Soil health is critical to healthy plants and bountiful blooms and harvests. But not all soils have the same quality, and not all dirt provides the nutrients or structure your plants need. You may also want to reuse dirt but be unsure of how to save old dirt.
Amending your soil can save previously used dirt and improve your soil’s overall quality and health. But how do you know what you should add to make your soil healthy and high quality? Fear not, dear gardeners, here’s a guide to amending your soil and instruction on how to amend soil in Ohio.
What does “amending soil” mean?
Amending soil is adding back nutrients into your dirt that may have leached out over time or have been used by plants so that you can give your plants good soil. Soil erodes naturally because of several variables in nature–wind, sun, rain, snow, etc. Plants also deplete the soil of valuable nutrients. So, you may need to give your soil nutrients via organic mediums, microbial additives, or fertilizers.
Amending soil may also involve adding materials to create the soil density and structure that you want for your plants’ root growth and health.
While old dirt and poor-quality soil need amending, you may also want to amend clay and sandy soil. Clay soil may need amending to loosen the soil so plants can easily move oxygen and nutrients from the surrounding soil and into their roots. Sandy soil may need amending to add valuable nutrients into the dirt.
What soil nutrients matter the most?
There are a variety of soil nutrients that are key to plant health and production. The main three soil nutrients are: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).
Other micronutrients you should keep in mind are: boron (B), chlorine (Cl), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), molybdenum (Mo), manganese, (Mn), nickel (Ni), and boron (B).
What kind of soil does Ohio have?
Ohio (zone 6) mostly has clay-heavy soil and loamy soil, which is a mixture of clay, silt, and sand. So, the good news is that, naturally, Ohio has nutrient-rich soil.
However, Ohio’s suburban soil often does not reflect its natural state because of construction and disturbing the ground over the years. So, you will likely need to add something to your central Ohio soil, such as nutrients or a medium with a certain texture to break up the soil and allow plants’ roots to breathe easily.
What types of soil amendments are there?
There are two large categories of soil amendments: organic and inorganic.
Organic Soil Amendments
Think of organic soil amendments as anything that comes from nature and rots fairly quickly. Examples of organic soil amendments are green manure, leaves, compost, bacteria (such as rhizobia), fungi, or other soil organisms. Organic soil amendments may also include commercially-sold fertilizers.
Organic nutrient meals that can be added to soil include alfalfa meal, blood meal, bone meal, fish meal, kelp meal, and soybean meal.
Inorganic Soil Amendments
Inorganic soil amendments do not break down as easily as organic amendments. Examples include sand, granite, biochar, perlite, vermiculite, and pea gravel.
What you use will depend on what soil structure you want, what pH level your plants need, and what nutrients your soil is missing.
Should you amend your soil?
Whether or not you should amend your soil depends on what you want to plant and on your soil’s current makeup. Test your garden soil with a soil kit to discover what nutrients and micronutrients your dirt has and what it needs.
At Stockslagers, we have soil testing kits that will tell you what nutrients are in your central Ohio soil, what your soil is missing, and what elements need to be added to your soil. These affordable soil testing kits provide you with invaluable information that will help you grow your best flowers and grow your most bountiful harvest.
We can also help you understand your soil test results and what soil organic matter will be best for your garden and for achieving healthy soil.
Amend your soil in the spring or fall in Ohio
Reach Out to Stockslager’s Greenhouse & Garden Center for Guidance, Supplies, & Plants
If you need guidance on soil amending or on gardening in Ohio, then come by Stockslager’s Greenhouse & Garden Center and let us assist you. We have everything you need to create quality soil and grow the healthiest plants. Call our garden center at 937-687-2722 for questions about availability.
If you have any questions about planting a garden or about gardening in Ohio, then you can visit us or give us a call, and one of our knowledgeable experts will be happy to assist you. We want to help bring your gardening dreams come to life. We hope that you’ll stop by!
