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Author: James White - Organic Lifestyle Magazine Author: James White - Organic Lifestyle Magazine

How to Test and Amend Soil

Even gardeners with a green thumb can be foiled by bad soil. If you’re doing everything right but your plants are still dying, it might be time to take a look below the surface. Learning how to test your soil and use natural amendments to restore it to a healthy type will tremendously help your lawn or garden flourish this season.

The Different Types of Soil

When it comes to your soil, you might be thinking, “Why does it matter? Dirt is dirt”. That’s not exactly the case, though. There are several kinds of soil, and each is different. Each soil type drains differently and has varying levels of nutrients that can impact the growth of your lawn and garden. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the soil types:

  • Loamy soil. This kind of soil is the best type for gardening. It tends to be slightly acidic (which lots of plants prefer) and drains well to keep plants hydrated but not soggy.
  • Clay soil. When you have clay soil, it tends to be thick and feels sticky when it’s wet. While clay is rich in nutrients, it doesn’t drain well.
  • Sandy soil. Sandy soil drains well but doesn’t retain any moisture, which makes it difficult for plants to stay properly watered. Sandy soil is also low in nutrients and won’t feed plants well.
  • Silty soil. This soil type is rich in nutrients; however, it can get slimy when wet, resulting in poor drainage.
  • Chalky soil. When you’re dealing with chalky soil, you’ll find it is very alkaline and free draining. It dries out very quickly and doesn’t have many nutrients to offer besides calcium.
  • Peaty soil. Soil that is peaty is damp and spongy. It will retain moisture well, but drainage can be a problem.

Find out What Kind of Soil You Have

Now that you know about the different soil types, it’s time to do a test to find out what kind of soil you have. Use the following steps to get your soil sample:

  • Dig down about six inches and take some soil. If you have a large planting area, you’ll want to test soil from multiple places.
  • Put soil in a pint-sized jar until it’s about halfway full. Then, add a few drops of liquid dish soap and fill the jar the rest of the way up with water.
  • Put the lid on tightly and shake the jar for about three minutes.
  • Put the jar aside and allow 24 hours for all the particles to settle. Once it’s settled, you’ll be able to see the individual layers that make up your soil.

Check Your Soil’s pH

Your soil pH is another important factor in how well things will grow and even what you can grow in your soil. Knowing what the pH of your soil is and how to amend it is a big part of having a healthy garden:

  • You can pick up a pH test kit from your local garden center, but if you’re more of a DIY person, there are several options for testing pH at home.
  • A pH reading of 7 means your soil is neutral. pH readings below 7 are acidic, and readings above 7 are alkaline. An ideal soil reading will be around 6.5. This means your soil is slightly acidic, and nutrients will dissolve well and be readily available.
  • To raise your soil pH, you can add limestone to your soil. The lime will break down in the soil and raise the alkalinity over time.
  • To lower your soil pH, sulfur should be added. Peat moss can also be used, but this method isn’t sustainable. Additionally, peat moss has been overharvested in some areas, which may make it difficult or expensive to obtain.
  • When amending your soil pH, be sure to check your pH levels regularly and add any amendments slowly over time.

What to Do With Difficult Soil

Many gardeners often dump too much time and too many resources into their lawn before realizing it’s just not working as well as they’d hoped, or it’s taking too long. If you find yourself in this situation — with a soil type or pH that will take too much to fix — you can still have a garden.

You might look at planting raised garden beds and using prepackaged soil. This is a perfect solution to yards that are massive works in progress. A few advantages to a raised garden bed include:

  • You can quickly and easily put together a raised garden bed.
  • Raised beds are more accessible to gardeners with physical limitations such as arthritis.
  • You can often plant earlier since the soil stays warmer in a raised bed.

No matter what challenges are put in front of you, there’s always a way to create your own little slice of heaven by growing a garden. With the right testing processes and soil amendments (or raised garden beds), you’ll have your garden on track and ready to grow in no time.

What's Good Soil - Infographic by Safer Brand

Infographic created by Safer Brand.




Why Are My Plants Turning Yellow?

Are the leaves of one of your favorite plants turning yellow, but you can’t tell why? There are several possible causes for the discoloring of foliage.

Here’s an infographic created by Safer Brand to help you figure out what might be happening to make your greenery go yellow, and how you can go about fixing it.

infographic by Safer Brand - yellow leaves

The Problem: Not Enough Sunlight

Some plants are happiest in the shade while others like to be in full view of the sun — or even a bit of both. It’s important to know what your plant requires for optimal health.

When you purchase seeds or an established plant, the label should specify its ideal sun conditions. You’ll know your plant craves more sunlight if the leaves are drooping and their color looks faded.

The Solution

This is a simple fix! Find a sunny spot and you’ll have a greener plant.

The Problem: Bugs

There are a variety of pests that can harm your plants, including mites, aphids, mealybugs, thrips, and scale whiteflies. Some of these insects you’ll be able to see, while others are so tiny you’ll only know they’re there from the telltale signs of them.

Bugs are like vampires in that they can suck the sap of the plant — the blood of the plant world, if you will. As a result of the attack on the plant, the overall health of the greenery diminishes and the leaves yellow.

The Solution: Wash Up

To deal with an insect infestation, you can wash the plant — repeatedly if you have to. Use neem oil or horticultural soap to wipe the plant. You can buy the soap or even make it yourself.

The Problem: A Lack of Nutrients

Plants need more than a dozen essential minerals in order to flourish, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and others. If a plant is deficient in one or more of the needed nutrients, you’ll see it in the plant’s appearance. The lack of a specific nutrient shows up differently from one plant to the next.

The Solution: Add Nutrients

Once you figure out what nutrient(s) are lacking in your plant, you can add what it’s missing. There are a variety of products which can help you do this. They’re available at most garden centers and hardware stores.

The Problem: Too Much or Too Little Water

Plants, like humans, need moisture to survive. Humans can feel very unwell if we guzzle gallons of water or if we’ve gone too long without it.

Plants are no different — they are affected by the amount of water they have (or don’t have).

If a plant is in dense or poorly drained soil, it can become waterlogged, making it impossible for the roots to absorb the oxygen they need to properly function. Root damage increases the longer the plant has to deal with reduced oxygen supply.

Ultimately, the roots get damaged when overwatered and some may even die. This makes it impossible for the rest of the plant to get the necessary nutrients and water needed to sustain life.

If your plant is curling up, or its leaves are wilting, you might be under-watering it. The pores on the surface of leaves, called stoma, let air into a plant. If a plant doesn’t have enough water, it closes up the stoma to prevent any evaporation of the precious little moisture it still has. This results in wilting.

The Solution: Rethink Your Plant’s Bedding

If the soil around your plant is dense and doesn’t drain well, add mulch around plants or throughout the entire flowerbed. You can also add organic matter, including compost, to help boost drainage.

Remember: A dry soil surface isn’t always a true sign of a plant needing water. Even if the surface of the soil is dry to the touch, it doesn’t mean the roots are dry, as well. Test the moisture content lower in the plant’s pot or plot to truly gauge if water is needed.

Keeping your plants happy and healthy can be a bit of a process. It can take time and some problem-solving skills to get just the right combination of growing conditions. If you pay attention to the appearance of your florae, including the yellowing of the leaves, you’ll be able to make the necessary adjustments.

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