Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Soil or Dirt

Soil is more than "Dirt." All plants will grow better in good soil. So. . . what makes soil good. Different plants have different tolerances to soil conditions.

Lawns need a soil with good structure. This refers to the size and shape of the soil particles. Ideally about 50 percent of the soil should be soil solids. The rest of the soil is composed of the empty spaces. These are called pores spaces. Basically there are two type of pores. The small pores are important for storing water. These small pores contain the water and allow it to move in the soil through capillary action. The smaller the pores, the higher up (the greater distance) the water is able to move. Large pores are essential for drainage and aeration. These pores are too large to hold water (at least for very long). These spaces though, are important because they hold oxygen. Without the correct balance of water and air, the roots will not survive.

Clay soils are fine textured and have the largest amount of pore space. However, because the pores are small, they tend to hold less oxygen and can contain a lot of moisture. Sandy soils, on the other hand, have large pores, which limits the amount of water that the soil can hold.

The best soil will have a balance of fine textured silts and clays, with some coarser textured soil solids to allow water to drain away after a rain or irrigation.

If you have a lawn/tree/shrub that needs some Tender Loving Care- get The KING OF GREEN:






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