Soil

By Lee Reich
The Associate Press

You wouldn’t eat as much pie as bread, so why feed your plants a bunch of junk?

Don’t feed your plants without considering how rich their food is. Urea, for example, is the fertilizer equivalent of a chocolate bar, a very rich food, rich enough so that one cup could kill a rose bush. Near the other extreme might be bone meal, the unbuttered popcorn of fertilizers, providing nourishment but nothing to get fat on.

Whether a fertilizer is organic or synthetic, the label on the bag or carton spells out clearly just how rich it is. Although plants require at least 15 elements for health, 3 are needed in especially large amounts, and they are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

What is the best mulch for a sloping area; I would also like it to give the most nutriment to the soil.

I had ny soil tested and it showed my soil is high in potassium. What would help to improve this problem?

How do you go about getting the extension office to test your soil.

Dennis, I read in your soil tips that gypsum is useless in clay, which I now know myself from experience. But I have half a bag left. Is there anything I can actually use it for? Thanks...

Hi,
I was wondering if the electronic soil testing kits are worth the cost. Sending them to a school or professional would be more accurate but thought if they do what they claim I would be able to monitor the area better. This will be used for a small home vegetable garden and lawn.
Thank You,
Al

If you have been following my previous columns you by now know that adding gypsum and sand are pretty much a waste of time, energy and money when attempting to improve the garden soil. These products/materials really have no benefit in decreasing the grip that our soils’ clay particles have on one another. This grip is what makes our soils so hard and poorly drained.

So what is the best thing for improving the structure and texture of our clay soils? It is none other than our good old friend Organic Matter. Organic matter is decomposed material, such as leaves, grass clippings, composted cotton seed boll or cow manure. This material has the ability to break the bond of clay. This results in a soil that is easier to till, holds more water and provides for good aeration for the roots. This workhorse does it all. It has the ability to give the soil particles just what they need.

SOIL MYTHS Part 2 -- Sand

In my last blog article, I talked about how the use of gypsum was pretty much useless in helping to improve the soil. This week I would like to dispel another common myth about how to improve our heavy clay soils. The myth is, adding sand improves the tilth and drainage of the soil.

This recommendation is not a good one! Sand is one of the solid parts that make up soil, along with silt and clay. The problem is that for every one particle of sand there are millions and millions particles of clay. It would literally take tons of sand to make a significant change.

Dennis --
My next door neighbor uses this stuff called
Earth Right that she spays on her yard to turn the soil from clay in to topsoil.. Have you heard of this stuff and do you recommend using it. She said some radio personalities swear by the stuff.
Frank in Tongi

I was wondering what type of soil I should use for starting plants inside with my grow light. I've heard that a perlite/peat moss mixture is good for starting and propagating plants. Is this also true for starting plants with a grow-light?
Thanks,
happy_happy :)

I have some small evergreens and perennials planted in clay-heavy soil that are not thriving. When is the best time and what is the best way to add organic material so these existing plants are not damaged?

I’ve got lots of hard clay. What is the best material to break it up?

— Spoon, Kansas City