SEARCH
Healthy soil is teeming with life. Beneficial bugs, including ground beetles and centipedes, chew organic matter into bite-size bits for bacteria and fungi to convert into nutrients. Earthworms excavate tunnels that fill with critical air and water, while mycorrhizal fungi help plant roots better access water and nutrients. Together, these organisms help create soil that supports resilient crops, larger yields, and more nutritious fruits and vegetables.
Here are some ways to take care of your soil.
Take the Tests
To determine the general health of your soil, dig a hole six inches deep and count the critters that appear within four minutes—spiders, ground beetles, centipedes, and other bugs. Ten or more indicates healthy soil. Then, expand the hole’s width until it’s 12 inches by 12 inches, and count the earthworms. Three is acceptable; five is better. Next, take a handful of dirt and squeeze it. The aggregates (microbe-combined minerals and organic matter clumps) should hold their shape.
Frequent foot traffic, excessive moisture, and organic matter depletion can all contribute to compact soil. A soil compaction test sounds complex, but all it requires is a three-millimeter wire or common survey flag. Press it into the ground—it should go 12 inches down without bending. If it bends before four inches, the ground is overly compacted.
Water infiltration tests are equally simple. Cut the bottom off a coffee can and push it four inches into the ground, which should leave about three inches above ground. Fill it completely with water and see how long it takes to be absorbed. A rate of one inch or less per hour means compacted soil.
Dig up a weed and look at the roots. They should be white and healthy-looking. Brown, spongy roots mean there’s a drainage problem. Stunted or knobby roots can signal disease or root-consuming pests.
To test whether the soil is well-aerated, which makes water readily available to roots, wait for a day with heavy rain. Then track how long it takes before plants show signs of thirst. Taking into account heat and other factors, if it seems way too soon, the soil is probably compacted.
For more rigorous testing, it’s a good idea to reach out to your county’s cooperative extension or a nearby university soil testing lab. Either can provide a sample box and instructions. Basic tests start in the $10 to $25 range and will provide a detailed analysis of soil nutrients, organic matter, and texture, as well as fertilizer recommendations for the planned crop.
Dinner Time
Feed the soil and its ecosystem, and you feed the plants. Humus refers to the stable organic matter created when tiny microbes, fungi, and earthworms finish breaking down decaying plant and animal waste. The resulting soil is full of the essential macronutrients and micronutrients that all plants need to thrive.
To maintain healthy levels of humus, add organic matter such as compost, aged manure, leaf mold, grass clippings, and coffee grounds to provide ongoing nutrients, buff up soil structure, and help retain valuable moisture. Doing so will also help aerate compact soil.
Go Natural
The regular, heavy use of chemical fertilizers can lead to salt buildup and toxic levels of heavy metals. They suppress mycorrhizae and other good fungi and nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which results in weaker plants that are more susceptible to pests, drought, and heat.
Chemical pesticides are similarly harmful, indiscriminately eradicating good bugs as well as bad. Instead, use low-impact insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, spinosad, and Bacillus thuringiensis. You can also buy disease-resistant plants or seeds and hand-pick or hose off bad bugs when possible. Keep the soil well fed, and use organic fertilizers.
Cover Up
To suppress weeds and protect the valuable soil community from heavy weather, add a layer of organic mulch. It will also provide nutrients as it breaks down and keep soil-borne pathogens from splashing up onto plants.
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Earth Enrichers
Practicing crop rotation helps manage nutrient depletion, lessens insect infestations, and reduces pathogen buildup. But there are a few other things you can do.
Eco-Boost
Available in liquid or powder form, Rhizobi bacteria should be applied at planting. It is particularly effective on legume seeds, as it helps them fix atmospheric nitrogen for higher protein output. It also improves soil health by adding ammonia, which increases overall fertility.
Friendly Fungus
Premium soil conditioners with mycorrhizal fungi do double duty as a powerful root booster, as it helps improve structure while enhancing water absorption and nutrient uptake. Available in liquid or powder form, it’s also a powerful seed/cutting inoculant and can help lessen transplant shock.
Bug Buddies
While ladybugs, lacewings, praying mantises, parasitic wasps, hoverflies, ground beetles, and dragonflies can be purchased, it’s best to attract them naturally. Plant native flowers, stop using chemical pesticides, and add mulch or leaf litter to attract and nourish ground beetles.
