Archive Tip of the Week
TIP OF THE WEEK
July 7, 2009
Make a Compact with Your Soil
The next time you head out to do a little gardening, try this: Try never stepping on your soil. Stay on paths. Work from the edges or borders of your garden beds. And if you must step on the soil, lay a board down first to distribute your weight more evenly.
And just why should you go to so much trouble to avoid stepping on your soil? Well, I’m glad you asked. The idea behind this seemingly simple – and to some, seemingly stupid – suggestion is to limit soil compaction, because compaction is often the root cause of all sorts of gardening problems.
For one thing, compaction destroys soil structure, which is the way in which soil particles bind together to form clumps or aggregates. When that happens, water has a tough time percolating into the soil. And when it finally does, it has a tough time draining through the soil, which can cause plants to suffocate. Compaction also makes it tough for gases (oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen in particular) to move freely through the soil, and those gases are vital to plant growth. More obviously, plant roots struggle to penetrate compacted soils, which means they can’t access essential nutrients. There are plants that actually prefer compacted soils, of course, but they are without exception nasty weeds.
If your soil is already compacted, loosen it by stabbing a garden fork or broadfork into the ground and rocking the handle back and forth a few times. Then move a few inches in any direction and repeat the action. Cover as much ground as you need to, then add a light layer of compost to the area and water well. That’ll get your soil on the road to recovery.
And if you want to see that very technique in action, click on GGTV and see my “Tilling Soil” webisode.
