Soil — From our Back Yards to the Big Picture and Home Again

It’s time to feed our soil again. It has fed our plants all spring and summer. Plant growth and heavy downpours have depleted soil nutrients.

As we revamp our gardens for fall it is an easy enough job to pay proper attention to our soil. That means start with a soil test. Soil tends to revert to its natural pH with time.

Maintaining your target pH level is an ongoing process, especially with acidic soil. Rain leaches out calcium and other alkaline forming elements leaving it more acidic. Naturally alkaline soils tend to move up the pH scale. In extreme cases, some soils cannot be acidified.

Fertilizers can affect the pH of our soil, too. Ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate may lower the pH value while potassium nitrate and calcium nitrate can raise it.

Always have your soil tested before adding lime or sulfur. To adjust soil pH one needs to know not just its current value but also the soil buffering capacity which is its ability to resist pH change—does the soil need a large or small amount of amendment material to effect change.

The pH level in soil determines mineral availability. If the pH is too high or too low plants can’t access certain minerals. A soil test tells you how much of what amendments you need to apply for best plant growth. Whether you grow vegetables, ornamentals or turf healthy soil is fundamental.

Tip: If the natural pH of your soil is not extremely high or low, consider selecting landscape plants matched to your soil’s natural pH. If you are interested in growing plants unsuited for your pH consider growing them in pots or raised beds. Small amounts of soil are easier to amend than large expanses.

Maintaining a proper pH is only part of building healthy soil.

The variety of life in an environment is referred to as biodiversity. The term applies to animals, plants, soil and ecosystems. It exists not only on the terrestrial level but in the soil too. Biodiversity is critical to perpetuating life on the planet and it starts with soil organisms.

The soil ecosystem is largely invisible to the naked eye, but it is what makes soil fertile. Healthy soil is alive with beneficial microbes and fungi, earthworms, nematodes, and other soil dwelling life. Scientists tell us that the earth’s soil contains nearly one third of all living organisms.

Today’s global issues have put increasing stress on the earth’s soil. When the soil environment changes it affects the organisms that live in it. Pollution, pesticides, development, erosion, global warming are among the forces that disrupt and change the earth’s soil.

Each organism in an ecosystem serves a function in maintaining the system’s ecological balance. Pesticides and herbicides destroy life in the soil leading to reduced biodiversity and productivity among soil dwelling organisms.

As global warming increases species and their habitats are decreasing. Plants are dependent on weather conditions and soil conditions. Slight changes in temperature and moisture can affect soil to the extent that it cannot continue to support certain species.

The organisms in the soil ecosystem recycle organic waste by making it into soil. This is the natural process in the forest. We can simulate and speed the cycle in our gardens by regularly adding organic material to our gardens. It is the best way renew depleted, degraded and damaged soil.

Organic material means compost. Top dress your gardens with it in fall and spring. Side dress plants with it. It adds microorganisms back into your soil. The myriad organisms in soil make it fertile by converting decomposing matter into soil and, in the process, releasing nutrients plants can use. A healthy soil ecosystem is what makes your garden fertile.

Compost adds more than nutrients to your soil, it also improves texture and structure. Research shows that plants grown in compost enriched soil have fewer insect and disease problems. The fact that the pH of compost is neutral makes its use simple.

We feed our soil to feed our plants. It’s straightforward. Correct you soil pH based on a soul test. Add compost to your soil regularly.

This story was originally published August 13, 2016 at 4:09 AM with the headline "Soil — From our Back Yards to the Big Picture and Home Again."