Gardening is one of the most relaxing hobbies. You get to spend time outdoors in the sun, surrounded by beautiful greenery and flowers.
However, in order for all your plants to grow healthily, you need to use a stable growing medium. For example, the soil should have a specific composition.
If you’re interested in finding out more, then you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about gardening soil.
We’ll also take a look at how to choose the best type for your backyard.
What Is Gardening Soil
Garden soil is a mixture of a wide variety of materials. Some of the most common components include:
- Mineral particles
- Organic matter
- Microorganisms
- Water
- Air
Generally, the role of soil in gardening is to provide nutrients and a stable base for florae. So, the exact composition of the growing medium will depend on how you plan on using it.
That’s because each plant will have different nutritional needs.
Let’s take a look at what goes into making a good base for your plants.
Soil Mix
Many of us are familiar with generic soil mixes. These contain a combination of all elements that most plants need.
For that reason, the main components are usually natural topsoil and organic material.
Topsoil is the uppermost layer of the earth. It’s soft and has an incredible ability to retain water. Although, on its own, this part doesn’t contain any nutrients.
That’s why we add organic material. This can be anything from tree bark and plant compost to manure and other fertilizers.
Not only will this help with nutrition, but it’ll also improve the texture of the soil. It loosens the dense mixture and allows air, and roots, to penetrate through.
Together, topsoil and organic matter make up a base that can grow almost any plant. You may need to add more minerals, but it’s a great starting point.
Potting Mix
Potting soil is a special mixture that we formulate to work well in small containers. It’s a blend of bark, perlite, compost, moss, and vermiculite.
Each one of the components works to support a healthy, growing environment.
For example, perlite and vermiculite are responsible for the texture of the medium. They ensure the mixture is loose and well-drained to allow water to pass through.
This will reduce the chances of root rot developing in the pot.
Moving on, the compost composition will depend on what you’re growing. Potting mixes will contain nutrients that can only support the growth of one type of plant.
Some mixes are better suited for growing seeds, while others support exotic flowers. That means you’ll need a different variety for each pot.
Fertilizer
Fertilizers are chemicals that help boost the fertility of the soil. Doing so will ensure plants grow healthy and quickly.
There are many types of fertilizers, but we divide them into two categories:
- Organic
- Inorganic
As you can guess by the name, the first variety consists of organic materials. This can be almost any plant or animal by-product, like florae waste or livestock manure.
These components release carbonic molecules into the soil, which can feed plants. Plus, they promote the growth of good bacteria, which helps maintain the stability of the soil.
Moving on, the inorganic variety is man-made and contains specific chemicals. Each one will react with the soil differently and release a unique nutrient into the medium.
Some of the most common inorganic fertilizers provide nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.
Dirt
Dirt has a similar composition to soil, and its main components are:
- Sand
- Silt
- Clay
- Rocks
However, there’s one key difference between the two mixtures.
Typically, dirt is much drier than soil, since it isn’t able to retain water as well. This will make it difficult for plants to thrive.
On top of that, dirt doesn’t contain any of the minerals or nutrients that soil does. That means it can’t support the growth of any living creatures, like microorganisms or plants.
When to Use Gardening Soil
Gardening will work best in a large, tilled area. For that reason, many people prefer to spread it out in flower beds.
It’s the most affordable way to add necessary nutrients to the growing medium.
Sadly, gardening soil is usually too dense to use on its own. So, to ensure you get the most out of the base, it’s a good idea to mix it with a few other ingredients.
You can try adding more compost material to improve the texture. In addition, some gardeners like to sprinkle in a little extra topsoil.
This will allow the mixture to aerate and allow roots to grow freely.
Other than that, you want to avoid placing gardening soil in small containers like pots. The tight space is a breeding ground for malicious bacteria.
Why Use Gardening Soil
There are three major reasons we use gardening soil in flower beds.
For starters, the growing medium provides nutrients. The soil will contain minerals that aren’t present in natural dirt or topsoil.
This will create a much more hospitable environment for plants to grow.
Other than that, the soil will also supply moisture. The medium should be able to retain water and pass it along to the florae.
Finally, gardening soil provides support. We all know that plants need to grow toward the sun to carry out photosynthesis.
That’s a little tricky to do when you have a bendy stem and thin leaves. So, plants will grow roots that spread out through the soil.
For that reason, the medium needs to be sturdy enough to support and anchor the florae.
How to Know if the Soil Is Healthy for Gardening?
There are a few markers you can keep an eye on to ensure your soil is healthy. Let’s take a look at some of the common soil types and what affects their health.
Soil Types
Since soil is a mixture of a few components, there are hundreds of versions of the medium. However, to make matters a little simpler, we’ve broken them into four categories:
- Sandy
- Silt
- Clay
- Loamy
Sandy soil consists of tiny particles of weathered rock, with few nutrients. This makes it one of the driest varieties on our list.
As you can imagine, this medium is excellent for drought-tolerant plants like cacti.
Silt is similar to sand, but it has finer particles. That improves the soil’s ability to absorb and retain water.
Moving on, clay has smaller particles than silt. Because of that, it’s the densest variety of soil. It has an incredible ability to store water, which may not be suitable for all plants.
Lastly, loamy soil is a mixture of sand, clay, and silt. This combines the properties of all the different types to give you one uniform medium.
On average, silt is the most fertile soil out of the four, but loamy is much more user-friendly.
PH of the Soil
The easiest way to check the health of your soil is to measure the pH. It’ll tell you how acidic, or basic, your growing medium is.
Ideally, soil pH should be around 6.0 or 7.0 to support as many plants as possible. Sadly, this is difficult to maintain.
Every time you add fertilizers to the medium, you’ll change the properties. That’s because each nutrient has its own composition and pH.
This will correlate to the fertility of the soil, which affects the growth rate of plants.
How to Improve Soil Health
Now that you know how to keep an eye on your soil’s health, we can dive into how to improve it.
There are many ways you can approach this task. Let’s take a look at the most common methods.
Microorganisms
Soil isn’t just a mixture of inanimate objects. In fact, the growing medium is its own ecosystem. There are thousands of organisms living there, like fungi, bacteria, and insects.
Each one of these is an integral member of the society and is necessary for the cycle of life.
The organisms will feed on decaying matter in the soil. This will release nutrients back into the medium and create tiny pockets of air.
Both of these components are crucial to growing healthy plants.
Adding more microorganisms will boost the level of oxygen and minerals in the soil.
Mulch
Another great way to improve the health of your soil is to add mulch. This consists of dead plant parts, like leaves and bark.
The resulting mixture has many benefits, including:
- Improving water retention
- Enhancing soil aeration
- Keeping the soil cool during the summer
- Stopping weeds from growing
All of these will help create a stable ecosystem that can support healthy plant growth.
Garden Worms
As we mentioned, soil contains many small organisms. Earthworms are one of the most beneficial species in the ecosystem.
To help you understand this, let’s take a look at how the critters live out their lives. For starters, most of these worms will spend the majority of their time underground.
That means, in order to move around, they have to dig tiny holes in the soil.
These small burrows can help introduce air into the growing medium. In addition, they make excellent pockets for water to collect during the winter.
On top of that, it’s much easier for roots to spread out when there are already existing holes in the ground.
Reduce Tilling or No Tilling
Tilling soil helps aerate it and mix it around. This will improve the distribution of organic materials through the medium.
At first glance, this sounds like a good idea, but over-tilling the soil can have negative effects.
When you dig up the growing medium, you run the risk of unearthing dormant weed seeds. Not only will this deplete the nutrient concentration, but it’ll also ruin the overall look of the garden.
Other than that, tilling will also affect the organisms living in the soil. It’ll stop good bacteria from spreading and destroy most of the worm burrows.
In general, it’s best to till the growing medium once a year, during spring.
Soil Nutrition
There are three primary nutrients that plants rely on to grow. These include:
- Nitrogen
- Potassium
- Phosphorus
Nitrogen can help promote strong leaves and stem growth. Plus, the mineral is essential to producing the signature green color of most florae.
Moving on, potassium improves a plant’s ability to defend itself. It allows the foliage to build up its immunity and resistance to the elements.
Next, we can take a look at phosphorus. This nutrient is responsible for growing healthy roots and blooming flowers. In addition, it’s crucial for developing fruits.
Soil Amendments
Amendments are materials we add to the soil to change its properties. These can come in many forms and are either organic or inorganic.
Let’s take a look at what these materials can do.
Improve Texture
Soil texture is crucial to growing healthy plants. Throughout the year, the moisture concentration of the medium will change.
So, to make it more suitable for gardening, we can add a variety of amendments. For instance, coconut coir will soften the soil and increase water retention.
Add Nutrients
The majority of amendments will add nutrients to the soil. That includes examples like:
- Fertilizers
- Compost
- Bark wood
- Sawdust
Alter the pH
To maintain a neutral pH, we can mix a couple of amendments into the soil. Some of the best varieties include:
- Lime
- Sulfur
- Wood ash
Before you add any materials to the soil, it’s a good idea to figure out the existing pH level. So, make sure to pick up an at-home test first.
Microorganisms and Soil Health
Microorganisms are crucial to soil health. They are responsible for breaking down organic materials into minerals and nutrients.
This is the primary source of nutrition for most plants.
In addition, microorganisms will get rid of pollutants and purify their environments. Bacteria and fungi will feed on gasses like carbon dioxide and nitrous oxides.
That’s an amazing way to ensure your florae are disease free.
Not only is this beneficial for plants, but it’s also helpful to humans.
Potting Mix vs Soil (Dirt)
Most people think potting and soil mixes are one and the same, yet that’s not the case. In fact, many potting mixes don’t contain any soil at all.
This is because small containers aren’t great at draining water. So, when soil sits in a closed space with plenty of moisture, it’ll promote the growth of bacteria.
These can spread from your soil to the plants, which may cause them to fade away.
On the other hand, the potting mix is sterile. Even when we waterlog the mixture, microorganisms will have a hard time growing.
What Is the Best Gardening Soil Mix
Figuring out the best gardening soil mix will depend on how you plan to use it. It’s best to decide what you plan on growing first, then match the medium to the plant’s needs.
Although, there are a few general guidelines for good-quality soil. These include:
- Pure: Soil should be free of all contaminants, harmful chemicals, and pests
- Porus: Must allow air and water to pass through
- Well-drained: Doesn’t hold on to too much moisture
- Biologically active: Contains a healthy ecosystem of microorganisms
- Fertile: Includes all necessary nutrients for growth
Miracle-Gro and Persist are two examples of excellent gardening soil brands.
Plant Species Affect Soil Type
As we all know, different plant species will have unique needs for healthy growth. For example, ferns will thrive in a damp environment.
That means they need soil that can hold a lot of water. For that reason, the medium should have a high concentration of clay.
On the other hand, plants like pothos prefer a dry environment. So, to ensure optimal growth, they need well-drained soil, like silt or even sand.
Picking Soil Depends on the Usage
Since each plant has specific needs, you’ll need different soil mixes for every occasion. Let’s take a look at some of the most common usages.
Lawn
Typically, lawns will have grass, and other durable plants growing on the surface. Luckily, these plants aren’t that finicky about their growing medium.
All they need is well-drained soil with plenty of nutrients.
For the best results, it’s best to use uniform loamy soil. To make that, you’ll need to mix equal parts of sand, silt, and clay. This ensures that the environment doesn’t get too dry or wet.
Other than that, it’s best to keep the medium at a constant pH of around 5.5 to 7.5. That will make it possible for most plants to grow on the surface.
Raised Garden Bed
Garden beds have slightly more complicated requirements than the lawn. This is because the plants that grow there have a smaller surface area to share.
So, the space must include enough nutrients and resources to go around.
To make the perfect garden bed mix, start with equal parts sand, silt, and clay. This will give you a sturdy medium, with some water retention.
After that, you’ll need to add amendments like peat moss and compost. These will regulate the pH and increase the mineral concentration.
Some people even like adding a little potting soil. That will stop harmful bacteria and fungi from growing.
Vegetables
Growing vegetables isn’t an easy feat since they can need a lot of attention. Generally, they need loamy soil, with plenty of water.
However, as the vegetables grow, they’ll feed on the minerals quite rapidly. So, to make sure your plants survive until harvest time, you have to add extra nutrients.
This can come in the form of compost material or aged bark. Once you’ve added minerals, you may need to sprinkle in a bit of sand to loosen the mixture.
Other than that, veggies will need a thriving ecosystem to stay healthy. For that reason, avoid tilling the ground and remove weeds as soon as possible.
Flowers
The soil you use here will depend on what flowers you plan on growing.
As a general rule, flowers prefer a drier environment. This prevents bacteria from growing in the soil and breaking down the leaves and roots.
To make the perfect mixture, begin with equal parts sand, silt, and clay. Then, once you have a uniform mixture, sprinkle in a little extra sand.
You’ll want to keep adding the dry component until you can see tiny yellow flecks through the medium.
The mix should have everything a flower needs, except for nutrients.
After you decide what species of plants you want to grow, find a fertilizer that matches its needs. This will have all the missing ingredients to grow healthy florae.
Plants in Pots
With a tight space like a pot, you want to make sure that water won’t be an issue. That’s why it’s usually best to use a potting mix.
It’s slightly more expensive, but it’s a much more hospitable environment to grow plants.
Although, it’s not the only solution. If you prefer, you can also use sandy soil in plant pots. This should be dry enough to handle the compact container.
However, it isn’t suitable for growing all types of plants.
Planter Box
Just like pots, planter boxes will perform best when you use a potting mix. The only difference is the box will need more frequent watering.
That’s because it has a larger surface area, meaning water will evaporate faster.
FAQs
Where to Use Garden Soil?
The best place to use garden soil is in a wide flower bed or on the lawn. Both spaces should have a larger enough surface area to avoid too much water retention.
When to Use Garden Soil?
This type of soil is excellent for communal garden beds. It provides a stable enough environment for a wide selection of plants to grow.
How Often Should You Water Garden Soil?
The general rule of thumb here is about three times a week. However, this will change throughout the year.
During summer, you may need to increase the schedule to four or five times based on the temperature.
As for winter, you can get away with one watering per week.