Soil Test Questions and Amendments
Josg Maggsib
3 months ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (9)
Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
3 months agoJosg Maggsib
3 months agoRelated Discussions
soil amendments testing
Comments (13)Thank you, toxcrusadr, our land was farmland for about 100 years before (over a 5 year span) the crops just refused to grow. In 1976 the farm failed and part of the land was bought by my (then) future Mother-in-law as an eventual wedding present for her only daughter. They fertilize with manure here and the cheaper the better so your scenario is entirely possible. My âÂÂgoodâ soil (new, bought, whatever) is, in typical Cypriot business fashion identical to my original soil in the back garden (I sent a sample for testing from front and rear gardens and received the results yesterday afternoon) the only difference being the expensive (read wasted) Peat Moss I stirred into the front garden. I am convinced they charged us 600 Euros to move the dirt they dug out for the house from the backyard to the front. Since 1976 the land has lain fallow and been used as parking or festival grounds or whatever the moment called for. Yea! I like Okra! Thank you lazygardens, I have already stripped the neighborhood clear of green weeds that have not yet produced seeds and buried them where I hope to eventually grow something other than rocks. Right now only my Rock Garden is expanding. Even the cactus plants I have scrounged from the roadsides near our house are struggling to survive in this soil. As for the compacting... without any tree roots, cables or pipes involved I have broken 4 tines and 2 handles (one fiberglass, 1 hickory) off of 2 garden forks and the spike off of a grubbing hoe (Texas & Louisiana name- according to Google it's a long handled mattock) just trying to get the surface broken enough to bury the weeds. Would sprinkling the weeds/plant matter with sulfur before I bury them be of any benefit, do you think? A few times over the next 2 weeks I'll be going up to the mountains where there are pine and cedar forests, I was planning to bring back a few bags of fallen needles and etc. Maybe even catch a few worms (I've not seen one worm in 2 years of fighting with this soil) if I can get away with it. I've read these needles are bad for acidic soils so would they help mine? Thank you, Floral_UK, yes, I blew most of my garden budget on that mess last year to no real effect. I'll be on the lookout for carob processing centers as I travel over the next couple of weeks. Have a good summer, all of you....See MoreQuestion about Amending Soil?
Comments (11)The only way you will know if you need to mix in lime, wood ash, or what ever to adkust your soils pH is after a good, reliable soil test determines what that soils pH is and why. Soils contain 3 mineral components, sand, silt, or clay which are an easy way of measuring the particle sizes with sand being the largest, silt next, and clay the smallest. Most likely, if your soil drains really well, does not hold water well, it is most likely sand. While compost, or other organic matter can help hold moisture as well as nutrients in the root zone you do nee to get the level of OM up to 6 to 8 percent. Perhaps these simple soil tests can be of some help, 1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains� too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. Those, along with a good, reliable soil test, will help you find out what you need to do to make that soil into a good, healthy soil that will grow strong and healthy plants....See MoreSOIL- to amend or not to amend? That is the question!
Comments (7)I have red clay soil and it can be turned into beautiful garden soil with the addition of organic matter. We're in our 16th year here and the soil in the areas we've amended bears little resemblance to the clay we started with. We added organic matter to it as much as we could in the early years, amending each area well before planting. Then we mulched, and we continue to add mulch regularly. As the mulch decomposes, it further enriches the soil. Red clay is full of minerals and plants grow great in it once you've added organic matter to improve its tilth and drainage. Have you ever gone for a walk in a woodland? Ever notice how brown, humusy and rich the soil is there? We have about 10 acres of woodland filled with beautiful native plants of all kinds. The soil is brown, rich, humusy....just gorgeous, rich soil. When we first moved here, I wondered why the soil there was so gorgeous when just a few yards away in the area where we had built the house, we had dense, compacted, hard-as-concrete red clay. I incorrectly assumed the woods grew there because the soil was so great. Then, in our 2nd or 3rd year here, we transplanted a bunch of tiny oak trees out of the woodland and up into the yard area. Guess what we found? There was about 8 or 9" of brown, humusy soil, but once you dug down that deeply, it was the same yucky red clay we had up the hill where we built the house. Those gigantic trees might be growing in humusy rich brown soil, but they started growing in red clay and their roots are deep in that clay. Over the last few decades, as leaves, bark, dead trees, other dead plant material, insects and even wild animals died and decomposed there on the floor of the woodland, they all combined to created that brown, humusy rich soil. So, in an odd way, the red clay---by being rich enough to feed and nourish the trees when they sprouted---in essence created that brown, rich soil. No one dug out all the old yucky red clay dirt and replaced it with brown rich soil.....it happened naturally, in its own way and its own time. To enrich our soil, we added any form of organic matter we could to the soil....compost, chopped/shredded autumn leaves, pine bark fines, composted animal manure....you name if....if it was organic (from nature), we added it. We added lava sand, Texas green sand, soft rock phosphate....you name it....all in the name of improving the soil. As the soil got better, earthworms and all other manner of earth-dwelling creatures thrived in it and further improved it themselves. When we were searching for land here, I deliberately searched for land with clay as opposed to the fast-draining sugar sand common in my area, or even the brown sandy loam found in some parts of our county. Given the choice, I'd choose red clay every time. It is a lot easier to amend it than it would have been to amend the sand, which tends to drain much too quickly in our area which stays much too dry most years. With red clay, so many nutrients are already there. With sugar sand, the nutrients aren't there and you have to add them. All that clay needs in general is organic matter added to it to make it great soil. I've never regretted choosing property with clay soil. We actually have a few pockets of sandy soil, and I have more trouble with them. Among other things, voles tunnel through the sand and eat everything they encounter. I'd be a raving lunatic by now if we had only sandy soil and not clay because the voles would have eaten virtually everything I've ever planted. Don't fear your red clay soil. It likely is highly fertile and only needs to have organic matter added to it to make it both retain water properly and drain well. Once that aspect of clay soil is fixed, it is perfect. Dawn...See Moresoil amendment question [bad clay soils]
Comments (8)Whatever your "landscaper" used for "topsoil" was probably about 95 percent mineral (the sand, silt, clay part of soil) and 5 percent organic matter and what your soil really needed was organic matter. Whether cottonseed meal, or any other meal, would help would depend on the Soil Food Web and how active they were. Things like cottonseed meal need to be digested before the nutrients in them are available to plants and if the soil has little organic matter the SFW is not there to do that. First you need to look closely at that soil to determine what it needs and that requires a good reliable soil test for soil pH and major nutrient levels and balance. Then these simple soil tests may also be of some help. 1) Soil test for organic material. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains’ too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell, to a point. Too much organic matter can be bad as well. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. kimmq is kimmsr...See MoreSheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
3 months agoJosg Maggsib
3 months agoSheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
3 months agolast modified: 3 months agoJosg Maggsib thanked Sheila z8a Rogue Valley ORSheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
3 months agolast modified: 3 months ago
Related Stories

LANDSCAPE DESIGNHow to Shape a Rain Garden and Create the Right Soil for It
Learn how to grade, lay out and amend the soil in your rain garden to support your plants
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDESHouzz TV: Make a Worm Bin for Rich Soil and Happy Plants
A worm-powered compost bin that can fit under a sink turns food scraps into a powerful amendment for your garden. Here’s how to make one
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDESGet the Dirt on Your Garden’s Soil
Understand how your soil supports your plants so you can ensure your garden’s success
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDESHow to Stop Worrying and Start Loving Clay Soil
Clay has many more benefits than you might imagine
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDESGrow a Beautiful Garden in Alkaline Soil
Got alkaline soil? Learn how to manage it and the many beautiful plants that will thrive in this ‘sweet’ soil
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDESGardening Solutions for Dry, Sandy Soils
Has your desert or beachy site withered your gardening creativity? Try these ideas for a beautiful, easy-care landscape
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDESHave Acidic Soil in Your Yard? Learn to Love Gardening Anyway
Look to acid-loving plants, like conifers and rhododendrons, to help your low-pH garden thrive
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDES6 Questions That Will Help You Pick the Best Plants for Your Site
Before you head to the nursery, learn more about your outdoor space
Full Story
LANDSCAPE DESIGN10 Questions to Ask a Landscape Designer
Discover how to choose the best designer for your yard and avoid surprises down the line
Full Story
FARM YOUR YARDHow to Get Good Soil for Your Edible Garden
The nutrients in your soil feed the plants that feed you. Here are tips on getting it right — just in time for planting season
Full Story
Josg MaggsibOriginal Author