Soil for Virginia Master Gardeners

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Soil for Virginia Master Gardeners

• What you should know
• What you can do
• What you should be able to teach

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Francis J. Reilly, Jr.

• http//advancedmastergardener.org/
• Webmaster_at_VMGA.net

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Shameless Commercial

• Have you joined VMGA?
• The Voice of VA Master Gardeners
• Promote fellowship, training communication
• State Coordinators Endowment.

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Outline

• Why Soils
• What are Soils
• Soil testing and fertility
• Practice
• Compost

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Why are Soils Important?

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Why are Soils Important?

• Support Plant growth
• Mediate Climate
• Store water

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Why do we need to know about soils?

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Why do we need to know about soils?

• Its what plants grow in
• Troubleshoot plant problems by looking at soil
• Disease Abiotic Factors
• Will water be easily given up to the plant
• Are there any Soil Organisms at Work
• Does water soak in
• Run off?
• Stand on the surface?

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What is Soil?

• Ideally
• 25 Air
• 25 Water
• 45-48 Minerals
• 2-5 Organic matter
• Soil organisms

Mineral Organic Materials that contain living
matter and can support vegetation
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Where Does Soil Come from?

• Parent Material
• Climate
• Time
• Relief, Topography
• Organisms
• Human Activity
• Beavers
• Grazers like cows and deer
• Worms
• Bacteria/fungi

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Physiographic Regions
                                                                                                                                       
        Appalachian Plateaus         Valley and Ridge
        Blue Ridge         Piedmont Plateau
                Coastal Plain                 Coastal Plain
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Physiographic regions and soil types

• Physiographic Regions describe land surface
  features
• Closely related to geology
• Slope, and soils are related

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Soils Classified

• Soil Survey
• Printed version (1960)
• Ask Debbie where that copy is!
• On-line version
• New version soon (finished 2009)

http//soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov/Metadata.aspx?Su
rveyVA107UseStateVA
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What can the soil survey tell you?
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What can the soil survey tell you?

• Drainage
• Slope
• Topography
• Water features
• Wetlands
• Crop worthiness
• Buildability

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How Do You Use It?

• Use it to plan
• Dont use it to DO!
• Look up spot on map
• See what it says
• Read about the soil type
• SOIL TYPE?

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Soil Type

• Soils Classified by
• Depth of layer
• Color
• Texture
• Structure

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State Soil of Virginia!
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Soil Taxonomy

• Soil Orders

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Depth
Horizon Depth Information
O 0-2 Humus
A 1-10 Minerals darkened by organics, zone of max biology
E ? Empty Paler depleted by water leaching out of A into B
B 10-30 Zone of accumulation
C 30-48 Not really like soil
R Below Parent material
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Color

• Color of parent material
• Other Colors due to pedagenesis

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Soil Texture
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Soil Texture

• Sand are the largest particles and they feel
  "gritty."
• Silt are medium sized, and they feel soft, silky
  or "floury."
• Clay are the smallest sized particles, and they
  feel "sticky" and they are hard to squeeze.

Sand 2.00 - 0.05 mm Silt 0.05 - 0.002 mm Clay lt 0.002 mm
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How to Texture

• 1st a pinch
• Then a ribbon

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Soil Structure
Granular Blocky
Prismatic Platy
Columnar Single Grained
Massive
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Soil Structure
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So what about structure?

• Drainage
• Plant penetration
• Oxygen penetration

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Pore Spaces

• The smaller the particles
• The smaller the pore spaces
• Water moves slowly
• Less air present

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How do we improve soils?

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How do we improve soils?

• Drainage
• Moisture
• Fertility
• Soil Health
• Problems

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Pore Spaces can decrease due to compaction
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Soil horizons and water infiltration

• Horizons have different properties
• Some may retard water flow
• Watch out for the builders horizon

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Check for Yourself

• Dig a hole 12 inches deep and fill it with water
• 30 minutes, the soil has a drainage problem
• 24 hours, waterlogged soils may impact plant
  growth

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Soils have moisture characteristics

• Important for runoff
• Important for plants

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Fertility

• Soil Tests
• Kits
• Cheap meters
• Agricultural testing

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Lets look at our soil tests!
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So now what?

• Calculate the area
• Read the bag
• Do the math

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Lets do another!
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So now what?

• Calculate the area
• Read the bag
• Do the math

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Calculate the area

• Remember to subtract
• The driveway
• The house
• The sidewalk
• The other gardens
• Remember to add
• The devil strip

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Read the bag

• NPK
• Turf type
• Complete
• Calculate the percentages
• WIN
• Organics
• Cottonseed meal, Blood Meal
• Sludge
• Farm applications of sludge or poultry litter

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Specialty Fertilizers
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Do the math

• Area
• Total pounds N P K needed
• Pounds of fertilizer to use

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Lets do our own!

• Help your neighbor
• Check your math

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Apply the fertilizer

• Methods
• Broadcast
• Banding
• Side-Dressing
• Foliar Feeding
• Spreader Calibrate it!!

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pH Lime

• Lime
• Calcitic
• dolomitic
• Sulfur
• Wood ash
• Pay attention to whats growing there!

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Micronutrients

• Unusual deficiency
• Blossom end rot
• Green sand
• Other snake oils
• Use compost

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Composting Recycling
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Recycle Yard Waste
Composting Considerations

• Microorganisms
• Moisture
• Particle size
• Temperature
• Oxygen
• Carbon / Nitrogen Ratio

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Microorganisms
Recycle Yard Waste
Bacteria
Fungi
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Moisture
Recycle Yard Waste
50 is ideal
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Particle Size
Recycle Yard Waste
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Particle Size
Recycle Yard Waste
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Temperature Profile
Recycle Yard Waste
900 to 1400 F
Cool
Hot
Warm
Cold
Cold
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Compost Pile Dimensions
Recycle Yard Waste

• How Big?
• Maximum Size
• 5 X 5 X 5

• How Small?
• Minimum Size
• 3 X 3 X 3

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Oxygen
Recycle Yard Waste
To speed process, turn more frequently
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Carbon Nitrogen Ratio
Recycle Yard Waste
Browns vs. Greens
301 is ideal ratio
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High Carbon Sources
Recycle Yard Waste

• Leaves
• Paper

• Straw
• Sawdust

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Materials With High Carbon Value
Recycle Yard Waste
Fruit Wastes 351 Leaves 40-801 Corn
Stalks 601 Straw 801 Bark 100-1301 Paper 1701
Sawdust 5001 Wood 7001
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Compost or Mulch?
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High Nitrogen Sources
Recycle Yard Waste

• Grass Clippings
• Kitchen Scraps
• Manures

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Materials With High Nitrogen Value
Recycle Yard Waste
Food Wastes 151 Grass Clippings 201 Cow
Manure 201 Horse Manure 251
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CN Ratio How to Measure?
Recycle Yard Waste
Start with equal parts by volume
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Do Not Compost
Recycle Yard Waste

• Diseased Plants
• Plants with Seeds
• Meat
• Invasive Weeds
• Oily Food Scraps
• Dog/ Cat Manure

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Constructing A Compost Pile

1. Place coarse materials in bottom of pile
2. Add 4 to 6 layer of leaves
3. Add high nitrogen source ( grass clippings or
   manure)
4. Water the pile after each layer
5. Continue steps 2, 3 4 until bin is full

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A new compost pile will be built in the center
unit of a three-pallet bin system.
Recycle Yard Waste
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The first step is to add a bed of twigs and small
branches to promote air circulation.
Recycle Yard Waste
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A layer of browns is added. Watering between
layers ensures that moisture is evenly
distributed.
Recycle Yard Waste
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Next, a layer of fresh greens is added.
Recycle Yard Waste
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Add and water another layer of browns.
Recycle Yard Waste
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Fresh greens come from flower pruning.
Recycle Yard Waste
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The browns spent the fall and winter in the
adjacent bin.
Recycle Yard Waste
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The next layer of greens is also from prunings.
Recycle Yard Waste
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A fourth layer of browns is added. The layering
process will resume when more greens are
available.
Recycle Yard Waste
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Finished compost can be improved by sifting
through a screen to remove oversized pieces.
Recycle Yard Waste
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An inclined screen uses gravity for some of the
sifting effort.
Recycle Yard Waste
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The screen is loaded with compost.
Recycle Yard Waste
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Use a square shovel to scrape the compost against
screen.
Recycle Yard Waste
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The screen is removed to reveal the sifted
compost. The rejects will be added to a fresh
pile.
Recycle Yard Waste
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Choice in Composting Bins
Recycle Yard Waste

• Home made
• Snow Fencing, Pallets,Wire, Wood Slats, Concrete
  Blocks, Etc.
• Store Bought
• Metal and Plastic Bins and Drums

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Wire Bin
Recycle Yard Waste
Eleven-foot length of 2 x 4 x 36 welded,
medium-gauge fence wire.
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Wooden Pallet Bin
Recycle Yard Waste
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Wooden Pallet Three Bin
Recycle Yard Waste
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Fasten Pallets With Old Coat Hangers
Recycle Yard Waste
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Wooden Pallets Snow Fencing
Recycle Yard Waste
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Purchased Bins
Recycle Yard Waste
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Compost Trouble Shooting
Symptom Problem Solution
Compost has a bad odor Too much nitrogen or not enough air Add high carbon material and turn pile
Center of pile is dry Not enough water Moisten and turn pile
Pile is damp and warm only in middle Pile is too small Collect more material and mix into a new pile
Pile is damp but will still not heat up Lack of nitrogen Mix in nitrogen source like grass clippings
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Uses of Compost
Recycle Yard Waste

• Soil Amendment
• Potting Mix
• Lawn Establishment/renovation
• Mulch

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Benefits of Using Compost
Recycle Yard Waste

• Improves water-holding capacity of soil
• Improves soil structure
• Prevents soil crusting aiding seedling emergence
• Provides a food source for soil organisms
• Increases the fertilizer-holding ability of soil

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COMPOST HAPPENS!

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Minimize Waste to
Minimize Work

• Questions?
• www.AdvancedMasterGardener.org