The Soil: Analysis And Nourishment

The easiest way to analyze the soil is to take a handful and then ask yourself the following questions: Does it slip through your fingers or does it form a solid lump? Does it smell sweet, warm, earthy? Or is it poor, odorless, or with a vague acidulous smell? If it is healthy, the soil is teeming with life and should have wormholes, which indicate that it is well ventilated. Good growth of the plant depends not only on the nutrient content but also on the structure of the soil: the sandy soil is often poor in food, being washed away by the plumage.  The clayey soil can be nutrient-rich but heavy and soggy, making root growth difficult. Add bulk organic matter to improve soil structure, help sandy soils retain water, aerate clay soils for healthier plants and abundant yields. For soil to be fertile it is essential that it is rich in organic matter.

pH Control

pH indicates the acidity or basicity of the soil, which is essential for the plant to receive nutrients and essential chemical elements through the root system. For example, an alkaline soil can give stunted plants with yellow leaves because minerals such as iron cannot be absorbed. When the pH is neutral, around 7, most of the chemicals and nutrients essential for the plants are easy to assimilate. To carry out the soil test you can get a special test that you use in the garden, these are various testers that are based on heat variations.

How To Improve The Soil Structure

All soil improvers can be added as mulch or incorporated into the soil. It is advisable to reach a depth of 15 cm.

It is advisable to stay on a wooden board while working the soil, walking on it you risk compacting it too much. Here's a good example of this https://bumpercroptimes.com/best-grass-seed-for-sandy-soil/

Excessive tillage of the soil can damage its structure. Keep the soil covered with mulch to preserve its structure. Do not overfertilize, the risk is that the plants will produce many new green buds but few flowers and fruits.

Types Of Soil

The soil can vary from the acid (pH 3,5 ) to alkaline or basic (pH 8,5). 

The clay has a pH of 6,5 and has small particles that join together when the soil is humid, making it heavy and difficult to penetrate and for the roots, in summer, when it is dry, it hardens. Although it is rich in nutrients, it improves its structure by mixing well-mature leaves, which favors rooting.

The chalky soil, with lumps of chalk and silica stone, provides excellent drainage and is often shallow. Due to its high ph content, it is alkaline. You can add compost to make it more nutritious but it is difficult to reduce its alkalinity. Mobile grasses tolerate chalky soil, but for greater rooting depth and moisture, it is advisable to grow them in raised beds.

Fatty Soil ( pH 5.5-8.5) It Is Also Called Loam

The sand has a gravelly consistency, is totally draining so the nutrients are completely drained; the advantage is that it heats up easily in spring, so you can proceed to early sowing and planting. To maintain a higher humidity, feed it in winter with leaves and ripe fertilizer.

The Feeding

To improve the soil structure, you can enrich it with organic waste, added in winter or spring, to create organic substances. In this way, you will provide additional nourishment. The organic product is distributed on the surface as mulch or inserted into a 15-20 cm layer of soil. Spring fertilization feeds the soil at the beginning of the growing season, while winter fertilization offers a slow and constant release. All organic soil conditioners are based on waste, recycled substances. If you need to buy compost, make sure it is approved by an organic conservation organization.

Compost and Mulch

The soil is the beating heart of the garden, and to be guaranteed healthy plants it must be fed with organic compost: the ideal would be twice a year.

Manure: it is found in farms that use organic or non-integrated methods and in garden centers. Make sure it is well mature before using it. To check the quality, smell it: it should be sweet, not strong or acidic.

Leaf manure: It's an excellent product for fining and mulching. It has a low nutrient content, so it is suitable for most herbs. Adding it to a clayey soil improves its structure and makes it airier, while when combined with sandy soil it helps to keep it moist. As a mulch it suppresses weeds.

Bark compost: This mulch is useful for controlling weeds and has few nutrients. Make sure it is well ripe as the green bark has a high content of ammonium nitrate and could burn the tender shoots.

Compost with residues: This organic compost is made from a mixture of garden waste, woody branches and waste such as fruit and vegetable peels. When mature it is a good fertilizer, ideal to feed all plants. better use it in spring.

In spring, if you have removed plants from the soil and want to replace them with others, add compost with a spade to provide instant nourishment. Repeat the operation in autumn when the herbs have bloomed and are already extinct. In autumn a layer of compost in the soil will provide nutrients and improve the overall structure for the winter months.