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Definition of Soil
This definition is from Soil Taxonomy, second edition. soil - Soil is a natural body comprised of solids (minerals and organic matter), liquid, and gases that occurs on the land surface, occupies space, and is characterized by one or both of the following: horizons, or layers, that are distinguishable from the initial material as a result of additions, losses, transfers, and transformations of energy and matter or the ability to support rooted plants in a natural environment. The upper limit of soil is the boundary between soil and air, shallow water, live plants, or plant materials that have not begun to decompose. Areas are not considered to have soil if the surface is permanently covered by water too deep (typically more than 2.5 meters) for the growth of rooted plants. The lower boundary that separates soil from the nonsoil underneath is most difficult to define. Soil consists of horizons near the Earth's surface that, in contrast to the underlying parent material, have been altered by the interactions of climate, relief, and living organisms over time. Commonly, soil grades at its lower boundary to hard rock or to earthy materials virtually devoid of animals, roots, or other marks of biological activity. For purposes of classification, the lower boundary of soil is arbitrarily set at 200 cm.
The Gist
Soil is made up of two basic components: minerals and organic matter.
Minerals can be subdivided into three main groups: sand, silt, and clay.
Sand: Minerals that range in size from 0.05mm to 2mm Silt: Minerals that range in size from less than 0.05mm to 0.002mm Clay: Minerals with a diameter less than 0.002mm Minerals greater than 2mm and less than 2m in diameter are known as coarse fragments.
Organic matter is any material present in the soil that was once alive and has been broken down into humus by micro organisms.
Sand
Silt
Clay
Soil Texture
Determined by the percentages of clay, silt, and sand present in the soil. The most important soil characteristic Affects: Drainage Water holding capacity Aeration Susceptibility to erosion Organic matter content Cation exchange capacity (CEC) pH buffering capacity Soil tilth
Sand
Feels gritty to the touch. Breaks apart easily. Drains very well, thus has poor water retention. However, since water drains so well, soil is well aerated. Organic matter breaks down quickly. Too Coarse. Soils with lots of sand have big spaces between the particles; they don't hold water or nutrients. Sand doesn't react with other chemicals. Intermolecular attractions are minimal, thus sandy soils don't stick together very well. Plant roots can't hold on to this soil. But the big spaces do allow air into the soil. There are some plants that are able to grow in sandy topsoil by putting their roots deep, through the sand to the subsoil.
Silt
Somewhere in between sand and clay. Good water retention. Poor drainage. But more fertile than sand. Too Light. This is material which is finer than sand, but still feels gritty. Silt is commonly found in floodplains and is the soil component that makes mud. Soils with a lot of silt make excellent farm land, but erode easily. This is the soil blown away in dust storms and carried down stream in floods.
Clay
Feels sticky when wet. Easily malleable. Very porous, so it retains water very well; poor drainage. Low oxygen level in soil so organic matter breaks down slowly Too Fine. Lots of clay makes the soil heavy and dense. The spaces between soil particles are very tiny. When clay soil is dry, it's almost as hard as concrete. Plant roots can't push through it. No air can get in from the surface. Most bacteria and other soil organisms that need oxygen can't breathe. But clay is important because it can change the soil chemistry. Clays give off minerals and absorb acids.
Soil pH
Soil pH
pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of the soil. It is the negative logarithm of the molar concentration of (H3O+) ions. A low pH, below 7, means a high concentration of free hydrogen ions (acidic), while a high pH, above 7, means a low concentration of hydronium ions (basic/alkaline). Soil pH plays a big part in a plants ability to absorb certain nutrients from the soil. A pH between 6.2-7.2 is ideal for most plants. Generally speaking, if your plants are growing healthy and well, your pH is probably fine. If your plants are having nutrient problems or are not growing vigorously, its worth it to test your pH. If the soils pH is not within an acceptable range for the plants you are growing, the plants will not be able to access the nutrients in the soil, no matter how much you feed them. You can buy many types of pH testers in a garden center. You can also bring a sample into your local Cooperative Extension office, to be tested for a nominal fee. Once you know what your pH is, you can begin to adjust it slowly. You add some form of lime to raise pH and a form of sulfur to lower it. What type and how much depends upon your soil and test results. Your Extension report and most testing kits will tell you what to do once you get your results.
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Goals
The living organisms in and on the soil do most of the gardening. Provide them with a hospitable environment! Make sure you soil has a well-balanced nutrient and mineral profile. Fix any soil texture or pH problems with amendments.
While it is advised that you keep perennial weeds, pesticide treated material and diseased plants out of your compost bin, most every other form of plant material is fair game.
Can you think of any places where you may be able to acquire these materials for free? Discussion. See Things you should know about page on group site for recipes and instructions.
Different green manures offer different advantages. Some, like alfalfa, are grown for their deep roots and are used to breakup and loosen compacted soil. The legumes, clover and vetch, have the ability to grab nitrogen from the air and eventually release it into the soil through their roots. If allowed to flower, clover especially is attractive to pollinators and beneficial insects. All green manures will suppress weeds and prevent erosion and nutrient runoff in areas that would otherwise be unplanted. And they all assist with creating good soil structure and food for the microbes, once they are tilled in and begin to decompose.
Popular choices for green manure include: annual ryegrass. barley, buckwheat, clover, winter wheat and winter rye.
Soil Biota
In a balanced soil, plants grow in an active and vibrant environment. The mineral content of the soil and its physical structure are important for their well-being, but it is the life in the earth that powers its cycles and provides its fertility. Without the activities of soil organisms, organic materials would accumulate and litter the soil surface, and there would be no food for plants. The soil biota includes:
Megafauna: size range 20 mm upwards, e.g. moles, rabbits, and rodents. Macrofauna: size range 220 mm, e.g. woodlice, earthworms, beetles, centipedes, slugs, snails, ants, and harvestmen. Mesofauna: size range 100 micrometre-2 mm, e.g. tardigrades, mites and springtails. Microfauna and Microflora: size range 1-100 micrometres, e.g. yeasts, bacteria (commonly actinobacteria), fungi, protozoa, roundworms, and rotifers.
Of these, bacteria and fungi play key roles in maintaining a healthy soil. They act as decomposers that break down organic materials to produce detritus (humus) and other breakdown products. Soil detritivores, like earthworms, ingest detritus and decompose it. Saprotrophs, well represented by fungi and bacteria, extract soluble nutrients from delitro. Mycorrhizae are specific fungi that form symbiotic associations with plant roots. They improve plant health by enhancing the plants ability to tolerate environmental stress (like drought and dry winter weather) and reduce transplant shock. Plants with mycorrhizae may need less fertilizer and may have fewer soil-borne diseases. A by-product of mycorrhizal activity is the production of glomalin, a primary compound that improves soil tilth. In simple terms, glomalin glues the tiny clay particles together into larger aggregates, thereby increasing the amount of large pore space, which in turn creates an ideal environment for roots. Soil organisms collectively decompose organic matter, resulting in two principal benefits. First, as soil organisms decompose organic matter, they transform nutrients into mineral forms that plants can use; thus this process is called mineralization. Without soil microorganisms, insects, and worms feeding on organic matter, the nutrients in organic matter would remain bound in complex organic molecules that plants cant utilize. Second, as soil organisms break down organic matter, their activities help improve soil structure. Improved soil structure provides a better environment for roots, with less soil compaction and better water and air movement. Many gardeners know that organic matter improves soil, but it is important to note that its beneficial properties are only released after being processed by soil organisms
Earthworms
The activity of earthworms is most easily appreciated by comparison with the situation in regions where they are absent: the decomposition of organic matter there is slow, such that layers of litter accumulate on the soil surface and fail to be incorporated into the soil. More specifically, the activity of earthworms is important to the agriculturist in four respects, in that they:
improve soil structure mix and till the soil aid in humus formation increase the availability of plant nutrients
The burrowing of earthworms improves the physical structure of the soil, creating channels through which plant roots may more easily penetrate the soil. In addition to increasing soil porosity and aeration, this activity also improves soil drainage and water penetration while eliminating hardpan conditions. Earthworms may also enhance soil structure through the formation of aggregates. Secretions in earthworm intestines cement soil particles together into aggregates which aid in erosion control. Man, through agricultural practices, such as cultivation, may temporarily improve soil structure, but the earthworm has longer-term effects in maintaining soil tilth. As earthworms burrow through the earth, they consume large quantities of soil and fresh or partially decomposed organic matter from the soil surface, depositing it as fecal matter, or casts, in the lower soil horizons. Similarly, soil from the subsoil horizon is moved by these animals to the upper levels where it is mixed with the surface soil, resulting in a more uniform distribution of plant nutrients. Charles Darwin (1881), the naturalist famous for his ideas on evolution, estimated that 10.6 tons of materials are brought to the soil surface of each acre by earthworms (or approximately St/hectare). Through the ingestion of organic matter earthworms are important to the initial breakdown as well as to subsequent decomposition of organic matter. In fact, earthworms may consume more surface organic matter than all other soil animals together. This material is eventually excreted as casts, concentrating nutrients and rendering them more water-soluble and available to plants. Researchers have found that worm casts are generally richer in exchangeable calcium, potassium, and phosphorus than the surrounding soil, while earthworms themselves and their excretions are valuable sources of nitrogen. By bringing soil nutrients to the upper horizons from the lower subsoil, the earthworms counteract the effects of leaching whereby many nutrients are washed from the root zone and consequently rendered unavailable to plants.
Earthworms
The master gardeners at Texas A & M recommend laying down 3 of expanded shale and 3 of organic compost. The amendments are then tilled in 8 10 down into the soil.
See Things You Should Know About page for details.
Adjusting pH
Discuss organic matter.
Raising Soil pH
Amendments include: Agricultural limestone-- This is the product most often used. It can be purchased at farm and garden stores or farm feed stores, etc. Agricultural limestone has a much less potential for burning than other lime products. It comes in small pellet form or ground (almost powder) form. Dolomitic Limestone-- Dolomitic limestone contains magnesium. This is a great product for acidic soil that is also low in Magnesium. Here you knock out two birds with one stone. Neutralize hydrogen and restore Mg levels are well. Hydrated limestone- Hydrated lime is what is used in mortar or cement products. It is sometimes used on lawns because it works slightly faster, but has a much greater burn potential. Hydrated lime should not be used on Centipede grass or other grasses sensitive to lime. When using hydrated limestone, it should only be used in small amounts in the cooler parts of the year. Be sure to water it in. Wood ashes-- Wood ashes are only 40 percent as effective as limestone, but may be a good choice when only a slight correction is needed. However, be careful about using your garden as a place to dump ashes throughout the winter. Some gardens have recorded the soil pH as high as 11. It can take several years to restore the pH back to neutral. Organic matter- Most composted organic matter will be neutral to slightly alkaline. If the soil needs only a slight correction, simply applying organic matter may be all that in needed. This is especially helpful in garden areas where larger amounts of organic matter is tilled into the soil. Biochar biochar can have pH as high as 12-13 depending on the ash content, thus making it a good amendment for acidic soil. It also increases soil microbe activity, improving the fertility of the soil. Note 1: Limestone is slow to break down and is best if it can roto-tilled into the soil, when possible. When broadcasted over the grass surface, the smallest limestone particles will work into the soil faster than larger particles. While powdered limestone is much messier to work with, it will alter the pH faster. Note 2: The purity of the lime product varies with the manufacturer. Products are rated for purity using a Calcium Carbonate Equivalent (CCE) rating. A rating of CCE 100 is pure, but cheaper products may be as low a CCE 60. If you use a cheaper product you will have to use more to get the same results of a CCE 100 product.
Lowering Soil pH
Amendments include: Elemental Sulfur: If dramatic shifts such as a pH 6.5 to 4.5 for blueberries are needed, then elemental sulfur is a better choice. It has more acidifying capability than the other products and lasts for years. However it reacts slowly and may take several months. Soil bacteria convert the sulfur to sulfuric acid. Since it is a biological process it is slower than a chemical reaction. The process occurs when the bacteria are most active in moist warm soil and are not active in the winter. Spring application and incorporation work best. Once plants are planted it's difficult to add much sulfur. Prepare beds in advance; ideally the season before planting. Aluminum Sulfate: This is the product most professionals use because it works immediately. Aluminum sulfate will change the soil pH instantly because the aluminum produces the acidity as soon as it dissolves in the soil. However aluminum sulfate should be reserved for use only with hydrangeas to promote blue flowers. Aluminum is necessary for the flower color change in hydrangeas but can cause aluminum toxicity in other plants such as blueberries. Many acres of land in the world are unusable for crops due to soil acidity and aluminum toxicity. Simply lowering the soil pH with any product will help hydrangeas flowers to be blue but the competitive deep blue will require aluminum sulfate additions. Iron sulfate can be used to lower pH but requires six times more product than elemental sulfur. It reacts faster at 3-4 weeks than elemental sulfur but as with all the products can cause plant damage if over used. See this link for using low pH irrigation: http://www.verdegaalbrothers.com/ph_meters/Uses_of_sulfuric_acid_as_water_admendment.pdf
Sources
http://eap.mcgill.ca/publications/eap6.htm http://gardening.about.com/od/soil/a/GardenSoil.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_life http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/214.html http://www.urbanfarmonline.com/urban-gardening/backyardgardening/dry-climate-growing-2.aspx http://ohioline.osu.edu/agf-fact/0507.html http://web.extension.illinois.edu/cfiv/homeowners/080818.html http://www.lawn-care-academy.com/soil-pH.html http://tinyurl.com/3g79qbb http://www.verdegaalbrothers.com/ph_meters/Uses_of_sulfuric _acid_as_water_admendment.pdf