Soil And Compost

Thus, your corn, lettuce, roses and geraniums won't grow or produce to their full potential.Most nutrients that plants need are readily available when the pH of the soil solution ranges from 6.0 to 7.5.Some nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and...

And small piles, bins, or tumblers of compost are very hard to get working efficiently. That means you can use them as is, right away, no burying needed, and the rich dark brown colorinstantly makes you look like an expert gardener with incredible soil.base...

Earthworms usually extend their "head" first when crawling. I found other information suggesting worms may live up to 15 years again depending upon environmental conditions and species type.The head of the worm is always located on the end of the worm...

Thus a potassium deficiency shows up in the leaves first, notably in the older leaves. Another problem with excess potassium is that it can replace the necessary calcium in cell walls.http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/cropsystems/DC6794.html,...

Mushrooms are not just for eating, and that white webby stuff you see under your organic mulch is not necessarily just the mulch slowly rotting away. Several of these sources are. Mushrooms growing amongst pines in a forest can be indicative of much more...

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...

Globosum forms both endo & ectomycorrhizal structures. LariAnn points out that thesite has a feature that identifies general mycorrhiza types by plant names (down the bottom of the page).

'Insoluble' here means the calcium is not readily available to plants. Calcium in the soil, because it is relatively insoluble, tends to not leach away either, thus keeping the soil pH more alkaline if there is an abundance of calcium.Soft Rock Phosphate...

A tentacle is seen extending furtively towards an unprotected root, intent on infecting, dissolving, digesting and destroying it. This can leave some roots unprotected, so the solution is to make new applications as your plants grow.

Plants use sulfur in the processes of producing proteins, amino acids, enzymes and vitamins. In plants, sulfur is essential for nitrogen-fixing nodules on legumes, and necessary in the formation of chlorophyll.

All civilizations have had symbols to represent home, land, earth, or soil, since the beginning of written records. In some states the topic has been hotly debated, or quietly accepted in others; therefore, some may not know a thing about their state's...

(You can read all about that in my first article aboutWell, now that I've been in my new place for 3 summers, my first corral was ready to harvest this spring. Faced with a 10-by-20-foot pile of coarse compost, it suddenly occurred to me that, um, couldn't...

Just because they are needed in lesser amounts than the two previous groups does not diminish their importance or value. Others include cobalt, silicon, sodium, selenium, uranium, antimony, lead, cadium, chromium, fluorine, barium oxide, titania, scandium,...

Without competition, the surprise is that any plant growing in such a medium survives! Fortunately, the means to restore a population of beneficial microbes to your soilless medium is available.

Either homemade or commercially produced Average pH: 7 Nutritional Content: Compost is typically well-balanced and contains a great blend of all nutrients. Horse and cow manures are more mild, while chicken and sheep are highly concentrated.

As it happens, there are a number of woody plants that are naturally adapted to highly acidic soils. There are also a number of other woody plants that can be combined with Ericaceous shrubs to provide year-round interest.Most acid-loving shrubs prefer...

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...

I don't think there is much inherent risk in that, as I can't imagine anyone chasing you down to recover their bagged leaves.Rather than adding all of your collected leaves at once, I advise storing them near your compost bin, so you can periodically...

(Pay close attention to the nutrition requirements of the plant; some will not appreciate over-fertilization.) Dig the planting hole much larger than usual to accommodate the amendment and give the new plant some room to establish itself before being...

This condition is extremely damaging to azaleas, rhododendrons, most conifers, allMulch piled up against a stem or trunk results in constantnditions for disease development. Ft.); a full-size pickup will hold at least 2.5 cubic yards (coverage for 405...

In all cases, foliar sprays are not enough; there must also be organic matter continually available in the soil for the microbes to eat. There are many garden products available containing beneficial microbes for the soil.

It is well known that cobalt is needed for our immune systems. Rock ‘gravel' or dust is found in the bottom of creek beds, and pond settlings. On soils deficient in these micronutrients, the application of small amounts of these nutrients can greatly...

Locate your composter in a corner of the kitchen, in the basement, or in a garage, porch or sheltered area of the garden.Avoid placing in direct sun. This will be hard for children – I know it was for me!Your worms actually consume the bedding as well...

Bacteria, fungi, and soil animals are the main biological performers in soil bioactivity.In some cases soil bacteria will be attracted to root compounds, but exude antibiotics that repel other types of soil life-- making a niche for itself to flourish.

Look at that lovely insect to the right. It's actually a Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens.) Soldier flies have made themselves quite at home in many a suburban compost, whether the bin's owner is aware or not.

All life forms need phosphorus, and we humans get phosphorus (along with calcium) to build our bones and teeth from plants. Inadequate levels of phosphorus result in weak, immature-appearing or stunted plants, while the leaves on older plants sometimes...

Photo by Abujoy, Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 License, iStockPhoto # 5224260, © Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye, Used by Permission Neither way is necessarily the better since many other factors come into play, including our own personal circumstances,...