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 Know
Your Garden Soil
You
can work very hard gardening and still have poor results if
you don't think about your garden soil. Find out why.
Top Soil
Gay Talbott-Boassy
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Everything depends on your garden
soil when it comes to gardening. The questions you need to ask
are:
- What type of soil do you have?
- Is it alkali or acid?
- Is it rich in natural organisms?
- Is it well structured?
What type of soil do you have?
Soils are usually one of five
main types. They are:
- Sandy soil
- free draining, light and easy to work but needs applications
of good fertilisers and organic matter to add bulk
- Silt
- this is very similar to sandy soil but holds more water
and is more fertile
- Peat
- an acidic soil but often waterlogged so needs draining,
fertilising and the application of lime to reduce the acidity
- Clay
- this is usually backbreaking to work, it is heavy, water
retentive but with a tendency to dry hard in hot weather.
On the positive side, they are often very fertile.
- Chalk
- moderately fertile, this soil is alkali and usually free
draining.
Is it acid or alkali?
This is important because
some plants will only grow in one type of soil. Acidity or alkalinity
are measured by their pH level which ranges from 1 to 14. Below
7, the soil is acid, above 7 and it is alkaline. Generally if
the soil is on chalk or limestone it will be alkaline. You can
measure the pH level of your soil with kits or meters from your
garden centre. They are usually very easy to use.
Acid soil generally lacks phosphorus
and might have too much manganese and aluminium. Alkaline soil
can also lack phosphorus as well as manganese and boron.
Is it rich in soil organisms?
Your soil fertility
can be greatly affected by naturally occurring organisms or
the absence of them. We all know that worms are good for soil
fertility but so are other creatures like centipedes, ground
beetles and nematodes. There are also bacteria and fungi that
have a beneficial affect.
Most of these organisms prefer
a well drained and aerated soil that isn't heavily compacted.
Is it well structured?
A well-structured soil
is one that where water can penetrate and circulate but doesn't
get waterlogged. It should also be well aerated with plenty
of nutrients.
If this doesn't describe your
garden soil, don't despair, you can improve it. The best way
is to double dig (dig down to the depth of two spade blades,
known as spits, and move the soil from the first row of digging
into the second and so on. Do not mix topsoil with subsoil).
Include various organic and inorganic substances, mixed well,
as you dig. They are:
- well rotted farmyard manure
will be good for any soil, it improves the structure and encourages
earthworms
- small quantities of clay can
be worked into light sandy or silt soils to improve water
retention and fertility (marling)
- coconut fibre also helps in
water retention on light soils
- on clay, add lime or mushroom
compost
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