Great soil equals healthy plants

Planting season is fast approaching. It is time to get the garden ready. The mud is drying up and the soil is ready to be worked. You have probably already noticed some weeds ready and willing to take over before you even get the peppers and tomatoes planted.

Put on your garden boots and get out there. Pull the weeds you see right away. Take a look at your soil and see if it needs anything. Garden books and articles often refer to soil as being clay and silt, loam or sand. Let’s examine what that really means.

Clay and silt soils are made of very small particles. They feel slick and sticky when wet. Clay and silt hold moisture well, but resist water infiltration, especially when they are dry. Puddles often form on clay or silt soils, and they can easily become compacted.

Sandy soils contain large particles which are visible to the naked eye and tend to be light in color. Sand feels coarse when wet or dry, and will not form a ball when squeezed in your fist. Sandy soils stay loose and allow moisture to penetrate easily, but do not retain it for a long time.

Loam soil is a mix of sand, silt or clay, and organic matter. Loam soils are loose and look rich. When squeezed in your fist, moist loam will form a ball which crumbles when poked with a finger. Loam soils normally absorb water and store moisture well. Loam soils can be sandy or clay based, and will vary in moisture absorption and retention accordingly.

Loam is the best bet for typical vegetable or flower gardens as it combines the benefits of clay, sand and organic matter. The best soil is healthy soil and healthy soil is not always the same thing. You can tell your soil is healthy when you have lush, pest-free plants that thrive.

Most soil lacks organic matter and most poor soil can be corrected by simply adding organic matter. Good soil amendment choices include:

• Sphagnum peat moss is especially good in amending sandy soils. It does add acid to the soil as it breaks down, so take that into consideration.

• Grass clippings decompose quickly and will change the physical characteristic of your soil in days or weeks.

• Compost can be manure, kitchen scraps and yard waste or a combination of the two. Compost won’t change the physical characteristics of your soil as quickly as a rapidly decomposing amendment, but it will benefit the soil over a longer period of time.

• Manure must be aged at least six months prior to safely applying it to the soil. Fresh manure can elevate ammonia levels and actually harm plants. Fresh manure contains pathogens that can potentially harm you if ingested.

A combination of amendments is usually necessary to improve the soil’s physical properties, such as water retention, permeability, water infiltration, drainage, aeration and structure. The goal of amending the soil is to provide a better environment for plant’s roots.

If you are unsure of what your soil needs in order to produce healthy plants consult your county extension office. Renee Clark, horticulture program assistant at the Tuscarawas County Ohio State University Extension Office said, “You can pick up a soil testing kit at our office. The kit allows you to send a soil sample in where it is tested at Penn State. The neat thing about this kit is you can be as general or as specific as you want. They can test for a general vegetable garden and suggest how to amend your soil. They can also test for specific crops, trees and shrubs so you can amend according to the plants’ needs.”

Soil testing kits are available during business hours at the extension office at 419 16th St. SW, New Philadelphia. They are $10.