know for certain where your garden stands on its pH, percent of organic matter and cation exchange, aka nutrients and minerals. Some is OK, but wood chips lock up much needed nitrogen.
On my farm, these weeds aren't too much of a bother, and many times, they are plants I might otherwise have desired to plant for their medicinal and edible benefits. In The Soil Will Save Us (Rodale, 2014), author Kristin Ohlson writes that the imprudent...
The root hairs, living only a couple of days up to a few weeks, use calcium like ankle weights to help them grow down! Roots can grow shallow or deep, depending on the soil type and amount of water available while the plant is growing.
Soil—When Properly Tended—Allows Air We don't usually think of roots as having to breathe, but the cells in the roots need oxygen if they are going to perform their functions. A large tree can transpire 40,000 gallons (150,000 l) of water in a year—enough...
Or you can skip the leaching altogether and move to suggestion No. 2. If the livestock aren't moved off the ground with the excess nutrients, they'll simply deposit the nutrients right back onto the ground and into the soil.
This will help to hide the cracks, will prevent moisture loss and will break down over time, adding organic material to the soil below.When coming up with xeriscaping ideas for your drought tolerant garden in clay soil, you just need to dig a little deeper.
Potting soil should not be reused for container plantings from one year to the next as the nutrients have mostly been depleted and it may harbor pathogens. But I'm always looking for other ways to use my spent potting soil.
Several readers have asked how I ended up in Italy, so, here's the short version: I also work in the computer games industry and had the good fortune to make a few well known games.
Ideally, your edibles would be able to get their mineral diet from good-quality, compost-rich soil without any additional work or expense to you. The vast majority of the liquid feed drips down to the soil, where it penetrates the soil and can be taken...
I also like that my raised beds look tidy, since I mow right up to the wooden edge of the bed itself. With a helper, screw the side walls to the end walls. Although expensive, this will last indefinitely and often can be bent into interesting shapes to...
How to Take a Soil Test Now that you know why taking a soil test is valuable, here are some tips on how to do it properly. For all soil tests, it's important to obtain a representative soil sample.
Please, before adding any chemicals or fertilizers, get you soil tested to see what you have and what you need for the crop that you are growing.By the way, fall is the perfect time to get your soil tested, the labs are far less busy than in the spring...
Luckily, there are a whole lot of bottles available to collect, and my neighbors continue to bring me their empty bottles for recycling. Once the walls are built, I put on a row of clay bricks or hollow building blocks that serves as the top edge.
By the next year, the tree was thriving. Iron deficiency, also called iron chlorosis, causes a yellowing of the leaves, and overall lack of vigor. Iron is a necessary component for the formation of chlorophyll, so it impacts a plant's ability to harness...
“The net difference of 10 to 27 degrees F … will impact all things vegetation: lawns, crops , trees , et cetera,” he says. “The tightness of the corn market trumps the other crops.” Gesser notes that soybean prices and availability could also...
