The Real Dirt On Soil

By Nancy K. Crevier

Jack, of the Jack and The Beanstalk fame, had great success when he stuck his magic bean into the ground and it grew overnight into a stairway to the heavens. But remember — Jack’s bean was “magic” and without well-prepared and healthy soil, the average seed planted in a garden is going to struggle to reach the surface, let alone the clouds.

Soil is made up of a combination of large particles of sand, smaller silt particles, and clay, which has the smallest particles. The composition varies from garden to garden and region to region. Sandy soil does not hold water well, but the particles of clay can be so compacted that the soil cannot “breathe,” and drainage may be hindered. How well a soil retains water and nutrients depends on the make up of the soil, and will determine the amendments added to improve the properties.

“Soil is the foundation of every garden,” said Sandra Wilson, UConn master gardener coordinator for the Extension Service in Bethel. “If your soil isn’t right, you won’t have success.”

The extension service is fielding a lot of calls this spring from new gardeners anxious to grow their own vegetables, said Ms Wilson. The first step, she tells novice and seasoned gardeners alike, is to get the soil tested. “We stress that no matter what a gardener is going to plant — turf, flowers, or vegetables — testing the soil is really important,” she said.

The Extension Service at 67 Stony Hill Road (Route 6) in Bethel does not do testing, but it does provide the brochures that explain the process for gathering a soil sample to be mailed to the UConn Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory in Storrs. Depending on what a gardener plans to grow in a garden, different soil tests may be recommended.

However, the standard nutrient analysis is just about all that is needed by the average homeowner, said Ms Wilson. The results will show the Ph (alkalinity or acidity) of the soil sample, and measure the amounts of calcium, phosphorous, potassium, iron, zinc, manganese, copper, boron, aluminum, and lead in the soil.

Gardeners should pay particular attention to the Ph of the soil, Ms Wilson said, as every plant has an optimum Ph level. “You can put down all the fertilizer that you want, but if the soil Ph is improper, the plant can’t uptake the fertilizer,” she explained.

Soil Ph levels run between 0 and 14, with 7 being neutral. A number below seven indicates that the soil is acidic; a number higher than seven indicates that the soil is alkaline.

To amend acidic soil for plants that need more alkaline soil to thrive, limestone may be worked into the growing area. The addition of sulphur will lower the Ph of the soil for those plants that do best in a more acidic soil. Adjusting the Ph level may take more than one growing season Ms Wilson warned.

“The first place people go wrong when planting a garden is not knowing the Ph of the soil,” agreed Eugene Reelick, owner of Hollandia Nursery in Bethel. “You have to test the soil. Soil must have the proper chemical makeup for the proper intake of nutrients,” he said.

The soil from this region of New England is usually too acid and needs to be “sweetened” with a soil conditioner such as lime to bring the Ph somewhere between 6.5 and 7.2, the optimum Ph for just about any garden, floral, or vegetable, said Mr Reelick.

Soil testing will also determine if the texture is sandy, claylike, or on rare occasions, too rich in organics. Manure, compost, or a peat-lite mixture can amend soil texture. A simple way to determine if the makeup of soil has reached a quality level, said Mr Reelick, is to squeeze a fistful of soil. Properly amended soil will fall apart in the hand when it is opened, he pointed out.

Dark, rich soil that is brown/black in color is the goal, said Mr Reelick, and equally important, the soil should smell good. By correcting deficiencies in the soil based on test results, he said, a decent growing medium can be achieved in one season.

At Hollandia, said Mr Reelick, they blend their own mixture of soil, compost from an on-site compost heap, bark, and soil conditioners for potting plants. And, he emphasized, the soil is tested regularly for the proper Ph and nutrient makeup.

 “Organic matter is like a ‘cure all’ for soil,” said Ms Wilson, whether it comes from composted materials in the backyard or is purchased by the bag. Studies show that plants grown in soil amended with compost are more disease resistant and hardier. Compost also breaks up compacted soil and improves the water holding capabilities of soil.

Compost can be in the form of household vegetable matter broken down, animal manure, or fallen leaves and grass clippings, said Ms Wilson. Mulch applied to a planted garden is not just ornamental, either. An organic mulch of wood chips or leaves keeps down the weeds, helps retain water, and regulates the soil temperature. Down the road, mulch will break down and add organic matter to the soil.

“The average homeowner can do a compost heap in the backyard,” said Jim Shortt of Shortt’s Garden Center on Riverside Road in Sandy Hook. “You can get a good quality compost from leaves, grass clippings, vegetable waste, coffee grounds, and straw piled up and turned over on a regular basis,” he said. Adding a little lime and a little fresh manure to the compost heap will speed along the decomposition of the vegetable matter to create the “black gold” that is essential to a good garden.

Mr Shortt recommends adding an inch or two of compost on top of the garden soil at the beginning of each growing season, whether it is from the backyard or a bag. Placing the fresh compost on the garden in March or April allows plenty of time for any bacteria in the compost to break down before harvest.

“Be generous with the amount of compost you add to your soil,” urged Mr Shortt. “You’re not going to overdo it. The Ph of ‘ready’ compost is generally neutral,” he said. His own experiments on his farm have proved, he said, that composted crops tend to fight disease and pests better than those that are not grown in a well-composted soil. “The healthier your soil, the healthier your plants will be,” Mr Shortt said.

The addition of organic matter is different, too, than adding fertilizers to the soil. Fertilizers are used only to add nutrients to the soil, not change the composition of the soil. Results of soil tests will determine the proper fertilizers to add to the soil. If a plant does not need the particular fertilizer applied, it does the plant no good, is a waste of money, and is a potential environmental hazard, explained Ms Wilson. “All of the extra fertilizer gets leached out of the soil and into our waterways. Adding fertilizer without knowing if it is needed is not a good idea,” she said.

A regulated percentage of three nutrients — nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium — is marked on bags of fertilizer and represents the percentage by weight of those elements. Different plants require different amounts of these fertilizers for optimum growth, but again, said Ms Wilson, testing can determine the strengths and weaknesses of a soil prior to any fertilizer application.

As with compost, fertilizers can be applied prior to planting a garden, to allow the material to be thoroughly worked into the soil and allow the nutrients — particularly phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium — to be distributed throughout the growing area.

Other fertilizers are best applied during the growing season, or even in the fall, according to literature provided by the Extension Service.

Plants do not care if fertilizer comes from an organic or synthetic source, said Ms Wilson. Synthetic fertilizers are released very quickly and are more immediately available to the plant. An organic fertilizer, though, will release slowly, which is better for the plant and for the environment.

Plant Tone and Garden Tone are the “two best fertilizers on the market,” said Mr Reelick. “The Plant Tone and Garden Tone products are very rich in natural organics, which last longer and are retained longer in the soil. Work them into the soil before planting, and that’s all you need,” said Mr Reelick.

 Sky-high plants do not have to be the stuff of fairy tales. But it all comes back to testing. “Don’t put any fertilizer down until you know what Ph your soil is,” Mr Reelick stressed. “Otherwise, you might as well throw it all away.”