Building Healthy Soil

Step by Step



  1. When first making the bed:  Add a layer of 1" Cow Manure and 1" Compost or Humus.  If Cow Manure is not available, use 2" of Compost or Humus, plus Poultry Litter soil amendment at the rate specified on the bag.  No need to dig amendments into the soil - just put on top.  (When planting, there is no need to add further amendments.)  Water well, then follow with 4" of mulch and water again.  Otherwise, the mulch may rob the soil of the water sprinkled on top.  Watering also helps fertilizer to get into the soil.  Over time, the mulch will decompose and add to the soil structure.
  2. Never step into the beds!   Plan your beds with stepping stones so people know where to walk, and so there is no stepping into the soil of the beds for maintenance.  You should be able to reach any plant and do what you need to (weed, prune) without stepping off a stepping stone into the bed.  (Stepping stones spread the weight over a larger area.  Place them after mulching, to spread weight even better, and so they don't get buried.)  This will keep the soil from becoming compacted, allowing nutrients, air, and water to move freely as needed.  This is very important!
  3. Every 2 months:  Add Poultry Litter soil amendment at the rate specified on the bag. No need to dig it in or try applying it under the mulch - on top is fine.  Water it in.  Then use Seaweed as a foliar feed. (This comes in powdered or liquid form and can be applied with a hose-end applicator like the one that comes with MiracleGro.  Best not to sprinkle overhead right after the foliar feeding or the plants will not get the full benefit of it.)  The Seaweed has trace minerals and (along with leaving the prunings under each plant) should keep the plants from developing deficiencies (see below).  If you still end up needing iron or manganese, etc., then use it.  Epsom salts are beneficial for some plants.
  4. When pruning:  Leave trimmings to decompose under the plants they came from.  No need to dig them in - just leave them on top of the mulch.  This will enable the plants to recoup the nutrients and minerals they used to grow what got trimmed off.  After a couple of days they will brown and blend into the mulch and any dead leaves already there.
  5. Every 6 months:  Add a layer of 1/2" Cow Manure and 1/2" Compost or Humus.  If Cow Manure is not available, use 1" Compost or Humus, plus Poultry Litter soil amendment at the rate specified on the bag.  No need to dig amendments into the soil - just put on top of old mulch.  Water well, then follow with 2" of mulch and water again.  Make sure your stepping stones are not buried.

 

Within a year, you will start to see nice, fluffy soil with lots of organic matter in it that will grow healthy plants with no need for additional fertilizers or insecticides.  If you have a problem with caterpillars in an area not being used to attract butterflies, try spraying with BT, which attacks only caterpillars.  Soap sprays can be used to control fungus and many other leaf spot troubles.  [Chemical fertilizers are more likely to cause plants to have pest problems.  They also kill beneficial soil organisms and drive away earthworms.  This destroys the soil food web, which is necessary for healthy plants.  Healthy plants have much less trouble with pests.]


 
 

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