Are you one of those gardeners who want to grow plants in your garden but have adverse soil conditions that impact the physical and biochemical properties of the soil? Then don’t worry. We got Your back and you can now grow whatever your heart desires.
We all know that good soil is the foundation of a successful garden. Unfortunately, few gardeners come with soil that is not ideal for plants, is nutrient-less, less water draining, and does not hold the water for a longer period than don’t make the soil crumbly tilth.
The only solution to your problem is soil amendments that are used to improve your soil quality. As gardeners can’t count on nature to supply all that it needs, they will add all the essence themselves through soil amendments.
So let’s dive into the article to find more about the soil amendments and how you can use it to grow your soil quality.
What is soil amendments?
Soil amendments are anything added to the soil to improve its physical properties like water retention, soil structure, permeability, soil aeration, water infiltration, and drainage. The main goal of using amendments is to provide a better environment for the root.
For better performance, an amendment should thoroughly mixed with the soil. Otherwise, the effectiveness of it will be reduced and it will interfere with air and water movement to the roots and its growth.
Although many mulches are used as soil amendments but amending soil is quite different from mulching. Mulch is usually left on the soil surface for the purpose of reducing runoff and evaporation, inhibiting weed growth, and creating an attractive appearance whereas amendments are mixed with the soil.
Types of soil amendments
Generally there are two types of soil amendments that have been used to stabilize your site improvement by improving soil fertility.
They are
Organic soil amendments
Organic amendments are the composition of organic moieties that is derived from living beings and biomass. The organic amendments include compost, wood chips, sewage manure, biochar, geotextile, animal manure, husk, and straw.
These organic amendments are highly rich in organic matter and micro and macro elements which increases the soil fertility by ameliorating microclimatic conditions that may also provide substrate for microbial growth.
The application of these soil amendments on the dump surface can have a good influence on rhizosphere temperature and moisture content of the soil.
Inorganic or mineral soil amendments
Inorganic or mineral soil amendments generally contains minerals that are associated with soil fertility.
It may contain gypsum that is commonly used to decrease soil pH by binding lime or limestone and high sodium salts.
Besides, coal combustion byproducts like fly ash is an important soil amendment that contains a high amount of trace elements.
The combination of steel mill stash and sewage sludge is used as potential inorganic soil amendments for afforestation. It results in increasing the soil fertility and plant growth.
Factors to consider while using soil amendments
There are a lot of factors a gardener should consider before using soil amendments in his soil.
Some of the important factors are given below
Soil texture
Soil texture plays a vital role while choosing a soil amendment as it reflects the size of the soil particles.
Sandy soil feels gritty and has large soil particles. So when you are amending andy soils the main aim is to increase the ability of the soil to hold moisture and store nutrients. So it is recommended to use organic amendments like peat, compost, and aged manure if you have Sandy soil.
Likewise, clayey soil had small soil particles that feels so sticky. So the. main goal for clayey soil amendment is to improve soil aggregation, improve aeration and drainage and, increase porosity and permeability. To meet these goals add fibrous soil amendments like peat, straw, tree bark, and wood chips to your clayey soil.
Longevity of the amendment
Before applying soil amendments to your soil you should check the longevity that means how long your amendments will last in the soil.
So if you are trying the physical properties of your soil to be improved quickly you should choose an amendment that decomposes rapidly. Rather you should choose an amendment that decomposes slowly if you want long-lasting improvement to your soil.
But if you want a quick improvement in your soil that also lasts long choose a combination of both the amendments.
pH and salt content of the amendments
While choosing soil amendment for your soil, always beware of salts in the soil. In Colorado soil, the main problem or high pH level and high soil content. So everyone should avoid soil amendments that have high pH and highly rich in salt.
Soil amendment that is highly rich in salts ang pH includes wood Ash, biosolid based component, Colorado, Mountain peat and manure, biosolids manure-based compost, etc. So gardeners must avoid using these soil amendments in their soil if the pH and salt content is higher.
Sphagnum peat and compost are generally made from plant sources that contains less salt and are a great choice for Colorado soil.
Soil salinity and plant sensitivity to the soil
Most of the soil amendments are made with manure and biosolids that are highly rich in salt. So it is recommended to avoid these amendments that have high salt content when growing plants that are soil sensitive.
Raspberry, viburnum, strawberry, pine, bean, maple, carrot, Kentucky bluegrass, onion, and many other plants are sensitive to the soil. So it is recommended to not use soil amendments that are rich in salt. Rather use sphagnum peat or plant-based compost in the soil for the better growth of the plant.
Advantages of soil amendments
There are numerous advantages of amending soil with proper soil amendments.
Soil amendments improves the physical properties of the soil resulting in providing better condition for water storage, root development, and soil ecosystem. Besides, it enhances soil aeration.
Apart from that the soil amendments especially the organic amendments can be produced locally at a cheaper rate and can be applied everywhere by everybody.
These things make soil amendment a chosen one to apply to the soil.
Disadvantages of the soil amendments
Nothing is perfect in this world. Although soil amendments have numerous advantages for the soil, there are also certain disadvantages of it that a gardener needs to know.
Soil amendments that are highly rich in wood products can tie up nitrogen in the soil and results in the death of the plant.
Besides, if the amendment contains too many nutrients organic matter will incorporate into the soil and may be released outside and cause an outflow of nutrients into groundwater, rivers, and lakes resulting in water pollution.
Apart from that, soil amendment especially organic amendments can take time to incorporate into the soil.
Conclusion
As you read this article this far, you might have used soil amendments to your soil. If you will ever care for your garden or lawn, you will surely use it.
By understanding what a soil amendment offers, you can make a happy lawn or garden of your own.
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