Thursday, March 22, 2012

Demystifying Soil Amendments - Continued


Garden Bed Amendments IV – Products that change soil structure

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.     
 
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 Champaign, 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 substitutions that your local Garden Center experts can suggest for you, but if you really have your heart set on one product or a brand of product, you can talk to them and they may be able to special order it for you.


Rice Hulls
Renewable resource that is not environmentally disruptive. However, it is usually produced outside the U.S.
            Decomposable
            Creates air pockets and increases porosity for both air and water channels
            Increases drainage
            Has some water holding capability
            Lightweight
            Some brands have OMRI label for organic growing
            Keeps soil loose and not compacted but for a short period of time

Green Sand
Inorganic – but a natural mineral that is mined         
May be used in Organic Gardening
It is rich in trace nutrients
Helps loosen compacted soils
Will not burn plants and can be used at any time of the year either incorporated or as a top dress
            It is a slow release fertilizer supplying micronutrients

Horticultural Charcoal
            Some people say it may absorb impurities; there is very little evidence for this claim
Used in the garden will improve drainage
            Often used in terrariums or indoor houseplant containers that have no drainage

Pebbles/Stone
            Inorganic – but occurs naturally in nature
            Used as a top dress to lessen weed growth and help soil erosion
            Increases aesthetic beauty as a decorative soil covering
            Creates drainage or increases drainage both in the garden or in containers
            Used as pathway material
            Will add weight to lightweight containers to keep them from tipping over

Vermiculite (Garden Grade only)
Inorganic – but a natural mineral that is mined
Comes in fine, medium, and coarse (medium and coarse are usually what is used in gardening)
“Square Foot Gardening” practices made famous by Mel Bartholomew requires it in his method
Lightweight
Adds no nutrients to the garden but Retains added nutrients for later use by the plants
Retains moisture
Increases drainage
Keeps soil loose and not compacted

Perlite
            Inorganic – but a natural mineral that is mined all over the world
            Slow to break down
            PH neutral
            Helps retain moisture
            Creates air pockets and increases porosity for both air and water channels
            Lightweight great for rooftop gardens
            Adds no nutrients to the garden
            Keeps soil loose and not compacted
            Inert

Peat Moss
            Naturally occurring organic substance
            You want to purchase peat that has been harvested in a sustainable manner
            Improves water movement and air circulation of soils
            Holds twenty times it weight in water and slowly releases
            Can be used to bind sandy soils
            Reduces leaching of nutrients by holding them until it is used by the plant
            Keeps soil loose and not compacted for a certain period of time
            Can also be used as a top dress for new seeds such as lawn or wildflower areas
            Slightly acidic

Coir
Coir Coco Moss
            Fibrous pulp from the husks of coconuts
Renewable resource that is not environmentally 
disruptive. However, it is usually produced
outside the U.S.
Free of bacteria and fungal spores
Slightly acidic
Will retain moisture
Keeps soil loose and not compacted for a certain period of time
Creates air pockets and increases porosity for both air and water channels
Can be used to line containers or baskets to hold a potting medium in the container
Does have some minor nutritional benefit

Long Fiber Sphagnum Moss
            It is not peat moss but is a perennial plant that grows back
            Renewable resource
            Sourced in the United States
            Holds twenty times its weight in water
            Repels bacteria
            Used as a soil covering for container plants
            Used to line baskets or containers to hold potting media in the container
            Used to create a nice aesthetic look that is very natural
            Used as all or part of the potting media for some container plants such as orchids

Sand
Sand
            This is a naturally occurring material comprised of
            rock and some minerals
            It increases drainage and helps break up clay soils
Creates air pockets and increases porosity for both air
and water channel
Used as a top dress
May be used in organic gardening
           
 
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 soil’s 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)






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