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Understanding Soil - Part 4: Soil Improvement Techniques for Clay and Sandy Soils
This time I am going give you some tips about soil improvement techniques for clay and sandy soils. Soil that is mostly clay will need some sand and other ingredients to make it better, the same with sandy soil, will need some clay and other things.
These are just some of the basics for its improvement according to its type:
Clay soils:
1) We need to reduce compaction: Clay when become compacted is difficult to dig and makes root growth difficult.
2) Planting legumes: They provide nitrogen and also to help prevent erosion.
3) Add sand: To improve structure
4) Use crop rotation: The plants need different types of nutrients. Crop rotation helps to balance nutrients in the soil.
5) Plant trees: Their roots help brake up the soil, also they provide mulch.
Sandy soils:
1) Add ½ shovel of clay to a bucket of water; spray the mixture to the soil: It adds valuable clay particles to the soil.
2) Add green manure crops: It adds humus to the soil and improves texture. Green manures like alfalfa, mustard, clover, fenugreek, oat and rye can be planted.
As you can see not all soil is the same, some contains more clay or more sand so it depends how we are going to treat it according to is composition.
In part 5, I will be explaining what soil is and how to test it so it can be improved according to its PH.
This time I am going give you some tips about soil improvement techniques for clay and sandy soils. Soil that is mostly clay will need some sand and other ingredients to make it better, the same with sandy soil, will need some clay and other things.
These are just some of the basics for its improvement according to its type:
Clay soils:
1) We need to reduce compaction: Clay when become compacted is difficult to dig and makes root growth difficult.
2) Planting legumes: They provide nitrogen and also to help prevent erosion.
3) Add sand: To improve structure
4) Use crop rotation: The plants need different types of nutrients. Crop rotation helps to balance nutrients in the soil.
5) Plant trees: Their roots help brake up the soil, also they provide mulch.
Sandy soils:
1) Add ½ shovel of clay to a bucket of water; spray the mixture to the soil: It adds valuable clay particles to the soil.
2) Add green manure crops: It adds humus to the soil and improves texture. Green manures like alfalfa, mustard, clover, fenugreek, oat and rye can be planted.
As you can see not all soil is the same, some contains more clay or more sand so it depends how we are going to treat it according to is composition.
In part 5, I will be explaining what soil is and how to test it so it can be improved according to its PH.
