Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange
Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [soil-amendment]

About modifying a soil's content.

Soil amendments are any additives which are added to a soil to change its characteristics. Amendments can include (but are not limited to):

  • Fertilizers
  • Compost
  • Lime
  • Rock chips
  • Sand
  • Bark chips
  • Biochar
  • Vermiculite

Amendments can change the acidity (pH), water-holding ability, drainage, nutritional content, and inoculate against some diseases.

Use this tag for all questions where a general soil amendment tag is appropriate. Questions about specific amendments should use the specific tag for the amendment.

170 questions
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Can I improve clay-like soil with little stones?

I have these stones (formerly from a garden center and on top of weed-suppressing fabric in a flower bed for 10 years) and I'm wondering if I can just fork them into this soil. The soil currently looks to bereft of stones presently. Good idea or…
paul_h
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Why can't you get organic fertilizers in powder form?

I'm just wondering why most of the organic fertilizer are in granules. Yes, fish emulsion is liquid but there are no organic fertilizer is in powder form. Wouldn't it be easier if they crush the granules into powder so that we can simply mix them…
lamwaiman1988
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Replant to replace soil

I bought a little Zinfin Doll hydrangea and cleared a patch of some Annabelles that had used the soil for at least five years. (Their flowers unfortunately always grew too heavy for the stalks!) I didn't get to planting at the end of the day, so…
Luke Sawczak
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How to amend clay soil to propagate trees for bare root distribution?

I intend to propagate trees and distribute them in bare root form after they grow for 1-3 years. Lots of good info on that process is available at https://depts.washington.edu/propplnt/Chapters/Bare%20Root%20Chapter.htm The location I have for this…
cr0
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What should I add to the soil to make my hydrangeas blue?

I am about to plant some new hydrangeas. What should I use to amend the soil with to make the hydrangeas blue?
Peggy
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How to transform an area of pasture to a vegetable garden?

What is the best way to transform a 300 m2 area of pasture land to a vegetable garden? I do not mean lawn, but real grassland previously cut down regularly by farmers to feed animals.…
sanjihan
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Watering plants with soaked forest soil

I am thinking of mixing forest soil with water and water plants with that. I was hoping that nutrients from soil would get released into the water, so in effect, fertilize the soil. I am not aware in what chemicals P, K, Ca, Mg is "stored" in forest…
sanjihan
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how to increase Phosphorous, Potassium and Calcium in lawn soil

I recently used my local extension service to do a soil test. I did this before I fertilized for the spring so I got a post-winter reading on the soil. They said my lawn was very low in Phosphorous, Potassium, Calcium, and Magnesium: Phosphorous:…
J Dillinger
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Reviving some soil using fertilizer, how long to wait before planting?

I had a planter full of a nice soil mixture but let it go dormant and dry out for a year or two. Recently I have kept it around some other plants, exposed it to more light, and applied fertilizer (fish-based fertilizer then a couple of days later…
cr0
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Is wood ash from black locust harmful to plants?

Black walnut has juglone in it, which can be harmful to other plants. I've read claims that you shouldn't use black walnut for wood ash in your garden because of this, although I'm not sure if that's true. It does seem pretty sure that soil black…
Brōtsyorfuzthrāx
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Is there a soil sieving and packing procedure to ensure equal moisture distribution?

I would like to know if there's a way to ensure every sample has the same initial conditions when performing soil experiments. The samples are going to be enclosed in containers of 13 cm height and 18 cm width. Is there a soil sieving and packing…
DCrown
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Returning a garden paved for 30 years with packed clay below, back to lawn

My new rear garden has had concrete slab paving for decades, resting on heavily packed and deep London Clay soil and a small amount of odd rubble. The paved area measures about 6x7m. The soil under the slabs is solid with weed roots, even where…
Stilez
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What mixture of liquid soap to water should I use for soil with high silicon content?

I want to use my Miracle-Gro spray attachment for spraying a soap solution on my lawn and plants since I have very high silicon in my soil. we used Naiad wetting agents on the golf course where I used to work, but that is on a much grander scale.…
rljohn
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equisetum and soil pH

To make my garden soil less acidic, I have sprayed a 1 percent aqueous solution of dolomite to control the spread of horsetail. Will this measure help me achieve the desired result?
Robert
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Epsom salts to container potting mixture

Is adding Epsom salt to soil based container potting mixtures, non-harmful to grow vegetables with?
Christie Carman
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