How to Achieve Optimal Soil

[Tony alony]

Here's a document that helps to understand some of the necessary amendments and practices to obtain optimum soil and grow a healthy stand of turf.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plan ... /turf.html
I was especially impressed how the author gave a chart to explain the percentages of necessary elements in the soil. See here: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plan ... ertil.html
How would you ever know what element and at what percentage, is lacking without a soil test? What Andy and the other ST6 group are doing is to steer you toward the proven path to good soil which equals to less worry, and guessing what to do next. I'm almost tempted to have my soil tested, to learn what I'm lacking, but I'm going to continue to "roll the dice", for now. I'm still learning stuff, even if it's the hard way, even though I know it can be futile. LOL

[bernstem]

If you want to expand your reading a bit, I would look beyond simple chemical analysis of soils. They are important, but much of a soil's health is not directly related to N/P/K etc. Microbial populations, organic matter and soil structure, among other factors, are all critical for soil health. To make it even more interesting, the ideal soil varies depending on what you want to grow and management varies depending on the soil. A sandy soil is very different from a clay soil. What is great for wine grapes is radically different from what your lawn like.

[andy10917]

+1. Year after year, I'm frustrated by how few people that get soil test interpretations follow up on the OM recommendations. I'm not stupid - I can spot it from a mile away if you've done more than two years' worth of tests. But unless some Scottish guy is screaming "feed your lawn! feed it!" all day long, people think it's optional and want to buy stuff-in-bags. OK, we'll watch you feed a lawn in China with your time and money, or let you pretend that 4 bags of Milorganite a year constitutes an organic matter supplementation program.

FEED YOUR LAWN OM!! FEED IT!! (there, I feel much better now...)

[oze]

FEED YOUR LAWN OM!! FEED IT!! (there, I feel much better now...)

Great job on the Scottish accent, Andy!

[Tony alony]

I'm probably straying off topic but, I wondered what life would be like without the help from plants.
The plants depend on the microbes and flora in soil. Should you not feed the soil.....?
Scientists have it all figured out. They have been studying it for quite a while now
They have discovered some answers, or have they? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4267716/
Jump to page 5, or start with this hypothesis from the beginning. LOL

[bernstem]

As for being off topic, I would say quite the opposite. You are very much on topic. The microbial soil population is critical for soil health. As stewards of our lawns and landscapes, we do ourselves a disservice by ignoring it.

It is a lot simpler, though, to look at a small number of chemical nutrients that can be easily measured in a lab. It is also easier to answer questions if your analysis is using an easily repeated chemical assay of soil nutrients so that has seen a huge amount of research. The fact it has received so much attention, though, is not because the rest of the soil is not as important, but, rather because the rest of what is going on is much, much harder to study.

As for scientists figuring it all out, I assume you are being sarcastic. They know some things, but what they don't know is far more.

PS: You started the thread. Go where you want with it.

[dan10]

What do you lawn nuts recommend to shore up soil health for someone who:

1. Has no access to free leaves.

2. Does mulch mow.

3. No access to free saw dust

4. Does not trust bulk compost being totally weed free. Also very heavy and time consuming to apply evenly.


Do I apply bales of peat moss?
Apply horse bedding pellets ?
Apply cracked corn ?

[ Post made via Android ]

[andy10917]

Also very heavy and time consuming to apply evenly.

I'd like you to spend a few minutes thinking about what your asking for:

"I'd like to apply heavy amounts of organic matter without it being heavy, or me having to apply it".

Let us know what conclusion(s) you come to...

[dan10]

Compost is wet and very heavy and I am worried about weed seeds.

I can dump bags of cracked corn in a spreader and walk around all over the lawn over and over.

i totally understand it is not an overnight process. Which of the 3 do you recommend that I apply ?

[ Post made via Android ]

[andy10917]

I don't think you're getting the fact that it's a game of volume, and that it won't come in a bag of corn. One acre of soil to a depth of 6" ("the growing zone") weighs about 2 million lbs. After accounting for water and breakdown of anything (corn included) into late-stage organic matter, a tiny fraction of the applied material will be late-stage OM. So, to raise organic matter by 1% in an acre of soil, you need to apply 20,000 lbs of late-stage OM. That means some large multiplier of 20,000 lbs. Are you ready to buy that much corn? Even with finished compost or peat moss, it's a substantial purchase. That's why finding free OM sources (leaves, sawdust, brewery grains, etc) is so important.

[Tony alony]

Here is another good representation of what's going on in your soil. Pictures are always good, they help display the diversity and sheer numbers. http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0100e/a0100e0d.htm

Edit: see Figure A1-4. Thre were hundreds of these in my flower beds. At first, I thought they were earwigs, and I wondered why they were buried in the mulch.

[Tony alony]

Not trying to bore everyone to death. Anyone can contribute to the topic/discussion.
Okay, here's one more, then that's it.
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archi ... le/276710/

[dan10]

Hi Andy,

I totally understand a huge volume is needed. So in my case, should I do nothing then ?

I would like to feed the microherd and improve soil quality with what little I can do. There are no free leaves in my 10 year old development.

All I can do at this time is throw some crack corn, peat moss and horse bedding pellets. Am I wasting time and money if I do this ?

[andy10917]

I totally understand a huge volume is needed. So in my case, should I do nothing then ?

No, you need to apply everything you can, and stop thinking about buying bags of stuff and focus on where OM might come from in your area. Starbucks, the Home Depot, a brewery. I refuse to believe that there is nothing near you - there always is.

[oze]

Here's one thing that I have started. Hit up your local coffee shops for spent coffee grounds (or is it "grinds" ). There is an independent shop that is right on my way home from the gym, so it is no sweat for me to stop by and see if they have any for me. They are very nice about it, and almost always have a sealed 5 gallon bucket for me. Hitting up a Dunkin' or Starbucks would no doubt get you even more.

Sure, 5 gallons of grounds only gives me a couple of cubic feet, but I just keep track of each small area that gets the grinds, and move on a little bit, day by day. Not much OM to be sure, but quick, easy and cheap. Also, since I so far have not gotten the grounds to dry completely before slinging them, I may not have the best-looking lawn on the block, but by God, I have the best-smelling.

Edit: I just found out yesterday that my city has *free* biosolids, which I understand is treated sewage and composted leaves. The only problem is getting it home, but I'll also work on that. You might want to check around where you live to see if your city also does this.

[LTCM]

I would like to feed the microherd and improve soil quality with what little I can do. There are no free leaves in my 10 year old development.

Do you live in some kind of bio-dome? You know, there is a big world outside your immediate vicinity.

Rent a home depot truck. Load up on free leaves. Repeat every fall, like, forever.

Do you live close to a top 100 city? If yes, you can find sawdust. Might have to pay a little for it sometimes but it's out there.

Can you find moldy hay....

I refuse to believe you don't have any options.

[ Post made via Android ]

[TimmyG]

Or buy compost in bulk. Not completely free of weed seeds? So what? That's what herbicides are for.

[dan10]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I do not have the amount of free time you members have. I leave the house by 6am and do not get home until about 8am during the week. I also drive 2 hours EACH WAY on most weekends to visit friends and family.
It is more convenient and less time consuming to buy bags of cracked corn, peat moss and horse bedding pellets in my situation.

As I mentioned earlier, there are no/very few free leaves in my young development. What small amount that is bagged by a few home owners will likely be contaminated with weeds and dead brush. I certainly do not want to deal with weed seeds from the few free bags of leaves. No sense for me to create a potentially bigger issue.

I had to drive 50 miles round trip to buy some Mag-i-cal at a garden center earlier this year because the local 2 Home Depot stores only had dolomic lime at the time. Also had to drive back to HD to wait for them to stock the large 40 pound bags of generic garden fertilizer recommended by the soil team here. Did spend the time and effort since these were needed.

[dan10]

Or buy compost in bulk. Not completely free of weed seeds? So what? That's what herbicides are for.

Tempting and also one stop shopping to get in delivered...but truly not interested in dealing with more herbicides. Not fun to read members voicing their dissatisfaction about their bad compost or top soil deliveries.

[LoneRanger]

^ I hear ya. I did anyway. Ya it's over the top. However, the amount I brought in should bring me up a point or two. I hope when I'm finished this year that my OM% is at least 3. Find a supplier and examine what they have and question their source. It's all you can do to make a massive change.