Are you a budding gardener who wants to know more about soil composition and how to maximize the benefits of the plot of land that you have? Are you someone who has tried growing plants but somehow found themselves not getting an optimum yield?
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We know gardening, even if it is just a passion or hobby to some, requires effort and hard work. In this post, we will talk about tilling your soil so that your plants grow well and give out as much produce as possible.
Whether you are planting blooms for aesthetic and landscaping purposes, or you are the type who wants to have a vegetable patch at home, read on to learn more as we present to you steps on how to improve your garden soil while being economically smart about it.
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What to look for in soil
Having good soil means it contains enough nutrition to provide plants, as well as capability to hold water long enough so that the roots can absorb it. It should be porous enough so that those roots do not get flooded and water-logged. The kind of soil most ideal for planting is called loam.
Pure loam is equal parts sand, silt, and clay. It is moist and soft at the same time, as you can form a ball in your hand and hold its shape, but it will also easily crumble when poked with a finger.
It also has organic material in it, giving the soil the nutrients that help plants grow. This type of soil composition provides ideal planting conditions for most flora, ensuring maximum yield while producing healthy and sturdy plants at the same time.
If you have loam lying around your yard, good for you. Otherwise, you might need to go to your nearest gardening shop to purchase this kind of soil.
However, not all soil, especially loam, is made the same, as there are occasions when it has more of one component over the others. And there is no standard for soil quality that is being sold on these stores.
3 Simple Steps to Improve Your Garden Soil:
If you do not have the budget to buy A-grade dirt, listen up: you can produce your own loam soil. Below are the steps you need to do to have your own loam in your yard.
1. Let your soil breathe
Just like our bodies, soil also needs to take a rest. It is because it has to replenish the nutrients used by the plants you sowed on it. One way of doing this is to till the soil.
Digging the dirt means the components of the soil would not stagnate. After doing this, let the soil sit and aerate. Depending on how large your garden plot is, the digging part would take days to finish. Letting it sit means you do nothing to the soil, not even plant on it, for weeks or months.
When tilling your lawn, turning the soil grass-side down. This would let the grass decompose, adding vital nutrients, while you let the soil sit.
2. Add organic fertilizer
Putting natural fertilizer on the soil is not only beneficial to the plants but is eco-friendly as well, as it contains no harmful chemicals. This process is best done after digging the soil. While letting the dirt breath, add compost on top of it. Letting the soil sit after putting fertilizer lets the earth absorb the nutrients.
3. Rotate your crops
This recommendation is for more seasoned and experienced individuals, although anyone can do this as well. For those who are on planting vegetables and edible crops, this one is for you, too.
Rotating crops means that you do not plant the same type of seedling or cutting on the same portion of the plot. This way, the nutrients on that part of land do not get used up since different plants require different types and amounts of nutrients to grow.
At the same time, the refuse of these plants would eventually turn into compost that would be advantageous to the next set of vegetables that will be sown there.
And there you have it. Following the steps above would net you soft, yet compact, soil that is that is full to the brim of healthy nutrients come planting season. Sure, the process takes time, but the benefit outweighs the fact that you did not have to pull out your pockets just to have the perfect soil in your garden.
We hope you learned a lot here. If you liked what you read, share this post to your like-minded friends, to other gardening enthusiasts, as well as to those who you feel would benefit from the steps we gave. In addition, do you have any other suggestions on how to improve your garden soil?
Are there better ways to do the tips that we presented? Tell us what you know regarding the topic by posting on the comments section below.
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