4 Typical soil problems (and how easy to fix them)

Creating a healthy soil nutrition increases the absorption of nutrients and solves many typical soil problems.

The key to solving typical soil problems with balanced nutrients can be easier and more complicated than you might think.

It is not just about spraying the right fertilizer and observing how it is wonderfully pulled into your plants in the exact amounts needed. This is due to the fact that plants operate in harmony with specific types of soil structures, microbial populations and pH balances. So the best thing you can do for your plants is to learn about creating healthy soil by imitating natural processes in natural soil ecosystems and start thinking about your soil as about this: ecosystem.

Treatment of nutrient deficiencies

There are three main ways to treat deficiencies of nutrients in the soil: increasing the biological availability/absorption of existing nutrients, adding indecisible sources of nutrients and creating an effective cycle of nutrients.

The absorption of nutrients can be increased by creating a healthy food network. You can achieve this by using compost, compost tea techniques, a chop and drops, effective microorganisms, green manure and cover crops, and a large amount of litter. Thanks to healthy food, soil microorganisms will be predicting nutrients for plants, while helping in binding them in soil in their bodies and in rich, well -structured soils that help create.

Efficient nutrient cycles arise through a variety of plants with different root depths and patterns. This is especially true for perennials (including trees). The process ensures the collection of nutrients from deeper in the soil, while creating less root competition. It is necessary to protect soil against erosion and leaching nutrients by litter (4-6 inches) and/or ground cover.

Seamazing: cheap way to re -mineralize soil

It is also important to test the soil, both nutrients and pH, preferably in the soil testing laboratory. You will most likely have to send by post in samples according to the collection instructions. It will give you a picture of how to proceed.

Treatment of the surplus nutrients

For example, it can be easy to overdo with concentrated chemical fertilizers, such as ammonium sulfate or sulfur -covered urea. These fertilizers are harmful to soil ecosystems. Many fertilizers are directly toxic to soil organisms, especially in large quantities. They react with other elements in the soil, creating toxic substances such as sulfuric acid, hydrogen sulfide and chlorine. Hydrogen ions released from some processes interfere with the ability to maintain soil nutrients. In addition, chemical fertilizers can increase mineral salts in soil, stealing water from plants.

When building soil, it is always best to choose a slow and stable road. You can use natural compounds that can crash in a healthy food network and make it available to plants as they need. It will work much better than an attempt to forget your plants, which disturbs their ability to get what they need and creates more work for you.

The best way to treat surplus is to stop fertilization with fertilizers high in a given nutrient. In addition, you need to balance the soil again if the surplus nutrients could cause deficiencies in other nutrients.

Below are four common nutrients in the soil, along with plants reacting, if supply (deficiency) or excessive supply.

Universal soil problems (No. 1): nitrogen deficiency/hypertension

Deficiency: The leaves become light green or yellow before death, starting with older leaves, and the overall growth of the plant slows down.

Fertilizers: seaweed, compost, compost teas, bone meal and fertilizers containing natural sources of nitrate, ammonium or urea. Plants “mounting” of nitrogen can help because they have a symbiotic relationship with some bacteria that pull or repair nitrogen from the atmosphere. Apply things such as peas, beans, honey locust and olwenia tree with other plants.

Surplus: excess leaves, lack of flowering and fruiting and inhibited root growth. Brown leaves and accumulation of mineral salts in the soil.

Common soil problems (#2): potassium deficiency/excessive collective

Deficiency: leaf tips and leaves change yellow between the veins before browning and death. The root growth slows down and plants have poor quality of seeds and fruit and quantity. The leaves can also develop brown or purple spots on the bottom.

Fertilizers: compost and compost teas, langbeinite, potassium sulfate, Sylwinit, seaweed, greenery, rock minerals and wooden ash.

Surplus: calcium deficiency, low oxygen levels in soil, production of toxic compounds, loss of soil structure leading to compaction and poor water infiltration.

Universal soil problems (#3): phosphorus deficiency/hypertension

Efficient nutrient cycles arise through a variety of plants with different root depths and patterns.

Deficiency: bad increase in leaves, shoots and roots; deep green, purple or red color; delay in maturity, including fruit and seeds; Poor consolidation of nitrogen in nitrogen soothing plants.

Fertilizers: compost and compost tea, litter, such as wooden chips or straw, chicken manure, bone flour, rock phosphates (without phosphoric acid) and fish bone flour.

Surplus: yellowing of leaves (especially outside the veins), brown spots, death of leaves, inhibiting favorable growth of fungi, reduced iron and manganese intake.

Common problems with the soil (#4): sulfur deficiency/hypertension

Deficiency: common in faded soils and areas with heavy rainfall. Yellow leaves (especially younger leaves), dying leaf tips, inhibited growth, high seedlings, several flowers. Similar to nitrogen deficiency, but with redness of the veins in young leaves.

Fertilizers: compost and compost tea, langbeinite (if you need all the nutrients contained), potassium sulfate (also includes potassium), gypsum and Epsom salt.

Surplus: rare, but causes acidity and selenium deficiencies.

Summary: The most effective, low and inexpensive way of preventing and treating nutrient deficiencies and hypersensions is to start the conceptualization of gardens or landscape as an ecosystem and start treating it as such.

Like the forest, it has a fixed layer of litter, just like your plants. Like an oak savanna, he has healthy and various soil ecosystems supported by many species of plant roots at different depths, just like your landscape. Indeed, we can imitate natural ecosystems, while achieving our own aesthetics, using plants that we prefer, while giving them what they need (largely) to take care of themselves.

What advice would you add to caring for common soil problems and nutrient deficiencies in the garden? Share your instructions in the comments section below: