Your plants are only as good as the soil they’re growing in. So today, let's talk about dirt! So you might have been thinking about starting your own garden to grow your favorite fruit and veggies or perhaps your favorite flowers to add a pop of color to your garden or enhance your curb appeal with a stunning lawn.
However, before getting your hands dirty, you need to assess whether your soil is conducive to growing fruit, veggies, or plants and how to improve it to ensure your garden thrives for years to come. It will certainly save you time, money, and a lot of headaches.
What Is Soil?
Sure, this might sound like an obvious question. Yet, soil is much more than simple dirt. It’s made up of a mix of minerals, organic matter, gases, and water all of which consistently interact. Your soil should be made up of three predominant minerals; sand, clay and silt. It is ideal to have a good balance of all three of these elements. Generally speaking, you should have soil that is made up of …
40% sand
20% clay
40% silt
However, this ratio is not going to be the golden rule when it comes to ALL plant life. You may need to consider that each plant may thrive in different soil conditions.
The combination of these minerals and organic matter give soil its texture and texture grades depend upon the amount of clay, sand, silt and organic matter that are present. Together, they represent an important and complex ecosystem that supports life and will provide your plants and crops with all the nutrients and water they need to grow and thrive.
Clay Soil
Alright, we now know that not all garden soils are created equal. They all have their own mix of organic and inorganic matter and minerals and knowing the composition of your soil is key as it will help you determine what kind of plants and crops you can grow successfully.
Clay soil is mostly composed of very fine mineral particles and doesn’t have much organic material. The fact that there isn’t much space between the mineral particles explains why it appears quite sticky, doesn’t drain well and tends to get water-logged quite easily.
Clay soil is typically one of the toughest, if not the toughest, types of soil to manage. Clay soil tends to bind up nutrients making it hard for plants to get the nourishment they need. However, enhancing soil drainage with sand and compost can significantly improve the issue and allow your plants, fruit, and vegetables to thrive in your nutrient dense clay soil.
So how to determine if you have clay soil?
Well, If you notice that water doesn’t penetrate the ground and instead turns into puddles, chances are your soil is clay! Also, clay tends to leave a shiny layer on the fingers. Reaching out to your local extension office can also assist you with this.
Sandy Soil
A sandy soil is often depleted of minerals as it is fast draining and therefore leeches water and nutrients, depriving plants of the essential minerals they need to thrive. The plus of having sandy soil is that it is incredibly aerated; allowing for excellent drainage and the good news is that there are ways to easily improve sandy soil. All you’ll need to do is add organic additives such as kelp meal to nourish the soil and by adding compost. The practice of mulching flower and garden beds also helps your soil retain moisture.
How to determine if you have sandy soil?
It is usually easy to spot as it feels gritty and doesn’t hold water and nutrients as long as other types of soil. If you can feel grains within your soil, chances are you have sandy soil.
Silty Soil
Silty soils are more fertile than sandy soils and are composed of rocks and mineral particles. Because these particles are fine and compact, air circulation and drainage is difficult. However, this type of soil is rich in nutrients making it a great soil to cultivate plants, fruit, or veggies, provided that you can manage drainage. One way to improve drainage is to mix compost and organic matter with silty soil.
How to determine if you have silty soil?
Silty soil usually feels soapy and soft to the touch. When wet, you can easily shape it into a ball. Silt falls in between sand and clay in terms of its size. This medium sized element is almost powdery in consistency and works wonders for aeration.
BUT WAIT! Let's talk about one more...
Loamy soil
Loam soil is a balance of all three minerals, Sand, Clay and Silt. Generally speaking loamy soil has been widely preferred and accepted as the perfect soil texture for plant growth. The benefits of having a perfect mix of these minerals results in great aeration, nutrient retention and moisture retention.
So how do you know if you have loamy soil? Well, have you heard of the ball test? First grab a bit of damp soil and squeeze it into a ball. Now for the test, Loamy soil will remain in the shape of a ball but will crumble when you poke it.
Great! Now you know all about soil texture! But how do you improve your soil texture?
First and foremost we always recommended a soil test. Investing in an inexpensive soil testing kit is a great first step toward improving the health of your garden or lawn. It will allow you to determine the level of organic matter in your soil, helping you adjust accordingly and identify deficiencies in your soil across every macro and micronutrient.
Second, Add compost to your soil: compost is made up of decomposed organic matter and is one of the most effective ways to feed your soil and promote good drainage. For heavy clay soil, adding sand may be required as well.
Three, Mulch your garden and flower beds, adding mulch to your soil surface is a fantastic way to prevent weed growth and retain soil moisture for strong plants.
And finally we always recommended reaching out to your local extension office. These offices are made up of highly trained and passionate volunteers who are familiar with your region and can assist you with any agriculture question.
We hope this will help you start a beautiful and healthy garden or lawn you’ll be proud to showcase. At Green Landing, we’re passionate about gardening and love helping enthusiasts like you grow the garden of their dreams.
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