Compost For Soil Improvement

I should have known better but I've been adding Epsom salts to my roses for the past 3-4 years. Nitrogen is transit in soil, that is it moves through the soil quickly and levels change at a rapid pace.One last note, soil tests will also give you the amount...

Soil scientists noticed the dark soil was fertile where identical soil adjacent to it was poor at best. Yet these dark soils have remained fertile without additional amendments for hundreds of years.http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/terra_preta/TerraPretahome.htm

But can you improve your soil on a small scale without the heavy work? You can take advantage of the lead time by digging a larger hole now and using that pit for few weeks worth of light waste.

This is called regeneration. It depends on predators and environmental conditions. Usually only a few to several young worms successfully emerge from each cocoon.Earthworms can produce between 3 and 80 cocoons per year depending on the species.

If the potassium deficiency is really bad, the leaves will become lace-like, then die and fall off. Without this exchange, nearly all life would cease to exist. Potassium, the "K" of "NPK", is an essential plant growth nutrient used for transpiration...

If you are growing a variety of plants, including woody shrubs, trees, and vegetables or flowers, an endo-ectomycorrhizal blend is your best choice. For those whose primary interest is vegetable crops, an endomycorrhizal blend will be optimal.

All living organisms depend on magnesium in all types of cells, body tissues and organs for a variety of functions. Magnesium in human and animal bodies is important in regulating muscle and nerve functions, and half the magnesium in humans is found in...

Scientists have dated these back more than 400 million years & believe this form of plant-fungus co-operation may have been integral to the movement of plants from sea to land. Whether it is mutually beneficial, parasitic or somewhere in between, is yet...

Calcium is an alkaline material widely distributed in the earth. What does that mean? Stalactites are formed by a slowly dripping solution of calcium carbonate mixed with other minerals.

The slightest movement focuses the attention of this guardian, enabling it to determine if the intruder is friend or foe. A tentacle is seen extending furtively towards an unprotected root, intent on infecting, dissolving, digesting and destroying it.

Plants use sulfur in the processes of producing proteins, amino acids, enzymes and vitamins. (However, brassicas such as canola, broccoli and cabbages require sulfur fertilization for maximum crop yields.)http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/plymouth/cropsci/graphics/sulfur2.jpg(Thumbnail),...

Pan, L.R. Brunet, J.R.F. Hunt, J.F.R. Paton, E. It seemed that every other thing I encountered referred to soil as very important, much more than just a state icon! Scientific research has discovered that certain bacteria in the soil can relieve depression.That...

When the bales start to collapse along with the compostables, I top it off with thick pads of straw & let it sit over the winter. If it's slow to decompose, that's OK, since I'll just be planting on top of the pile, not digging into it.

Zinc also plays a role in synthesizing RNA from DNA, and in converting carbohydrates; it is a part of the plant system (enzymes) that regulate growth. Zinc is available as zinc oxide, zinc sulfate and zinc chelate.

Now, imagine a soilless media, practically devoid of any microflora, becoming inoculated with a pathogen. Natural soil is a veritable cornucopia of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other small organisms, all living together in a delicate balance.

At the same time, with winter fast approaching, it becomes more difficult to provide the conditions under which those organic materials decompose into that fabulously rich, earthy medium that gardeners call compost.

Be sure to keep mulch material well away from the stem or trunk, since the decomposition process produces heat and can cause plant damage. Clay is the last soil to warm in the spring.On the positive side, clay has high levels of nutrients and will support...

Some people love the feel of the garden dirt in their hands as they weed or work the soil.Do you always know what's in the soil, or who's been there before you?Pets and wild animals often find garden soil a perfect ‘litter pan' and will deposit their...

* Betula occidentalis ( Water Birch , also known as Red Birch ) is a species of birch native to western North America , in Canada from Yukon east to western Ontario and southwards, and in the United States from eastern Washington east to western North...

At least two kinds of scientific disciplines are dependent upon undisturbed soil: pedologists, or soil scientists and archaeologists who interpret past human behavior from the information in soil.Fig.

* Betula occidentalis ( Water Birch , also known as Red Birch ) is a species of birch native to western North America , in Canada from Yukon east to western Ontario and southwards, and in the United States from eastern Washington east to western North...

This applies worldwide. I simply throw the coffee grounds by the handful onto the top of the azaleas and yew and let the coffee grounds rain down through the leaves. Applying full-strength coffee grounds in a heap directly to the soil surface in a confined...

Additionally, rodents may nest in this thick mulch and, during winter months when food is scaPurchasing the correct amount of mulch for your situation will saveyou time and money. If you live in a region where the temperatures stay cold, or the rainfall...

We hear probiotics are good for our health, and antibiotics cure infections, but what's the real deal on microbes and our soil? In all cases, foliar sprays are not enough; there must also be organic matter continually available in the soil for the microbes...

Optimally, the rock dust and compost mixture should be incorporated into the top few inches of soil if possible but may also be spread by broadcasting or spread by hand if you use a no-till method of gardening.It is not totally necessary to add the rock...

I move the bin outside and take the lid off for a while (especially when it's below freezing), then throw a few sprigs of fresh mint on top of the bedding and replace the lid. Review your feeding frequency and amounts.Fruit flies are common.

After eating their fill, soldier fly larvae crawl away to virtually disappear. This waste can be diluted into a compost "tea" to use in the garden, or help the breakdown of "brown" compost material.Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) make a nutritious "home...