some good things to know about soil:
- One group of fungi (mycorrhizae) live in association with plant roots, and improve the take-up of nutrients from the soil.
- Acid soils tend to be deficient in phosphorus and sometimes contian excess manganese and aluminum.
- Alkaline soils tend to lack manganese, boron, and phosphorus.
- Earthworms dislike acid soils, but clubworm and wireworms are common in acid conditions.
- On alkaline soils, potato scab occurs more frequently.
- The pH of soil is usually controlled by its calcium level.
- Calcium is an alkaline element, lost through leaching.
- Alkalinity can be increased by liming or adding mushroom compost.
- Loam soils have the ideal balance of mineral particle sizes, with between 8 and 25 percent clay.
- Lime binds clay soil particles together into crumbs by a process known as flocculation.
- When double-digging, it is essential that the subsoil is not mixed with the top soil.
- Improve silty, compacted, and heavy clay soils with sand, gravel, and coarse organic matter.
- Clay will improve the quality of impoverished soil.
- Compost, pest, well-rotted manure are used to improve water retention in free-draining, sandy soil.
- In a well drained soil, the water is held in fine capillary pores, which are usually less than 1/160in (o.16mm) in diameter, with air in the larger pores; it is there possible for soil to be described as both moist and well-drained.
...too be continued...
information acquired from:
The American Horticultural Society
Encylopedia of Gardening
Brickell, McDonald, Cole
DK Publishing, Inc., New York, NY 1993
Encylopedia of Gardening
Brickell, McDonald, Cole
DK Publishing, Inc., New York, NY 1993
