Soil Elements and Amendments
by Julie Sedwick
No matter what you decide to grow, whether it be flowers, vegatables, herbs, you will need to consider the soil.
A rich and healthy soil has these primary elements.
Nitrogen is an important element of your soil it is essential for photosynthesis, plant and leaf growth. Signs of deficency would be slow, stunted growth, or yellowing leaves. Good organic nitrogen sources would be well rotted manures, compost, fish emulsions, blood or bane meals.
Phosphorus is needed to promote root and fruit growth and helps in resisting desease. Signs of deficency are, slow stunted growth, delayed ripening and poor fruit. Natural sources of Phosphorus are soft or hard rock phosphates, compost, well rotted manures and bone meal.
Potassium is needed for root growth encourages resistance to cold, drought, and disease, even ripening and good yeilds. Natural sources would be greensand, compost, wood ashes, kelp meal.
These are the primary elements for good soil, testing for these elements is crucial. Soil test kits are a inexpensive tool that is an important step to growing a beautiful garden. You can pick one up at any garden center and test your soil to see just what your soil may be missing, to create your garden and grow the healthiest plants.
These are by no means the only elements that soil contain but the most important other Secondary Elements are:
Calcium is needed for all formation. Signs of deficiency are deformed foilage and buds, and weak stems.
Magnesium is essential for photosynthesis and deficiency would be noticed by pale or yellowing between veins.
Sulfur is essential for protien synthesis and would be deficiency can be identified by pale young leaves or spindly growth.