How To improve Your Soil For Great Results In the Garden

Sign up for a newsletter and get a free herb. http://www.mcshanesnursery.com/

Steve McShane here - McShane's Nursery and Landscape Supply - Also known as Doctor Dirt.

Has your soil got you sick? Well I might have the remedy. Take a look at this medium, breathing with life. Soil is where it all begins in the Garden. Teaming with Mircroorganisms, as many as a billion per teaspoon, it's just marvelous. Microorganisms are [what breaks down the nutrients] and [makes it available for the plant.]

One of the most important things when talking about soil microbiology is temperature. I keep a soil thermometer in my garden because when things get to 50 degrees or higher microbial activity spikes, making those nutrients available.

Now there are some things we can do to get microbes going. First one is kelp, second one is alfalfa. By adding either of these amendments to the soil, studies have shown populations have spiked. There's also some trace nitrogen. And knowing that organisms are feeding on organic matter, I recommend adding some every year, maybe an inch to the vegetable garden or under the drip line of a tree goes a long way.

And if you're like most Californians, you suffer from Clay soils. This textural triangle here shows all of the soil textures. Clay being the most predominant, loam and clay loam being what plants really desire.

So if you've got clay soil that same organic matter can go a long way when being added. It will open up soil allowing air and water penetration. You could also use gypsum as well. Gypsum works like a bunch of tiny shovels, again, opening up the soil. It's pretty critical.

Finally, I always like to talk about pH. Measured from Zero to Fourteen a pH of Seven is where plants want to be. It's where nutrients are available. If you've got a high pH, you can lower it by adding sulfur. If you've got a low pH you can raise it by adding lime.

Some of the critical pieces to soil but I'll tell you: understand it, put it to work and you'll see the results in the garden.

McShane's Nursery and Landscape Supply Copyright 2010
Landon Wolf Copyright 2010

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Steve
• McShane
• Nursery
• life
• garden
• dirt
• microorganisms
• soil
• thermometer
• microbial
• nutrients
• kelp
• alfalfa
• meal
• organic
• matter
• nitrogen
• vegetable
• tree
• California
• clay
• loam
• gypsum
• pH