Soil Moisture Sensor Manufacturers

Balancing Soil pH The two most common soil balancers to increase alkalinity are calcitic lime or dolomitic lime, which has the added bonus of magnesium and calcium. Put simply, it's a scale by which we measure the alkalinity or acidity of a substance—in...

In the right situation, it can be the perfect amendment. The woman who didn't realize that garden was a cruel trick of chemical-fertilizer residues. The squash plants had elephant-ear sized leaves, the corn grew tall and lush, and we ate all we could,...

If you want your plants to grow strong, study up on your soil's chemistry. Remember, pH 6.5 is slightly acidic so those plants listed as enjoying acid soil will be quite at home at 6.5. Those listed as tolerant of alkaline soils don't necessarily prefer...

Adding compost is one simple and effective way to add organic matter (and plant food to boot). So let's take a look at the most pressing readings from a basic soil test and identify the red flags—that is, the elements that are the most important for...

If it's not going to a septic tank on your property, then at your home, school, work and other public places, it's being mixed with fecal matter and flushed into pipes with waste from restaurants and other businesses.

Also, try to add any dry matter at least four months before planting so as not to tie up nutrients. This compost should be fully mature, not slimy, and added as soil is being prepared for planting.

I propose now we're ready to think about how methods to improve the soil might allow us to provide for our family's table, enrich our soils and provide products for a growing health-care crisis that only a return to local health economies can stem.

Special active-transport proteins use energy to move phosphorus, as well as nitrogen, sulfur and other trace minerals into plant cells. The secret to highly nutritious plants is, well, in the soil.

Lime for each shovel of peat moss 2. To make your own potting soil, tailor the ingredients you use in your mix to how you will be using it. Seedling Soil Mix 5 parts finely screened compost 4 parts garden soil 1-2 parts coarse sand 1-2 parts sphagnum...

These burrows, in turn, may eventually become dens for foxes or rabbits. On cold spring nights, the warmth stored in the soil during the day can moderate the temperatures around young seedlings and prevent cold shock or frost damage.

Granules are more suited to working into the soil, while chunks and shredded bark work better for mulching.Not only is tree bark easy to obtain, it tends to hold its color better than wood chips and resists wind dispersion and compaction.As with wood...

This process will indeed leach the sodium, but it might not be the best use of water—something arid environments are lacking—unless you have access to a pond. Try one of these techniques to grow your best crop yet.

Although I sometimes “recycle” a small percentage of my potting soil by amending it with a heavy dose of compost before using it again, most of the potting soil I use is replaced every spring.

The big rocks I can separate by hand. But once the plane landed in Italy I immediately felt strangely comfortable, even in this strange world that is so different from California. P.S. Our HF editors' blogs are starting to get some reader mail, which...

After the crop is established, you can add fertilizer to the soil by side-dressing, aka banding. Lightly sprinkle your fertilizer of choice in the soil alongside plants, then gently work it into the top inch or so of soil.

If you start with unfinished compost, be sure to top it off with a fine-textured planting mix or finished compost when doing final planting. I also like that my raised beds look tidy, since I mow right up to the wooden edge of the bed itself.

There is so much to know about your soil that can help you grow a better, more productive garden. There's nothing more critical to the success or failure of a farm or garden than its soil.

I recently did a soil test on one of my rose beds. Most plants will do well if the pH range falls between 6.0 and 7.5.However certain plants will not thrive if the pH falls outside of the desirable range of that particular plant.

As usual, no matter how much I build, the garden always seems unfinished to me. The resultant walls are pretty strong even though the concrete is really only about 8 to 10 inches thick in most places.

Iron is one of the most common micronutrients that plants can be deficient in, which is probably why the older Irish lady suggested burying a piece of scrap iron beside the apple tree.

“There is no hint of an El Nino, which we associate with a cooler, wetter growing season,” Gesser notes. Corn is projected to be the crop most affected by this phenomenon, mainly because the 50-degree soil temperatures it requires to develop are only...

Be sure to add fully decomposed compost to prevent the decomposition process from depriving your crops of necessary nutrients. The University of Minnesota recommends that additional iron sulfate applications of more than 7 pounds per 100 square foot be...

If your soil pH is too high, too alkaline, sulfur or peat moss are often recommended for acid. So encouraging and keeping these miniature “livestock” happy is an important part of being a farmer.

Although it's a long-term project, using wood in your soil can go a long ways towards improving its organic matter content. Using a nitrogen-rich soil amendment (like peecycling !) can balance out this issue.

Raising a bed improves the drainage of a particular spot. The important thing is knowing how to make the decision of to raise or not to raise. We recently moved to a new farm and started another garden.

Repeat this three to four times, rotating the direction of the soil blocker to ensure equal soil distribution among all blocks. Ensure blocks stay moist until seedlings are ready to transplant.

It's weed free but adds very few nutrients to the soil. It also adds both macro- and trace nutrients and improves overall soil health by feeding the beneficial microorganisms living there.