All You Need To Know About Soil Health, Type and Texture

Healthy soil is a basis for having a healthy environment and plants. There is less need for fertilisers and pesticides if your garden soil is in good shape. Organic soil is rich in humus, which is typically the result of decaying materials like grass, leaves and compost. How do you know if your garden soil is healthy? You need to consider these.

Soil Health

With all the elements, potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen are the most important for plant growth. They are the primary or macronutrients most plants take from the soil. Fertilisers are labelled complete when these three nutrients are present. While magnesium, calcium and sulphur are known as secondary nutrients, they are also important to most plants. On the other hand, micronutrients consist of zinc, iron manganese, copper, and boron. Some micronutrients have specific functions such as cobalt that helps legumes fix nitrogen but isn’t used by most plants.

Soil Texture and Type

The soil texture depends on the amount of sand, clay, and silt it holds. The biggest part of the soil is sand that is gritty when touched. Silt is next in size, which is powdery when dry and slippery when wet. And the smallest part is clay. They stick together and appear flat like sheets of paper or plates. You can determine the soil texture on your own without the help of an expert. If the soil feels gritty, it is considered sand. If the soil feels smooth like powdered sugar, then it is silty. And if the soil feels slippery when wet and harsh when dry, it is heavy clay.

Sandy soils tend to be lack nutrients as the water is rapidly draining between the large spaces and particles of sand. This type of soil is typically low in beneficial microbes and organic matter. Silty soils are more fertile compared to sand or clay type soils. They are dense and don’t drain well. Heavy clay soils tend to be hard when dry, don’t drain well and are quite dense. There is less microbial life or organic matter in clay as there isn’t much space between the particles of clay.

The soil is vital not only to your garden but also for your plants. It is essential to know the type of soil when landscaping Gold Coast. A healthy soil also means a healthy garden. Be sure to have the right soil for your plants for a healthy garden and environment.