Winter: The Dirt on Soil

Winter is a good time to prepare your garden soil so it will be ready for planting when spring arrives. There are four basic soil types but many variations in between. Some soils are deficient in one nutrient, while others lack several different things. Certain soils could be much too highly alkaline or too acidic. Fertilising these soils is useless because the nutrients are simply locked away, impossible for the plants to access.

What is needed is the addition of dolomite; lime or iron chelates to condition the soil and bring it back into production. Any garden is only as good as its soil. If your garden is not thriving, the problem could be with the soil rather than with the plants. It may be time to consult a professional gardener to give you the low-down on your garden soil.

When building sites are levelled the good topsoil is usually dozed away and often not replaced, leaving homeowners to grapple with the problem of growing plants in subsoil. If it is replaced, often the soil is brought in from outside the district. It may not be suitable to grow surrounding plants, leaving gardeners to scratch their heads in puzzlement as to why their plants look so sick while those in neighbouring gardens thrive.

If there has been extensive new concreting done, it will affect the soil surrounding it, so that only certain plants will grow there. Again, dead tree or shrub stumps left in the garden can create disease in the soil that can affect plants for years.

Adding organic matter to your garden can help the soil become a nutrient rich medium that sustains plant life easily. However, unless you know what it is deficient in, you may only exacerbate the problem by adding the wrong kind of mulch. Good plants cost a great deal so before you plant why not contact a professional to test your soil and tell you what it needs for optimum plant growth?

You may be surprised at what your problem is. Remember, unless you have good soil you’ll be wasting your time and effort trying to grow a garden. Certainly you can have the soil tested yourself, but then you will have to find out what to do to correct the deficiency. And the correction may be somewhat difficult to do correctly when you don’t have the specialised knowledge that a professional can supply.

Once you have consulted with a professional gardener, he will advise you on the best course of action and help you implement it, if necessary. You garden will then become one of the best on the block and your neighbours will be wondering why their plants are not doing as well as yours.