| How to Prepare Your Soil for Beautiful Gardens |
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How to Prepare Your Soil for Beautiful Gardens
Good soil preparation will ensure healthy growth for your plants. If you want to start planting in spring, it is wise to prepare your soil in autumn. There are a number of points you should follow to ensure your soil is in good condition by the time it comes to plant your garden.
1. Mark out the area you want to use for planting. Clear this area of grass and weeds. You may need to use a herbicide to get rid of all vegetation. Check with your local nursery what is recommended in your area. Once all the weeds are gone, you can now begin to prepare the soil.
2. Finding out the pH balance and fertility of your soil is the next step. You can do this by sending off some soil to be analyzed or can you purchase testing kits from the nursery. Soil pH should be between 6.0 and 7.0 for successful gardening. A reading below 6.0 means the soil is too acidic; above 7.0 there is too much alkaline. A soil report will tell you how much nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur and potassium is in the ground. These are important nutrients plants need for good growth. A soil analysis will make recommendations on what your soil needs if it is lacking any of these nutrients.
3. It’s now time to turn the soil. You can do this by hand or hire a rotary tiller. When the soil has been toiled, remove all loose rocks and roots with your rake.
4. Correct any problems with your soil by making amendments. To reduce alkalinity, add organic material or sulfur. To reduce the acidity add wood ashes or lime. To improve your soil’s fertility you may need to add some fertilizer such as cow manure, greensand or gypsum. Again seek advice from your nursery to correct any problems with your soil.
5. Organic matter will help drainage in your garden. Apply peat, manure, grass clippings or compost and cover your soil with about three to four inches of this material and till it in to the soil, about six to eight inches deep. To allow the amendments to your soil to work into the garden and provide it with its correct nutrients, leave enough time before you begin to plant. If you have prepared the soil in autumn, you can now cover the plot with mulch and leave it until spring before you plant.
6. Do you have any earthworms in your soil? If not, you may consider adding some to your garden. The presence of worms is important. They add fertilizer to your soil with their waste and aerate the earth.
7. Once you are ready to plant, you need to ensure the soil isn’t too wet. Do this by grabbing a clod of dirt and squeeze it. If it goes into a ball, the soil is too damp and you may have drainage problems. If it is dry and dusty, there is not enough moisture in the soil. If it crumbles in your hand then you are ready to go.
If you take the time to prepare your soil correctly, you will reap the benefits with a healthy, fertile garden.
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