Soil Properties

1
Soil Properties

• Objective 5.01- Explain the role of nutrients and
  fertilizers.

2
Objective 5.01

• Discuss Horticulture soils

3
Soils and growing media

• Soils and growing media are made up of two types
  of materials
• Organic matter
• Inorganic compounds

4
Organic Matter

• Dead plant or animal tissue
• contains carbon
• usually has diseases or insects

5
Types of organic matter

• Compost
• bark-particles too large to use in seed
  germination media
• mulch-used to cover soil to help hold moisture
  and prevent weeds
• straw
• peat moss

6
Composting
7
Types of Organic Matter

• Sphagnum
• Sawdust-high carbon to nitrogen ratio makes
  nitrogen unavailable for plant use
• Wood shavings- high carbon to nitrogen ratio
  makes nitrogen unavailable for plant use

8
Inorganic compounds

• Do not contain carbon
• usually sterile

9
Types of inorganic compounds

• Soilless media-artificial soil
• Vermiculite-mica mineral matter used to start
  seeds and cuttings, helps hold moisture, has
  neutral pH
• Perlite-natural volcanic material that helps
  aeration and water-holding capacity

10
Vermiculite
11
Perlite
12
Advantages of horticultural soils

• Sterile.
• pH is neutral.
• Disease and weed free.
• It is good for starting disease sensitive seeds
• Tomato
• It is easy to control the nutrient content
• Improves crop uniformity.
• It is easy to create a horticulture soil for
  particular plant needs.

13
Disadvantages

1. Expensive
2. It is light weight

14
Carbon Nitrogen

• Materials with a high carbon to nitrogen ratio
• Sawdust
• Wood shavings
• Makes nitrogen unavailable for plant use

15
Soil Profiles and Sampling