What happens if we lose soil fertility, we will eventually cease to exist as soil is alive and we require soil for almost all of the food that we grow today around the world. So what makes up fertile soil and what can we do to improve our own soil? First let's look at healthy soil and what it contains.
- It has sufficient concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potash (potassium) to support plant life.
- It also has sufficient levels of the trace minerals needed for plant nutrition, including boron, chlorine, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, magnesium, molybdenum, sulfur, and zinc.
- It should have enough organic matter to help with moisture retention and improve soil structure which allows the plants roots to push through the soil and moisture and nutrients to penetrate.
- Good soil structure also allow drainage as needed based on the crops we are producing, meaning that rice will have a much higher water content than desert agave plants. This drainage also helps to eliminate potential problems with fungi or other plant diseases.
- It supports the growth of micro-organisms which also aid plant growth.
- Lastly it contains large amounts of topsoil, that's four to six inches of rich topsoil which contain most of the nutrients, organic matter, and allow your plants the ability to establish their root system for healthy plant growth.
We know for previous articles that the soils in Northwest Ohio area around Lima have been created by the glacial movements in the Wisconsin age some 14,000-20,000 years ago. The area surrounding Lima is considered to be part of the till plains, rich in nutrients deposited as far as 400 feet below the surface of the soil. This area is quite diverse due to the complexities created by the contour, drainage, glaciers, land contour, time, and weather conditions which helps to establish our local soil. To be sure of your soil and what nutrients you have or need to add to your soil, you should perform a soil test. The test is very reasonable priced, and it will give you exactly the amounts of nutrients to be added to your soil for the type of plant growth you desire, whether a front or backyard garden, a stately lawn, perennial flower bed, or my favorite food forest. So when you start to think about soil amendments, don't run to the local big box store and buy a bag of chemicals to spread on your yard or farm. Think organic matter, by that I mean compost, grass clippings, leaves, manure, sphagnum peat moss, pine needles, sawdust, shredded paper, straw, and wood chips. Remember that we are trying to create a soil that is alive and we want to add back amendments to the soil that came from live systems. You should also take the time to look at the organic matter to understand what effect it will have on the soil, some will turn the soil acidic, others will tie up the nitrogen for a period of time until they break down, but in the end you will be creating a much richer soil that is alive with micro-organisms, high in nutrient content, and ready to establish strong healthy plants. A word of caution, fresh manure should never be put on your garden or yard as it must have a period of time to break down it's structure. This period of time we say that the manure is hot, the only exception I am aware of is rabbit manure which can be applied directly and immediately. For more information on composting at home, see the link below from the Ohio State Extension Office.
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