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Illinois Yard and Garden
Soil Building From The Ground Up
If there is one lesson people learn over time, it's that you can never have a soil that's too good, unless you're trying to grow rocks. A good soil is the foundation for a successful garden. A good soil can mean the difference between a healthy lawn and one full of weeds, a tree that grows at least 18-inches a year or one that ekes out just an inch. A good soil makes all the difference between bushels of juicy tomatoes and a few handfuls. There are those who recognize the importance of a good soil, but many recognize it too late. Once the plant is in place and growing, or attempting to grow, it's hard to change the soil. It's like saying "oh, the carpet pad isn't thick enough" once all the carpet is laid and the furniture in place. Clay is the enemy. Sand is better though not the best. But instead of staying wet and drowning plants like clay, it drains quickly and plants need more water. The ideal soil will contain some clay and sand as well as silt, the particle in between the two. Once every four or five years, I dig up most of my flower beds in the early spring as the plants are just popping through the soil, lay the plants on tarps, and modify the soil again with large amounts of organic matter. Why every four to five years? Organic matter isn't permanent like sand and clay. It continually decomposes or is eaten by worms and insects. Sooner or later, the plants are growing in clay again. The soil is tilled, and plants replaced the same day. If the plants are too large, they get divided. What's the final outcome? My plants love the loose soil in the spring, develop a strong and extensive root system, and compensate by creating lots of foliage and flowers. The only things not dug out are the trees and shrubs, since they tend to be overwhelming. It's tough to lay a 30 foot tree on its side, though don't think I haven't thought about it. That would allow me to move my birch to another spot. Reality always wins over dreams. Sure, this takes time. But a day once every four or five years isn't much. And you can divide your yard into sections, so it's not all done the same year. Any organic matter that's not tied down gets mixed in. Some years it has been rich compost. Other years have included a combination of shredded leaves and peat moss. Dried manures have been added, though I tend to avoid anything that might have gone through the animal as hay (too many potential weed seeds). It's not my goal to have an alfalfa field in my front yard. How much? Well, usually we say you can't have too much of a good thing, but I've come to the conclusion that 6 to 8 inches of organic matter is enough to add, though it's best to incorporate it in several tillings instead of all at once. You want to make sure you get the organic matter down deep. Two things you DO NOT want to do. First, adding sand to clay soil will not make it better unless you go with the rate of 8 parts sand to 1 part clay. That means to improve one foot of clay, you'd have to add 8 feet of sand. You can immediately see the problem there. The reason is that while sand has irregular large particles that help drainage, the plate-like clay particles fill in the gaps and make drainage difficult. Sort of like sugar particles mixed with dried beans. The other thing not to do is add gypsum, even though there are people out there trying to sell it to you. Gypsum will work if the soil is sodium-based, as it is out west of the Rockies. However, here the soil is calcium based, which is exactly what gypsum is. Studies at the University of Illinois show no noticeable results in gardens. It might make you feel good, but instead, send me the money and I'll wave my hands in the air and the resulting air disturbance will do the same thing to your soil. And I will be appreciative.
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