What Is Soil Amendment

We all know plants need nutrients to grow just as we humans need nutrients for our bodies to function. Then let's use some simple terms to understand what the test results mean and what we can do to improve our soil for what we want to grow.

Anything under 7.0 on the pH scale is acidic. 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.

One of the biggest mistakes that we make in gardening is to rely solely on a bag of fertilizer that only tells us the N-P-K ratio. Also be aware of what type of sawdust you are using.

At neutral pH 7, there are equal numbers of hydrogen and hydroxide ions. Working it into the soil will yield better results as it is more rapidly processed beneath the soil surface.

So let's take a look at the most pressing readings from a basic soil test and identify the red flags—that is, the elements that are the most important for healthy soil. With no easy rule of thumb here, it is best to check with the testing agency for...

Almost all the nitrogen that humans excrete is in the urine, and nearly all the pathogens are in the fecal matter. Meanwhile, gardeners are throwing real corks away when they could be repurposed as pot-filler for orchids and as a permanent, attractive...

Also, try to add any dry matter at least four months before planting so as not to tie up nutrients. Use the following five steps to make sure your garden soil is healthy. The best way to increase the availability of any one mineral in your soil without...

Cover crops in the pea family, such as alfalfa, are commonly planted with oats in this fashion. The oils found within the plant are antimicrobial and antispasmodic, which make them very useful in cold and cough formulas.

Plants draw water and dissolved nutrients up from the soil through their roots, and control where they go throughout the plant by opening and closing those tiny stomata. Plants low in potassium tend to wilt and form dead spots on the leaves.

Lime for each shovel of peat moss 6. Pick up these must-have soil-mixing ingredients before getting started. » Large volumes of potting soil can be mixed in a cement mixer or compost tumbler.

Depending on the soil texture, this water drains through the soil either quite quickly or very slowly. Increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have been linked to changes in average temperatures and weather patterns.

Bagged bark has generally been weathered long enough that this is not a concern. Cornell University says that just adding more mulch to “freshen the look” not only wastes mulch but can suffocate the roots of shallow-rooted species and cause cankers...

If you remove the mulch after a couple months, however, it will contain much of the excess nitrogen your soil contained, and it can be added to a compost pile or a nitrogen-deficient plot.

But I'm always looking for other ways to use my spent potting soil. Because these plants will find a permanent home in a garden, they won't be in the container long enough to notice the lack of nutrients.

But once the plane landed in Italy I immediately felt strangely comfortable, even in this strange world that is so different from California. In 2000 I accepted an offer to fly me to Italy for an interview, never really considering that I would accept...

Raised beds can be maintained by simply topping with compost or mulch. By having a “free-floating” bed, you can move it around and adjust it until you're happy with the location.

Spread the soil onto a newspaper for 24 to 48 hours. There is so much to know about your soil that can help you grow a better, more productive garden. For all soil tests, it's important to obtain a representative soil sample.

I recently did a soil test on one of my rose beds. This might explain why the performance of my roses was not up to par this past season.You can purchase home soil test kits at most garden centers; however I recommend that for a few cents more you can...

The orange blocks and bricks add a decorative touch that acts as a visual theme and makes a nice sturdy finished edge to the tops of the beds. The sunshine reflecting on the bottles is attractive and although the plantings are still young and the garden...

It is often especially prevalent in acidic soils or soils with an excess of copper, manganese or phosphorus. Red soils, for example, are typically iron-rich, but often it is in the insoluble form of the mineral.

Early last March, the band of 50-degree soil temperatures stretched as far north as the northern borders of North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma; however, in the first week of March this year, sufficiently warm soil could only be found as...

Once you know the soil pH, it's time to balance it. More advanced soil tests will give you a wider view of the nutrient and mineral needs of your soil. Of course, adding dry organic matter directly to the soil—which you can and sometimes should do—will...

After you've pruned back your trees, use the wood scraps in your garden to add organic matter to the soil. Lynsey Grosfield Using wood in the garden can take a variety of forms, most of which depend on size.

Not knowing what the soil was going to be like, I decided to prepare a mixture of semi-raised and in-ground beds to see which worked out best for our new property. These are typically 6 to 8 inches high by 26 to 30 inches wide, but can be as wide as 4...

If your sandy soil is already high in salt, such as in a, be sure to use plant only based compost or sphagnum peat, as these amendments have the lowest salt levels. Amending sandy soil with(including grass clippings, humus and leaf mold) will help to...

Depending on how the animals are raised, manure can sometimes contain buildup of persistent herbicides that aren't broken down by sunlight or composting. As a bonus, it acts as an effective fertilizer that won't burn plants.

If making small blocks, such as the 3/4-inch size, you can plug them into larger blocks when seeds begin to sprout. 2 large buckets (one for soil and one for water) soil mix water trowel soil blocker propagation tray gloves (optional) Step 1: Mix soil...