Garden Guide
The Dirt on Soil We aren’t always blessed with naturally ideal soil for the healthy garden of our dreams. However, there are steps we can take to remedy this, armed with just a few simple techniques and a little understanding of what plants need to thrive. Soil provides a life-sustaining medium for plants by supplying them with three basic necessities - similar to human beings, water, food, and air. Water is required by all plants in varying quantities, depending on species, as are certain chemical substances dissolved in water that the plant can absorb as food. In addition, the plant needs an adequate supply of air to the roots. Soil is composed of the earth’s minerals and other organic matter such as decaying leaves, roots, animal faeces and decomposing insects and animals. The type of soil you have in your garden is defined by the size of its particles and this in turn defines its characteristics, strengths and weaknesses. The smaller the particles, the more tightly packed they will be andthe more of the particles will occupy any given volume. Clay soil, for example, is made up of very small particles. In contrast, a sandy soil is composed of far larger particles. The upshot of this is that the surface area of clay soil is more dense, giving it the ability to retain water more easily. The downside being that the compacted particles make it difficult for air to pass through. Likewise, sandy soil is well aerated at the expense of poor water retention. It makes good sense that a mixture of both clay and sandy soil makes an ideal soil combination, but not without the presence or addition of organic matter. This decaying material, known collectively as humus, is broken down by microscopic organisms in the soil. These bacteria, of which there are countless millions in every shovel, feasts on the humus and reduces it to basic, soluble elements which the plant can then feed on. So in a macabre sense, the plant effectively eats the remnants of its dead siblings and parts of itself in an unseen and perpetuating cycle of botanical cannibalism. Besides its function as a source of food energy, the humus performs another important function. The physical texture and appearance of the soil is dictated by the quality of its humus content. Soil possessing this attribute is visibly rich with nutrient and has a pleasing consistency most suitable for strong rooting and plant growth.
104