The health of your soil is a priority for growing a good garden. When you go to any major big box home improvement store you will find countless options of soil for sale. Take some time before purchasing to ensure your soil is healthy.
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If you are growing plants in containers, look for a mix that provides all the necessary nutrients needed. If possible take advantage of torn bags so you can see the soil (and get a discount). Read the bag label and look for the following things:
Potting Soil basics
- Is the bag light and feels dry? If they are a fertilized soil you don’t want a bag that is saturated, you could be losing key nutrients
- The mix should contain either peat moss, pine bark or perlite, this will help with air pockets necessary for healthy soil
- Do not use a compost-based mix as this may have too many nutrients for a container
- Some soils may contain wetting agents to help media get wet. They may also have gels to help the mix retain moisture.
- There are times that you must consider what will be in the container. Most of the time you can use a basic mix, but occasionally you do need to get something for a specialty plants.
Garden soil basics
Determining the type of soil, you have is easy. Dig down a few inches in the area you plan to plant. If you have had a recent rain is the soil wet? When you squeeze it does water come out? Does the soil stay in a clump? Can you see if there is a lot of sand or small stones in the mix? Once you have taken some time to look at the soil in your space you can determine what you need to do to improve it.
- If your soil is mainly sand or stone, it will dry out quickly. These types may also lack nutrients to grow anything well.
- Soil that clumps when wet will have more clay. Clay retains too much moisture and can cause root rot.
- Ideal soil will be a mix of sand, clay and other organic material. This is called loamy soil.
Once you have determined the type of soil in your garden space you can make adjustments. To create a healthy soil, you will need to follow some basic steps.
Steps to improve soil
- If the soil is sandy or has rocks you will need to add amendments such as compost and some clay. This clay will help sandy soil to retain moisture. The compost will add nutrients the soil may be lacking.
- If the soil is a clay clump, then you will need to add sand or a stony type of amendment to allow moisture and air into the soil. Of course, compost is needed for nutrients.
Going to the store with a soil plan will make your shopping trip easy. Remembering that potted plants need a soil that can provide the nutrients and proper water and air balance in a compact area. Ground soil may need a little more work, but if you have taken the time to learn what you have you will know exactly what you need to add.
Do you have questions? Post them below.
