Amending the Ground

No matter how great you think your dirt is, it can always use a little
help to make it better. There are two primary factors used to
evaluate dirt: fertility and texture. The fertility of your dirt is
determined by its pH balance and nutrients. The texture is how large
the particles of dirt are and how well they hold together.
A Look at Nutrients
There are three nutrients all plants need to be healthy. These are
phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium. Phosphorus helps the roots
grow, which is particularly important for flowering bulbs and for root
veggies such as carrots. Bone meal is a natural additive that can be
found at your gardening store that will help boost the levels of
phosphorus in your dirt. Some fertilizers also contain high levels of
phosphorus. Generally, these fertilizers are advertised as bloom
boosters because phosphorus is necessary for plants to produce
their flowers.
Nitrogen is necessary to ensure healthy leaves and stems. When you
add nitrogen to the dirt, it does not stay there for long because it
gets used up by plants and decaying matter. Nitrogen is also water
soluble, which means it can wash out of your dirt rather quickly.
Therefore, nitrogen needs to be replenished in your dirt in order to
produce the best growth. At the same time, too much nitrogen will
cause the foliage to go wild and take away from the fruit and flowers
of the plant. So, it is important to maintain the proper balance.
Potassium is good for the overall health of your plants. It helps the
plants grow while also helping to boost their immune system.
Potassium is also water soluble, so it needs to be replenished as well.
There are several additional trace elements that are also beneficial to
your dirt. These include magnesium, calcium, molybdenum, and zinc.

Adding Nutrients to Your Dirt
If your dirt is lacking nutrients, you will need to decide between
adding organic or inorganic materials in order to amend it. Inorganic
fertilizers work quickly and are generally cheaper than organic
fertilizers, but they do not actually improve your soil. Rather, they
are designed to feed the plant itself. Therefore, they are not a good
choice when preparing a garden bed that does not have plants yet. In
addition, fertilizers can actually cause damage to your soil in the long
run because of their high salt content. Some studies have also
indicated that plants build a resistance to inorganic fertilizers, which
causes them to require more and more in order to remain healthy.
Organic fertilizers take more time to work, but are beneficial because
they treat the actual dirt and they release nutrients over time. The
best organic fertilizer should include phosphorus, nitrogen, and
potassium. You can also add your own organic nutrients, such as
bone meal for phosphorus, fish emulsion and manure for nitrogen,
and wood ash for potassium. By purchasing a testing kit from your
home improvement or garden center, you will be able to determine
which nutrients your dirt needs.
A Look at pH
The pH balance of your dirt refers to its acidity or alkalinity. Your
dirt will fall somewhere on a scale ranging from 1.0 to 14.0. The
lower the number, the more acidic your dirt is. Conversely, a higher
number means your dirt is more alkaline. A reading of 7.0 is
considered neutral. The pH of your dirt is important because certain
nutrients are only made available to your plants if the dirt is within a
certain pH range.
For those most part, a score of 6.2 - 6.8 is considered to be ideal.
Some plants, such as heathers, rhododendrons, and blueberries, prefer
soil that is very acidic. On the other hand, plants such as clematis
and lilacs prefer alkaline soil. To determine the pH level of your dirt,
you can purchase testing kits from your home improvement or
garden store. Your Cooperative Extension office may also be willing
to come out and test your dirt for a small fee.
Amending the pH
If your dirt is not within the proper range for the plants you will be
planting, you can purchase additives to help make it more acidic or

alkaline. Adding lime to your dirt will help increase the alkalinity,
while adding sulfur will decrease it. It does, however, take time to
change the pH of dirt. It should also be done in stages in order to
prevent shocking your plants if you already have some planted. In
general, it is best to add about five pounds of sulfur or lime to 100
square feet of garden. If you still haven’t added your plants, however,
you can add much more in order to get it to the proper pH level.
Keep in mind, however, that your dirt t will change back to its natural
pH level if you do not continue to treat it.
A Look at Texture
The texture of your soil is also important to allow your plants to
establish their roots and to aid in moisture drainage and retention. If
your dirt is sandy, it is made of larger particles. This allows air, water,
and plant roots to move very easily. This can be a drawback because
the roots of the plant may not be able to get enough water before it
seeps completely through. Certain plants, such as those with bulbs,
thrive in sandy soil because they prefer excellent drainage. In
addition, the sandy soil prevents the water from sitting on the bulbs
and causing them to rot.
The opposite end of the texture spectrum is clay. Clay particles are
very small and, as such, they are capable of packing together very
tightly. This allows very little room for air, water, and roots.
Therefore, water tends to rest on the roots of plants in clay for a
longer period of time. This can be beneficial to certain plants
requiring continual moisture. In addition, gardens with clay dirt
usually do not need to be watered as often as those with sandy dirt
because the water is held by the clay.
Testing the Texture of Your Dirt
It is actually quite simple to test the texture of your dirt. Scoop a
handful of dirt and form a ball. Then, tap the ball. If it breaks apart
easily, your dirt is sandy. If you can press the dirt between your
finger and your thumb in order to create a ribbon of dirt, you have
clay dirt.
The majority of dirt is somewhere between sandy and clay filled.
Ideally, your garden should consist of sandy loam dirt. In this case,
the dirt is light and allows water and air to move easily. At the same
time it is tilth, which means it has a texture similar to fine bread

crumbs. This can typically be achieved by adding organic matter,
which is dead plant or animal materials, to your dirt.
You can also get an idea of how much sand and clay is in your dirt by
taking a handful of dirt and placing it in a jar filled with water. Place a
lid on the jar and shake it all up until it looks likes some kind of dirt
milkshake. Then, set the jar aside and let the dirt settle. You will
notice that the dirt settles in layers. The bottom layer is the sand
and the top layer is the clay. In between is a layer of silt, which is the
material found at the bottom of ponds that is also found in all dirt.
By looking at the top and bottom layers, you can get a good idea of
the ratio of clay to sand in your dirt.
Improving the Texture
You should never try to change your dirt from sandy to clay filled or
from clay to sandy dirt. Trying to mix these components together
can result in a type of solid cement-like dirt. If you have a great deal
of clay in your soil, it can be beneficial to add a little bit of sand, but
there are much better ways to amend the texture of your soil.
In general, the more nutrients your ground has, the better. The same
holds true for organic matter. All dirt has some organic matter, but
rarely enough. Adding organic matter will improve the tilth of your
dirt because it creates what is known as humus when it decays. If
your dirt is sandy, the organic matter will help it to better retain
water. If your dirt is clay filled, on the other hand, it will help make
the dirt looser. This allows water, air, and roots to better penetrate
the ground. Regardless of the type of dirt you have, organic matter
helps encourage microbial activity. This is beneficial because it
provides nutritional benefits to your dirt.
Using Horse Manure
For me, the best way to amend the ground with organic matter is to
use horse manure because it adds nutrients and improves on the
texture of the dirt. Horse manure can be purchased from most
garden supply stores. Many farms and stables also have it for sale.
Or, if you happen to know someone with horses, they will probably
be more than happy to supply you with some!
Horse manure that has had a chance to sit out in the sun for a year
or two is the ideal horse manure to use when amending the ground

for your garden. This manure has had time to decompose and break
down to the point that it actually no longer smells and it looks and
feels like dirt. This manure can be spread over the entire top of your
garden plot and even worked into the ground.
If the horse manure you have access to is fresher, you need to use
more caution when adding it to your dirt. Often, it is better to add
this manure after you have planted your flowers or vegetables. This
way, you can place the manure around the plants in a way that
prevents them from actually touching their stems. Fresh horse
manure contains ammonia and heats up while under the sun and, if it
is touching your plants at the time, it can actually burn their stems.
In addition, it has an unpleasant odor.
Horse manure is not your only natural option for amending the dirt.
You can also purchase castings. Castings, which are earthworm
droppings, can also be purchased from most garden centers. Or, you
can maintain your own earthworm composting bin and collect your
own castings. You will learn more about how to do this in the
composting section of this guide.
Other Organic Additives
Your compost is also an excellent source of organic matter because
it is made of dead plant material. Peat moss is another option for
plant organic matter. It is inexpensive to purchase and is great at
loosening clay dirt. Peat moss can, however, be very dusty.
Therefore, it is best to wet it before using it in order to make it
easier to work with. Even grass clippings and other plant debris can
be great for amending your soil, just be sure the plants and clippings
you use do not have seeds. Otherwise, you will have a lot of weeding
to do!
If it will be awhile before you plant your garden, you can also plant
cover crops (also known as green manure) in your plot. Cover crops
are plants, such as clover and vetch, that are planted and grown in a
plot that will not be immediately used. These crops help keep the
dirt loose and prevent weeds from growing. At the same time, they
add nitrogen to the dirt and can be tilled directly into the ground
when you are ready to plant.
Now that you have finished amending your dirt, we can officially start
referring to it as soil! It has gone from being a brown, dirty mess
that does not support a healthy and happy garden to soil that is
ready to produce tasty veggies or beautiful flowers.