You don't have to dig too deep to get to the bottom of many problems in
your soils.
A simple strategy for improving your soils is to add amendments. A soil
amendment is any material that improves your soil's water-holding
capacity and nutrients. It improves aeration and water infiltration.
There are two types of soil amendments: organic and inorganic. Organic
amendments are made from something that was once alive. Examples include
peat, shredded wood, straw, compost, manure, biosolids, sawdust and
wood ash. Inorganic amendments include vermiculite, perlite, pea gravel
and sand.
"The focus with organic amendments is to build up organic matter and
balance out nutrients in the soil over time," says Karen Wynne,
executive director of the Alabama Sustainable Agriculture Network.
"Organic matter really helps bind nutrients so that they won't leach out
of the soil. This keeps them available to plants."
To apply organic amendments, test the soil to determine organic matter
levels. If it has less than 3% organic matter, apply 3 cubic yards of
the soil amendment per 1,000 square feet. Applying more could cause salt
buildup. Retest before adding more amendments to the soil.