Dirty Little Secrets: 10 Tips to Great Garden Soil · Dirty Little Secrets: 10 Tips to Great Garden Soil . Karen A. Plumley, Ph.D. Soils Instructor, Rutgers Golf School . Research
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Dirty Little Secrets: 10 Tips to Great Garden Soil
Karen A. Plumley, Ph.D. Soils Instructor, Rutgers Golf School Research Director, A-LIST
USDA
What is Soil?
1. Rome wasn’t built in a day…..
What kind of soil do you want?
• Sufficient supply of nutrients • Good tilth • Well drained • Free of toxins • Low populations of pathogens • Resilient (resist degradation)
Soil Quality Enhancing Soil Quality Degrading organic material additions overharvesting plant growth bare fallow fibrous root systems of plants fire cool, humid climate hot, arid climate vegetative cover exposed soil minimal tillage operations intense tillage
erosion
Cultural and Environmental Factors Which Enhance/Degrade Soil Quality
How do you build healthy soil?
Nurturing process: • Practices to add OM • Practices to minimize OM loss • Maintain good structure • Minimize tillage • Provide soil cover
2. Test Your Soil. Don’t Guess!
Why Soil Test? • To evaluate
nutrient levels
• To determine soil pH
• To receive most appropriate recommendation for fertilizer & lime
• Economically prudent
• Environmentally responsible
Plant Nutrients
Brady & Weil, 1999
♦Affects nutrient availability (solubility)
♦Aluminum toxicity damages roots at low pH
♦Direct damage also possible at high pH
Effects of Soil pH
Plants have preferred pH ranges
Choosing Appropriate Fertilizer(s) • Should be based on soil test levels and plant needs
– Ratio of required nutrients will determine recommended grade
– May have to apply single-nutrient fertilizers
– Don’t rely on marketing (“Rose food”, “lawn fertilizer”)
• Read labels – Weed & Feed fertilizers have herbicide;
apply only to grass • Organic fertilizers
3. Get the Nitrogen Right
Soil Test Fertilizer Recommendations include nitrogen requirements of your crop.
Nitrogen content is not part of the standard soil test.
The form of nitrogen that is available to plants, is short-lived in soil
Nitrogen recommendations are based primarily on seasonal crop requirements rather than on the actual nitrogen soil level
4. Start a compost pile
SOIL ORGANIC MATTER
Soil Organic Matter Effects
5. Respect the underworld!
In one teaspoon of “healthy” soil there should be: – 600 million bacteria – three miles of fungal hyphae – 10,000 protozoa – 20 to 30 beneficial nematodes in a teaspoon of soil
Dr. Elaine R. Ingham, Soil Food Web
Soil Ecology and Plant Nutrition
Selman Waksman • Waksman coined the term
antibiotics • It was at Rutgers that
Waksman's team discovered streptomycin and eomycin
• streptomycin being the first antibiotic to cure tuberculosis
• Dr. Waksman received the Nobel Prize for the discovery of streptomycin
6. Mulch more. Dig Less!
EXCESSIVE TILLAGE Aggregates break down
Increase erosion
Less water storage Less soil organisms
Fewer nutrients
Soil OM decreases
Surface compaction
More soil OM lost
Crop yield reduction
To minimize tillage, sow fall crops without pulling out the roots of the previous crop.
Employ Practices to Reduce Tillage
7. Avoid traffic in growing areas.
Consequences of Compaction
8. Plant a cover crop.
What are Cover Crops? Cover crops are plants grown strictly to improve soil fertility and structure. Cover crops also provide insulation that keeps the soil cool in summer and warm in winter.’ What are Green Manures? Green manure is created when fresh cover crops are incorporated into the soil. Like cover crops, green manure increases the level of nutrients and organic matter in the soil. Cover Crops vs. Green Manure Cover crops are the actual plants Green manure is created when the green plants are plowed into the soil
Which Cover Crop is Right for You? Nutrient Scavengers
• Annual Ryegrass • Radish • Winter Cereal Rye • Oats
Nitrogen Producers
• Crimson Clover • Hairy Vetch • Austrian Winter Pea
9. Crop Rotation!
Have A Plan
10. Caveat emptor.
Where does ‘Topsoil’ come from?
Sustainability
Sustainable Agriculture Research Education
Download a free copy at:
http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Books/ Building-Soils-for-Better-Crops-3rd-Edition
WEB RESOURCES
WEB RESOURCES Soil Testing for Home Lawns and Gardens http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/fs797/ Soil Sampling Instructions http://njaes.rutgers.edu/soiltestinglab/pdfs/home/Home_and_Landscape_-_Soil_Sampling_Instructions.pdf Soil Testing Questionnaire http://njaes.rutgers.edu/soiltestinglab/pdfs/home/Home_and_Landscape_-_Soil_Test_Questionnaire.pdf Nitrogen Basics http://nmsp.cals.cornell.edu/publications/factsheets/factsheet2.pdf
WEB RESOURCES Home Composting http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.asp?pid=FS811 Soil Organic Matter http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.asp?pid=FS1135 Improving Soil Quality By Increasing Organic Matter Content http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.asp?pid=FS1137 Cover Crops and Green Manure Crops: Benefits, Selection, and Use http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.asp?pid=FS849 Topsoil Suitable for Landscape Use http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.asp?pid=FS901
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