How to Improve Soil Fertility

Most soils are naturally quite fertile, but to maintain this, sometimes fertilizers are needed. Organic and inorganic fertilizers contain a range of nutrients in different proportions. On most soils the nutrients that need to be added regularly are nitrogen for vigorous growth, phosphates to encourage flowering and fruiting, and potassium or potash for strong roots. You don’t have to have a degree in chemistry or be a certified horticulturist to be able to improve the fertility of the soil. If you have noticed that your flower blooms are looking a little smaller than they did a year ago or the foliage on your plants don’t look as healthy as they once did then make a few changes in your garden. These simple fixes can increase the output of your flowers and plants.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Manure
• Mushroom compost
• Coarse sand

1. Add inorganic fertilizers. Inorganic fertilizers may be your only option in a small garden where there is no space to store bulky organic fertilizers. They can be combined with homemade compost and leafmold.

2. Add organic fertilizers. Bulky organic fertilizers, contain fewer nutrients by weight than inorganic fertilizers, but improve the soil in other ways: They add important trace elements and help improve soil structure.

3. Add well-rotted manure. Manure is best worked into the soil, but if used as mulch and spread on the surface it will gradually be taken down into the soil by earthworms.

4. Use mushroom compost. Like manure, it is best to work mushroom compost into the soil. It is alkaline and so it cannot be used where lime-hating or acid-loving plants are to be grown.

5. Improve the soil pH. Adding lime raises the soil pH and can be added to heavy or compacted soil to help to break up lumps to form crumbs.

6. Improve soil drainage. Add coarse sand into a heavy soil to open it up and improve drainage to an extent.