Soil Improver Compost

Thus, your corn, lettuce, roses and geraniums won't grow or produce to their full potential.Most nutrients that plants need are readily available when the pH of the soil solution ranges from 6.0 to 7.5.Some nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and...

Biochar is basically charcoal, the natural kind made from charring wood or other biomass by driving off the moisture and volatile gases, leaving mostly carbon. Analysis showed the only difference was the dark soil contained charcoal.

You have to maintain the pile in a not too dry or too wet state. And small piles, bins, or tumblers of compost are very hard to get working efficiently. But can you improve your soil on a small scale without the heavy work?

They have both eggs(ova) and spermatozoa, although they are not self-fertilizing. There seems to be some debate among worm "experts" on the length of a worm's life. Earthworms usually extend their "head" first when crawling.

Plants take in atmospheric carbon dioxide for photosynthesis (converting sunlight into the energy necessary to make carbohydrates/sugars), and in the process, give off the oxygen we need.

Eucalyptus happens to require the outie, or ectomycorrhizal, type of fungus. Inoculating an outie plant with an innie mycorrhizal fungus will give you little or no results. Since there are a large number of both types of fungi in nature, commercially...

Http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/ff/CEC_BpH_and_percent_sat.htm)Click on these to take you to my other articles on soil and nutrients:The magnesium crystals photo and the Dolomite photo are under GNU Free Documentation License, Version...

Ericoid mycorrihzal - associations seen in this order. It could be worth knowing which is which, especially when planning a garden.The degree to which plants depend on mycorrhizas varies according to species but more particularly, soil regimes.

It is the fifth most abundant element (by mass), usually found in sedimentary rocks in the mineral forms of calcite, dolomite and gypsum.We often see it as marble or limestone, which is formed by calcium carbonate rock dissolved in water containing carbon...

The commercially available formulation includes recommendations and instructions for the proper timing of these applications.Picture credit: All photographs courtesy of Dr. Randy Martin, BioWorks, Inc.Weeden, C.R., A.

(However, brassicas such as canola, broccoli and cabbages require sulfur fertilization for maximum crop yields.)http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/plymouth/cropsci/graphics/sulfur2.jpg(Thumbnail), Smithsonian Institution, Public Domainhttp://www.ces.ncsu.edu/plymouth/cropsci/graphics/sulfur2.jpg

Native Americans from the Pamunkey tribe (like Chief Powhatan and his daughter Pocahontas) helped keep the settlers alive by showing them how, and what, to plant in the rich delta dirt.Pamunkey is the name of Virginia's official soil! What a beautiful...

Meanwhile, my newest corral is happily gobbling up everything I can throw at it. A few months ago, I wrote about my sloppy, laissez-faire, super-easy composting methods. When the bales start to collapse along with the compostables, I top it off with thick...

It is important in balancing the nutrient needs of plants to know what these more common micronutrients do, and then test to see what's already in your soil.are necessary for photosynthesis (the manufacturing of chlorophyll).

Now, imagine a soilless media, practically devoid of any microflora, becoming inoculated with a pathogen. These commercial mixes come complete with nutrients to help get the microbes off to a running start.

There is a wealth of information available on Dave's Garden, if you only know how to find it!Special thanks go out to Daves' Garden member Bev Walker, for her picture of her compost tumbler and bin.

With clay beds, unless you love to till and dig, it is not necessary to cultivate the entire planting area. Clay is the last soil to warm in the spring.On the positive side, clay has high levels of nutrients and will support many more specimens than one...

It can cause a horrific urticaria (itching and inflammation) in the skin, and some species can get as far as our intestinal tract causing diarrhea and pain there as well.So to avoid this situation, one might consider working in the soil with garden gloves...

Grasslands have decreased in favor of cultivation by -19.4%, woodlands by -18.6% and forests by -16.0%. It contains very little organic matter. The mulch suppresses weeds, conditions the soil, and invites natural soil making processes.

Ft., raked in to provide a depth of about 1/8 inch of coffee grounds).And for an additional, more global benefit: Recycling coffee grounds for use as a soil amendment will reduce the amount of organic matter that is unnecessarily going to landfills, thereby...

This condition is extremely damaging to azaleas, rhododendrons, most conifers, allMulch piled up against a stem or trunk results in constantnditions for disease development. Water established plants thoroughly in late fall, then apply mulch.

Because the plants are healthier, they resist disease better, and tolerate environmental stress better. Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M Universityhttp://www.biology.arizona.edu/biochemistry/problem_sets/aa/aa.html

Under natural climatic conditions the physical breakup, chemical weathering and release of nutrients from minerals is not fast enough to provide the nutrients for annual crop production.” [1]There was an area of New Zealand where the sheep were dying...

Locate your composter in a corner of the kitchen, in the basement, or in a garage, porch or sheltered area of the garden.Avoid placing in direct sun. This allows oxygen circulation and reduces smell-producing anaerobic activity.Leachate will normally...

Chicken owners welcome them, to the point of buying special growing chambers for the tiny beasts. According to most sources, adult soldier flies do not feed at all. Make sure the grounds stay moist.

These evergreens are very susceptible to winter burn due to the cold, dry, desiccating winds of January and February. An eastern to southern exposure is ideal. This mulch will help to maintain soil moisture, keep the ground cool and keep weeds to a minimum.During...

It is a macronutrient, meaning it's one of the major nutrients plants need, while secondary nutrients like calcium, magnesium and sulfur are needed in smaller amounts. The work of phosphorus begins early in the development of plant tissues, as younger...