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Written by Danielle Duncan
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Soil - a complex mixture of disintegrated mineral rock, organic
remains, air and bacteria - is literally the foundation on which any
successful garden is built. Whether you grow flowers, grass, shrubs and
ornamental trees, or vegetable and fruit crops, strong vigorous plants
need good soil to thrive and perform well.
Understanding your soil type is key, as well as choosing the most
compatible plants. Simple soil-testing kits can assess acidity and
alkalinity; other equally simple tests can determine soil texture and
water content. From there, it's an easy step to correcting chemical
imbalances and improving structures and drainage if necessary.
All soils benefit from regular enrichment to maintain their fertility
and moisture content. Bulky organic matter such as well rotted manure,
garden compost, leaf mold and spent mushroom compost add both vital
humus and food. These are environmentally far preferable to the heavy
use of chemical fertilizers, which add nothing to soil structure and
can build up to harmful levels in the soil. Slow-acting organic
fertilizers such as bone meal are beneficial in moderation. Peat has no
value as a fertilizer and is in short supply. It should be used
sparingly.
Organic matter used as a surface cover, or mulch, provides extra
benefits: mulched soil requires less weeding, and less watering in
droughts. Mulch is also a natural insulator, keeping roots cool in
summer and warm in winter.
To improve a soil you must first identify whether it is basically
chalky, clayey, sandy or a mixture. You can find out a lot about the
soil in your area by talking to neighbors and by working the soil
yourself.
Chalk Soils - formed from the breaking down of limestone, are strongly
alkaline. Fuchsias, pinks and alliums thrive on them, but acid-loving
plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons and most heathers hate them.
These soils usually have little topsoil - you'll hit bedrock quickly if
you start digging - and are poor at retaining both water and plant
nutrients. This means you need to keep on applying organic matter and
fertilizers frequently.
Clay soil - is made up of minute mineral particles that tend to clog
together. It is probably heavy and sticky to dig since clay soils are
generally poorly drained and aerated. When clay dries out, it sets
rock-hard and cracks. To make the most of its natural fertility, you
need to improve drainage and aeration by working in leaf mold, shredded
bark or horticultural grit, so that the texture becomes more open.
Sandy Soils - are light and easy to work. Although they warm up quickly
in the spring, giving plants a good start, they are so free-draining
that nutrients are washed out. Like chalky soils, they need plenty of
organic matter and liberal dressings of fertilizer.
Loam - you are lucky if your soil is a well-drained loam, containing a
good balance of clay and sand particles and a high humus content. Loams
are the most easily cultivated of all soil types and hold water and
nutrients well.
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