Everyone likes to show off what their green thumb can do. But that doesn’t necessarily mean what you did was right. Too often a gardener gets lucky and then can’t understand what went wrong the second time around. Chances are you’re not paying enough attention to your soil.
First, you’ll want to learn the ideal texture of your soil so you can measure its health. This starts with knowing what kind of soil you’re using first and how it should appear. For the most part, you’re probably using sand, silt, sandy loam or clay.
You’ll also want to pay attention to its composition. You want a rich soil that will bunch together, not soil that drains through fingers easily when you pick it up. There are two main ways you can improve this property. Either add insects that love living in the soil or add in organic matter. This includes things like green manures and leaf mold.
If you have healthy plants, chances are the pH of your soil is just fine. For the most part, a neutral measurement of 7 will work just fine. But that won’t always be the case, so make sure you look up what your plants prefer so you can treat your soil properly.
Fortunately, there is a long list of products out there that can help you with any one of these areas. Even organic matter is becoming easier and easier to come by at your local nursery. The important thing is that you pay attention to your soil’s needs and work from there.