A GREAT START FOR PLANTS: PROPER SOIL PREPARATION

Your garden has been planted for over 6 weeks now and in reviewing the initial successes for this summer, you find some deficiencies in size of plants, foliage and flower color, etc. You should start to analyze why this is the case.

It is not obvious, but nothing good can happen to a plant unless its root system is functioning right. In other words, the root system needs an ample supply of oxygen, moisture and nutrients. This is what makes proper soil preparation so vital and it could be one of the big causes of concern. To give the root system the best possible conditions for growth, we need to prepare the soil widely around the plant before planting. Through soil preparation, we physically improve the soil’s texture and eventually structure to allow for more water retention without excess saturation.

The depth of soil preparation depends on what we’re planting. For annuals, preparing the soil to a depth of six inches would probably be sufficient even though it is advisable to go much deeper. For a large tree, you must go down to a depth of as much as two feet; but only to a measured depth of 1 inch less deep than the actual root ball measures.

To determine what you are striving for in soil preparation, it is helpful to think of one cubic foot of soil. When you are finished with preparing this soil, you want to have one half solid particles and one half open space. Of the open space, your goal is for this to be made up of one half water holding space and one half air. In effect, you’re “fluffing” the soil.

To prepare a planting bed, you should deal with the top foot to 18 inches of soil. First, strip the sod. This can be put in your compost pile upside down to decay and be ready for use in next year’s projects. Next, add organic matter such as peat moss, compost, manure, pine bark fines or partially decayed mulches making sure it does not exceed one-quarter to one-third of the total volume. To make sure the soil contains the nutrients for growth, I recommend adding between two and four pounds of an appropriate well balanced and slow release fertilizer per 100 square feet. This, of course, depends on your individual soil’s needs. (If you’re not sure about this, a laboratory soil test should be done.)

Some disagree, but I always suggest adding five pounds of gypsum, a calcium compound, per 100 square feet. Calcium is a compound around which many chemical processes in soil occur and gypsum is a non-alkaline way to add this to your soil. This is important since much of Ohio’s soil is already slightly alkaline due to limestone bedrock and a highly alkaline soil ca prevent plants from picking up some of the needed nutrients.

When these materials have been added, it is time to incorporate them into the soil. You can do this with a shovel or a roto-tiller. If you do use a roto -tiller, take care not to pulverize the soil as it will pack down after watering and actually prevent air circulation in the soil. You want soil granules to be between the size of a pea and a golf ball, and even a few small stones won’t hurt. It it is more convenient, you can incorporate the ingredients one half at a time. When you’re finished, rake the area to smooth it down. If your bed looks as if it has a lot more soil in it than before, you’ve done your job well. Don’t haul the extra soil away. It should be about four inches higher than before and will eventually settle considerably.

Soil preparation completed, you are now ready to plant almost anything but a major shade tree or the deepest -rooted carrots. And, by taking the time to do this, you’ve created or can create better growing conditions that will enhance your plants’ chances of growing as you desire and expect, and- that makes it well worth the effort.