Best Practices for Building and Maintaining Healthy Soil for Optimal Plant Growth
By Kirsten Ann Conrad, Extension Agent Arlington County VA
Lesson 1: What Kind of Soil do you Have and What Do Your Plants Need?
Every gardener at some point in their lives and their practice of producing healthy lawn, vegetables, trees, fruit, flowers or any other crop, has to address the question of whether their soil is good enough for producing that champion pumpkin or that perfect putting green. Here are some lessons learned and some tried and true practices that you can employ that will help any gardener protect and promote soil fertility.
Remember it is the plant that produces its own food. When we maintain optimal conditions for plant growth we also optimize the ability of a plant to photosynthize. Beyond worrying about above-ground light levels, watering requirements, and plant size, we also need to make sure that plants are getting the right below ground conditions that allow it’s metabolic functions to work well.
Test the soil to learn the pH and nutrients already present. Both commercial and University soil testing facilities that can give you a baseline knowledge of how acidic your soil is and whether your soil is lacking in any of the essential minerals that are needed for the plants you wish to grow in that soil. Optimal plant growth is generally achieved at slightly acidic pH levels of 6.5 to 6.8. Some plants do like to grow best in soils that are more basic or “sweet” as the old-timers used to say, and some like azaleas prefer soil that is more acidic or “sour”. If you go too far up or down that scale however, some of the essential nutrients will be unavailable to plants.
Lesson 2: My Plant Roots Need to Breathe?
Every gardener at some point in their lives and their practice of producing healthy lawn, vegetables, trees, fruit, flowers or any other crop, has to address the question of whether their soil is good enough for producing that champion pumpkin or that perfect putting green. Here are some lessons learned and some tried and true practices that you can employ that will help any gardener protect and promote soil fertility.
Nearly all plants need air to reach their roots as well as their leaves and stems. Soil compaction undermines the health of many plants and makes soil fertility management much harder.
The act of planting a tree too deeply or filling even a few inches of soil over tree roots can completely change the air/water balance in the soil that healthy plants need. Many problems can be prevented by ensuring that new plantings are done at the right height and by having a plan to preserve soil structure as well as root systems of mature trees and shrubs before undertaking planting projects.
When heavy equipment rolls over soil it destroys soil structure and changes the balance of air and water for any roots that are growing there. Even constant human foot traffic can compact soil over time. Not only does compaction damage soil structure, it can crush plant roots and damage their ability to get nutrients from the soil. Heavy applications of wood chips over areas that will have heavy equipment on it and that can later be removed, will protect plant roots.
Lesson 3: Too much Water? Too little Water?
Every gardener at some point in their lives and their practice of producing healthy lawn, vegetables, trees, fruit, flowers or any other crop, has to address the question of whether their soil is good enough for producing that champion pumpkin or that perfect putting green. Here are some lessons learned and some tried and true practices that you can employ that will help any gardener protect and promote soil fertility.
Flooded soils do not always have a puddle on the top of the ground. Soils that do not drain will foster anaerobic conditions that do not favor plant growth and will greatly deplete the available minerals and nutrients that are in that soil while damaging the microorganisms that assist with healthy plant growth
Determine soil drainage and water holding capacity before planting. While some plants like dry conditions and some prefer wetter places, soils that stay waterlogged for long time will not favor healthy plant life. Effective drainage of water out of the soil is needed to preserve the population of mycorrhizae and other soil life that helps make soil nutrients available to plants. These microorganisms work with plants symbiotically to help transform compounds into forms that plants can use to enhance their growth. They also help to break down organic matter ultimately leading to soils that drain better, provide more nutrients to plants, and that break down contaminants faster. Flooded soil can be depleted of nutrients and rain, snow and ice are sometimes responsible for depositing salts over growing areas that can damage plants. Soil testing after periods of long term flooding can help reestablish the correct balance of nutrients and soil pH.
Lesson 4: Making Clay Soils Better? Making Sand Soils Better.
Every gardener at some point in their lives and their practice of producing healthy lawn, vegetables, trees, fruit, flowers or any other crop, has to address the question of whether their soil is good enough for producing that champion pumpkin or that perfect putting green. Here are some lessons learned and some tried and true practices that you can employ that will help any gardener protect and promote soil fertility.
In clay soils, add organic matter to improve soil structure, drainage, and nutrient holding capacity. In sand soils, add organic matter to improve soil structure, water retention, and nutrient holding capacity.
Use compost to improve soil structure and fertility in lawns and gardens. All soils employ both bacteria and fungal organisms in their soil building. Our fungal based soil provides ideal growing conditions for our native woodland plants. It is also an ideal soil for vegetable and lawn growth. Our clay- and sand-based soils provide rich sources of minerals and the additions of decomposed organic matter like wood chips, leaf mulch, and kitchen and garden waste help retain moisture and feed the microorganisms that breakdown complex forms of N and Carbon into plant-usable form. These plant helpers like mycorrhizae are essential to making those essential elements and minerals available to plants. Composted plant materials, kitchen scraps, leaves, grass clippings and even many kinds of paper can be used to improve all kind soils and add valuable plant nutrients. Don’t throw away these sources of ‘black gold’.
Lesson 5: Don’t Let Anything Steal YOUR Soil!
Every gardener at some point in their lives and their practice of producing healthy lawn, vegetables, trees, fruit, flowers or any other crop, has to address the question of whether their soil is good enough for producing that champion pumpkin or that perfect putting green. Here are some lessons learned and some tried and true practices that you can employ that will help any gardener protect and promote soil fertility.
If you value your soil and the plant nutrients it holds, don’t let it wash away! Hold on to it by discouraging erosion and repairing storm water drainage problems. Nutrient and soil runoff is a major pollutant of not only local waterways, but of the Chesapeake Bay as well.
Prevent erosion by maintaining vegetative cover using mulch, and correcting drainage problems on your land. The use of native, non-invasive ground covers and the maintenance of healthy plant growth will build strong roots, reduce the impact of heavy rains, and enable rainwater to be absorbed by the soil more readily. The use of soil testing to determine the need and the application of supplemental fertilizer products to meet that need will promote healthy plants with strong healthy roots. Cover your bare ground with plant growth, organic mulch. The preservation of good soil structure is one of the best ways we can help plants utilize the nutrients that are present and available.