The following blogs are going to be a five part series on Soil Amendments and Components.
Garden Bed Amendments I – Nutritional Amendments
Soil amendments are anything you can add to the soil to
improve its nutritional value, water retention, drainage, structure and
aeration to create a better environment for plant root development or increase
or decrease drainage or slow soil erosion.
Soil amendments can also be considered products that you can use on top
of the soil to retain moisture, slow erosion, manage weeds, moderate soil
temperature, increase aesthetics and aid in plant growth. They can be either organic or inorganic. Some of the following products or components
can have multiple tasks that they perform in your soil; however I have tried to
categorize them into their main function.
Always follow the label for all products. We strongly recommend you get a soil test
before adding any nutrients to your soil.
This will give you a clear understanding of what might be missing from
your garden’s soil. You can use a
company like Agricultural Soil Management, Inc. in Champagne IL to do your soil
test or go to
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/soiltest/
for a listing of companies.
Some of the following products are easy to find at your
local Independent
Garden Center
but others may be difficult to find stocked.
Some of these products have suitable substitution that your local Garden
Center experts can suggest for you but if you really have your heart set one
product or a brand of product you can talk to them and they may be able to
special order it for you.
Aluminum Sulfate
Is a
chemical compound
Lowers the
PH or increases acidity of gardens that are not used for edible plants
It increases the amount of
nutrients that the plant takes up through its roots system from the surrounding
soil
Can be used
as a soil additive or top dressed
Always
follow the directions, do not apply to foliage
Used to change certain hydrangeas colors typically to a
blue shade
Garden Sulfur
Natural
occurring element
Lowers PH
or increases acidity in soil and can be used
with edibles
Used often
in Organic gardening
We
recommend this product in blueberry production in
our area
Agricultural Lime/Garden Lime/Agricultural Limestone
It provides a source of calcium
which is an important micro nutrient especially for plants like tomatoes and
fall mums
It improves the plants ability to
uptake other nutrients such as Nitrogen, Potassium and
Best to add lime to the top of the
soil in fall or before planting in spring
Raises the
PH in soil
Phosphorous (N-P-K) in
acidic soils
Naturally occurring mineral –
Limestone ground
It increases water penetration into
soil media
Dolomitic Lime
Similar to
Agricultural lime
Is a
naturally occurring mineral that is mined
Raises the
PH of your soil
Is a carbonate mineral composed of
calcium magnesium carbonate
Both calcium and magnesium are
necessary nutrients for some plants
Hydrated Lime
Calcium
Hydroxide is an inorganic compound created from limestone and water
Raises the
PH quickly in the soil, but may burn the roots of plants where it is used
Please make
sure your follow your instruction, we recommend Agricultural Lime instead
Ammonium Sulphate
Is an
inorganic salt compound
Lowers PH
or increases acidity
Contains
Nitrogen and Sulfur
Quick and
fast release of Nitrogen, be careful not to burn the plant
To do this
the organic way and slower we would recommend Blood Meal
Magnesium Sulphate/Epsom Salt
Inorganic
chemical Compound naturally coming from the Earth (Epsom, England)
Helps
correct chlorosis (yellowing leaves) of plants, it will make them more green
May be used
to correct magnesium deficiencies
Lowers the
PH or increases acidity of your soil slightly
Helps
plants absorb naturally occurring phosphorous in the soil and other nutrients
Often used
in organic gardening
Gypsum
Is a
sulfate mineral naturally occurring and can be created as a byproduct of
sulfide oxidation
May counter
act salt spray damage from deicing agents applied to roads for winter
Helps bind organic matter to
nutrients in the soil to prevent leaching and be available to the plant for
later use
PH neutral
(7.0) but does help correct overly alkaline
(high PH) or “sweet soils”
Loosens
clay soils by allowing air and water to flow easier through
Maybe used
in organic gardening
Lessens
soil erosion
Adds
calcium
Won’t burn
Dried Blood/Blood Meal
Releases nitrogen over four months
so perfect for one season crops, please follow the label to avoid plant damage
Provides a
natural source of nitrogen
Great for
nitrogen hungry crops like leafy
vegetables
(lettuce,
spinach, corn, brussel sprouts)
Apply
during growing season
Lowers PH or increases acidity
May act as
an animal repellent such as deer and rabbit
Do not apply to beans or legumes (i.e.
soybeans) or other crops that take nitrogen out of the air and put it in the
soil
May be used in organic gardening
Often used in compost pile
Please follow the directions and do not over apply
Iron
When you
have iron deficiencies you usually have high PH
Lowers PH
or increases acidity
It can be applied as a spray
(liquid form is equally effective and is more commonly available) or a pellet
which is usually commercially available
Chelated Iron
Is
often in a soluble form for spraying
Slightly
Lowers PH or increases acidity
Is
used as temporary fix for high PH soils
Used
to treat deficiencies causing chlorosis
Urea
This is often one of two nitrogen
sources for commercial fertilizers (Ammonium Nitrate is the other but it is not
sold by itself)
Promotes rapid greening and growth
This releases nitrogen very rapidly
Potash
Is the name
nickname for the old fashioned way of soaking plant ashes in a water pot
Various
salts that contain potassium either mined or manufactured
Source of
potassium for fertilizers
Potassium helps the growth of the
plant, keeps the plant circulatory system healthy, and helps maintain the
plants overall healthiness
Bone Meal
It is made
from crushed bones
It is often
used in organic gardening
Often used for bulbs, roses and
tomatoes
It is a good source of phosphorous
and calcium for your plants
It is a slow release fertilizer
Fertilizers
This topic
will be covered at a later date thoroughly
May be organic, inorganic, natural
or synthetic
It is often
added to the soil to supply nutrients to plants
Can be a quick release, time release or slow release formulas
It contains the following macro and
micro nutrients
Corn Gluten Meal
Made from
ground corn
Various Universities including Iowa
State University believes it could be used as a natural pre-emergence herbicide
Slowly
releases nitrogen and is often used on lawns
Definitions:
Top dress – to apply product on top of the soil or garden
surface to either add nutrients, limit weed seed germination or weed growth,
retain moisture, deter soil erosion, increase aesthetic beauty
Leaching – Water soluble plant nutrients are lost due to
over watering or the soils inability to hold on to those nutrients for later
use
PH – is the measure of acidity to basic from #1 to #14
PH neutral – is in the middle of the PH scale at #7
Slightly Acidic – to lower the PH
Slightly Basic - To sweeten the soil, to raise the PH often
associated with lime products
N-P-K – Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium are often
depicted as number on plant fertilizers (i.e. 10-10-10)
Informational Links:
http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/colorchange.html
http://www.organicgardeningguru.com/soil-care.html
http://www.soilmoist.com/products/landscapers.php
