Soil

People have the best intentions when they start recycling their organic waste. However, if they haven't started the right way, they soon get frustrated and give up. Here are the VIDEO tools to...

If you have a farm with cattle, or simply live near one, you are already familiar with with cattle manure. Your experience of cattle manure is probably limited to its smell and the problem of safe...

Topsoil is the living layer of earth, a combination of organic and inorganic matter, minerals and water. This delicate and fertile layer of earth is from 5 to 12 inches deep in some geographic...

Topsoil is an amazing substance, with billions of beneficial microorganisms in every square inch. But topsoil can be depleted by intensive agricultural activity, especially if you do not...

Using a compost tumbler for the home is the easiest and most efficient way to compost. The tumbler compost bin is different than the standard compost bin because it requires much less effort and...

Casing soil is an important component of mushroom growing. The unique growing conditions required by mushrooms calls for a soil that has excellent moisture retention and a dark, warm environment....

Phosphorus is one of three very important macronutrients plants need to thrive; the other two are potassium and nitrogen. Phosphorus helps plants breathe, store and transfer energy, and produce...

Preserving topsoil is an ongoing process. Many of the strategies that help to build topsoil are the same as those which you use to preserve it, because healthy topsoil is dense and moist and less...

Healthy topsoil is essential for maintaining a healthy and thriving lawn and garden. Healthy topsoil has a healthy balance of minerals, is regularly watered and is loose enough to provide adequate...

A compost pile can be helpful to you and your family. It is a great way to do your part to be green. A compost pile can help you recycle roughly 35 percent of your yard and kitchen waste. There...

If your yard is too wet you have a problem. Most plants will not thrive when their roots are struggling to grow in wet soil. Plants need water but they also need oxygen, and a soil that stays wet...

A pH value reflects the acidity of a substance. Neutral is a pH of 7. Values below 7 correspond to acidic solutions, while basic solutions have pH above 7. Soil pH is an important factor that...

Clay soil is heavy, doesn't drain well and easily compacts around plant roots. While it's easy to break it up and amend it each year in annual flower and plant beds, in perennial beds there is...

Fertilizing is an essential part of raising a successful vegetable garden. Since plants rely on a variety of minerals and nutrients to support vibrant growth, getting the right blend to the roots...

Blueberry bushes make up a large family of fruiting bush with species growing both above the Arctic Circle and well into the humid southern reaches of North America. Blueberries are related to...

Hard clay soil is heavy and tightly compacted, and growing most plants, trees or gardens in this type of soil is nearly impossible. Because hard clay soil packs together so tightly, water and...

Mealworms are the larval stages of the common darkling beetle and are invasive pests that infest flour, meal, grain, corn, seeds and related organic products. Mealworms differ in size from very...

Plastic mulching has been shown to have many benefits, including weed control, increased soil temperature and less evaporation. These conditions can make it possible for plants such as tomatoes,...

Soil contains nitrogen, potassium, organic matter, particles and minerals. Soil analysts isolate these elements using touch, extraction and suspension methods. Elemental deficiencies and...

Composting is a great way to get rid of excess yard waste and kitchen scraps without adding to the landfill or polluting the air with smoke from burning leaves. Not only is it the environmentally...

Compost is a great way to enrich the soil in your garden and recycle kitchen and yard waste at the same time. You could simply make a big pile of yard waste and kitchen scraps, and they would...

Composting is a great way to recycle yard and kitchen waste and enrich the soil in your garden at the same time, but many composting systems seem ridiculously complicated. Composting does not...

Soil varies throughout the world, and Italy has soil like no other. Both acidic and alkaline, Italian soils are used to produce everything from bold vineyard grapes to everyday herbs such as rosemary.

Salmonella is the most common cause of food borne illness worldwide. Recent studies show that soil contamination is often the root source of infection for food outbreaks, so there is increasing...

Composting is a great, environmentally friendly way to dispose of those piles of dry leaves. Not only do you avoid adding bags of leaves to the landfills, and prevent the air pollution caused by...

There are a wonderful variety of plants that love acid soil. Among them are azaleas, rhododendrons, hollies, conifers, ferns and hydrangea. You'll also find plants that produce edible fruits such...

Your discarded orange peels make great composting material. They're rich in nitrogen, and adding them to your compost pile can help create a balanced, nutrient-rich humus that will help your...

Green roof gardens reduce the amount of rainwater run-off into a city's water system, help to cool a building in hot weather and reduce the effect of heat islands, common to urban areas. Install...

Compost enriches soil by providing macronutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Gardeners recycle organic kitchen waste by adding such refuse as eggshells, coffee grounds and tea...

Composting is one of the best things you can do for the environment, as well as for your lawn and garden. It can be accomplished even in the smallest of outdoor spaces without worrying about lots...

Soil can be classified in a number of ways, by texture, color and ability to retain water, for example. Below are the most general classifications of soil; most subcategories are derived from a...

Mulch prevents weeds and retains soil moisture, but after a few years it begins to look tired and worn in ornamental beds. Instead of tossing it out and wasting all that organic material, compost...

Alkaline soils have a pH of over 7.1 to 14. Acid soils have a pH of 0 to 6.9, with pH 7 being neutral. Clay soil tends toward the alkaline, not the acidic

Soil that is high in both salt and sodium is considered to be saline-sodic soil. This type of soil might occur naturally or unnaturally though the impact of human gardening and farming practices.

Soil is the foundation of any successful organic garden. It is impossible to raise bountiful harvests of healthy organic fruits and vegetables unless you start with soil free of the toxic...

Polymer crystals, technically known as polyacrylamide hydrogels, are a common soil additive used to retain moisture at the roots of plants, shrubs and small trees. These crystals are able to...

In many areas aquatic plants have become invasive and are choking out the native species. Luckily, the fast growth of these plants can be leveraged and the plants used as a high-nitrogen nutrient...

Adding Sulfur to clay soil is done in order to lower the alkaline levels in the clay, and raise the acidic levels. It's a process often used by gardeners, landscapers or farmers operating in...

Pennington is one of the more prominent manufacturers of Epsom salts for use in gardens and lawns. In a sense, Epsom salt is Epsom salt, but there are two basic precautions gardeners should take...

Sandy soil is composed of large, coarse, rapidly-draining particles. Clay soil is made up of fine particles, which when compacted, causes soil to become waterlogged. A grower who knows the...

Clay soil is composed of fine particles which are easily compacted and waterlogged. High traffic areas are especially susceptible to compaction and flooding. Even if topsoil is aerated and porous,...

Not all types of soil are alike, and clay and sand represent opposite ends of the soil spectrum. In order to successfully grow plants in sand or clay, it helps to understand the unique...

Composting is the process by which organic matter such as table scraps, leaves and grass clippings are placed into an outdoor pile and allowed to decompose. The heat that is generated by the...

Composting is a great addition to any garden, and is an environmentally-friendly choice. Not only can you recycle kitchen scraps and yard waste, but you avoid chemical fertilizers that can seep...

Organic matter such as leaves, twigs, scat and insect remains are ubiquitous in soil. Larger chunks can be picked from the soil by hand, smaller quantities can be sieved or sifted, but other...

Gypsum is often said to improve any and all soils. However, this isn't true. Gypsum is a handy solution for those with heavy clay soils who want to break up or loosen the soil, although it will...

A soil analysis measures the amount of various elements in a soil sample that are usable by plants and needed for their growth. Lime is made up of two such elements, calcium and magnesium.

Chicken manure has the highest content of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium of the animal kingdom and thus is a potent garden fertilizer. Although you can spread the fresh manure in the fall and...

Soil is composed of rock particles, organic matter, water and air. Rough or sandy soil has large particles which allow for large pockets, or pores. Clay soil is composed of fine particles and has...

Leaf mold adds nutrients to the garden and is used as a soil amendment or a mulch in garden beds. It is also a nutritious ingredient to add to potting soil mixes and houseplant dressings. Leaf...