Soil & Nutrients

 

• What is soil made up of?

Soil is made up of inorganic material derived from parent rock; organic matter from decaying plants and animals; bacteria and fungi; water; and gases, such as carbon dioxide and oxygen. Soil provides anchorage to plants and serves as a reservoir of nutrients and water. It also moderates the effect of temperature upon the roots.

 

• What is organic matter and how does it contribute to the health of the soil?

When organic matter that is in the soil breaks down it can act as a type of glue and improve soil texture by bonding clay particles together. Bacteria, fungi, and other living organisms form a very important part of the organic matter in soil. The bacteria and fungi break down non-living organic matter into humic acids and release nutrients for use by plants. Some bacteria fix nitrogen for plant use while earthworms and other large soil organisms increase porosity by burrowing through the soil.

 

• What does the term “organic” mean, in terms of fertilizers?

To be an organic product, the ingredients must come from natural sources; i.e. composts, manures, guanos, animal bloods, poultry by-products or seaweed extracts. Products containing some natural ingredients and some synthetic ingredients, such as mined minerals, are described as naturally based.

 

• How do I calculate the amount of fertilizer I need based on the actual Nitrogen?

Some fertilizer recommendations pertain to nitrogen only, such as “1 pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet” instead of so many pounds of fertilizer. To determine the amount to use, divide 100 by the first number in a fertilizer analysis – this is the percent of nitrogen in that particular fertilizer. For example, if you were using a 5-10-5 fertilizer and wanted to apply 1 pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet, you would divide 100 by 5 (the percent of nitrogen) = 20. This means that you would need to apply 20 pounds of 5-10-5 to an area of 1,000 square feet to achieve the rate of 1 pound of actual nitrogen per 1, 000 square feet (20 pounds of fertilizer x 5 percent [.05] nitrogen = 1 pound of nitrogen). If you want to apply this same 5-10-5 fertilizer at the rate of 1 1/4 pounds of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet, you would multiply the number of pounds needed at the 1 pound rate by 1.25. If you wanted the rate to be 1 1/2 or 2 pounds of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet, you would multiply the number of pounds needed for the 1 pound rate by 1.5 or 2, respectively.