Soil Testing and Soil pH Creating Microclimates Selecting Healthy Plants Growing Peonies In The South Go Organic At Home
Pruning Shrubs Making a Wildlife Habitat in Your Backyard Wide Row Planting
Pruning Shrubs Making a Wildlife Habitat in Your Backyard Wide Row Planting
Go Organic At Home
It is not a difficult process to go organic in your home garden once you understand HOW to start the process. The key to successful gardening, organic or otherwise, is education! The following hints will help any weekend gardener to conquer any hesitation to go green in your yard by practicing organic gardening. Getting down to the dirt
Gardens generally share one attribute – the dirt, or in gardening 'speak' the soil. One of the principals of organic gardening is to make the soil healthy and rich in order to grow a healthy plant without resorting to excessive fertilization of the plant.
So, you have soil, it's hopefully a deep shade of brown and who knows what else. It is up to the gardener to determine if the soil is ready to start or continue using. Luckily, you do not have to be a chemist as well as a gardener. Soil testing will give you the levels of the pH and other essential elements in your soil so you can target your fertilizer and amendments to meet the needs for your plant selections.
Your local county extension offices can process a soil sample for you and the lab analysis that is provided to you contains specific information on amendments your soil requires. This is a little time-consuming as you must take a sample, following provided steps, package and generally return it to your local office. The local extension office will send the soil sample to a state lab for analysis. The prepared analysis, normally mailed to your home within two weeks, will provide an accurate reading of your soil nutrient levels and detail specific amendments, etc. to provide you with the ability to make the proper adjustments to have the optimum soil to nurture your plants so the added nutrients will bolster the organisms within the soil called microbes. These microbes, when properly balanced, keep your soil productive and plants healthy. You will need individual soil samples for different areas of your yard or garden. a rose garden requires different pH and nutrient levels than a vegetable garden. Make sure the samples are marked appropriately for the extension service to recommend the proper amendments.
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Gardens generally share one attribute – the dirt, or in gardening 'speak' the soil. One of the principals of organic gardening is to make the soil healthy and rich in order to grow a healthy plant without resorting to excessive fertilization of the plant.
So, you have soil, it's hopefully a deep shade of brown and who knows what else. It is up to the gardener to determine if the soil is ready to start or continue using. Luckily, you do not have to be a chemist as well as a gardener. Soil testing will give you the levels of the pH and other essential elements in your soil so you can target your fertilizer and amendments to meet the needs for your plant selections.
Your local county extension offices can process a soil sample for you and the lab analysis that is provided to you contains specific information on amendments your soil requires. This is a little time-consuming as you must take a sample, following provided steps, package and generally return it to your local office. The local extension office will send the soil sample to a state lab for analysis. The prepared analysis, normally mailed to your home within two weeks, will provide an accurate reading of your soil nutrient levels and detail specific amendments, etc. to provide you with the ability to make the proper adjustments to have the optimum soil to nurture your plants so the added nutrients will bolster the organisms within the soil called microbes. These microbes, when properly balanced, keep your soil productive and plants healthy. You will need individual soil samples for different areas of your yard or garden. a rose garden requires different pH and nutrient levels than a vegetable garden. Make sure the samples are marked appropriately for the extension service to recommend the proper amendments.
Page 1 2 3 4 Next
