Soil Fix-Ups
By Bruce Lee Deuley - 1/6/03

The first thing you are suppose to do to correct and improve your soil is to have a soil test. Having said that, almost without exception every soil tests I know of from this area ended up with a pH in the range of 7.2 to 7.6 and showed the soil was lacking in organic matter.

The pH of soil is an indicator of how acid or alkaline your soil is. 7 is neutral while numbers higher than 7 means more alkaline and the numbers lower than 7 run on the acid side of the scale. Most of the plants we want to grow here like a pH in the 6.5 to 7.0 range.

To correct your soil the first thing you need to do is to quit using synthetic fertilizers and begin using organic amendments in their place.

Chemical fertilizers do indeed feed your plants but do little or nothing to improve your soil and in many cases are actually detrimental to the long tern health of your lawn of garden.

A better approach is to add organic material in the form of compost to your soil. In the case of a lawn add 1/2 to 1 inch of organic compost over your whole lawn a couple of times a year until your soil loosens up and you can pick up a handful of soil with out the use of a digging tool.

For lawns that have been fertilized with synthetic fertilizers it may take a couple of years to get your soil back in shape Also, if your lawn is St. Augustine grass don't allow the compost to stay on top of the grass blades or those grass blades will yellow. From now on leave you grass clippings on the lawn for added organic material.

In the garden, several inches of organic material can be turned into the top 2 or 3 inches of soil between plantings until your soil is friable enough to be planted by hand.

In addition to compost there are several soil amendments now available that will speed up the process of re-building your soils. One such amendment is Medina Plus. It is a liquid soil stimulant that increases the microbial life in your soil and speeds up the break down of organic materials that help build the soil.

If you want to make a good soil amendment from things around the house; to each gallon of water add 1 1/2 cups of compost tea, 2 ounces of Molasses and 1 ounce of natural Apple Cider vinegar. Spray the whole area with this mixture each time you add organic material. You can also use the compost tea; Molasses and Apple Cider vinegar concentrate, without the water added in a hose-end sprayer set at the 1 ounce per gallon setting. The hose-end sprayers are not very accurate but since this mixture is not toxic it does make it much easier to cover a large lawn or garden.

This program along with the addition of Organic fertilizer twice a year will get your soil back in shape and eventually lower the total cost and effort it takes to have a great lawn and garden..

Next week: vinegar in and around the garden