C2-Lancuter Fanning, Saturday, March 11, 2000
Here’s The Dirt On Improving Your Soil With Organic Material
UNIVERSITY PARK
(Centre Co.)-Soil types range
from clays as impenetrable as
concrete to loams richer than
Donald Trump, but a gardening
expert in Penn State’s College of
Agricultural Sciences said all
soils can be improved by mixing
in organic matter.
“Organic matter, also known
as humus, is what’s left after
plant and animal matter has
died and decayed,” said Robert
Nuss, professor of ornamental
horticulture. “Mixing humus
into a garden or flower bed gives
the soil a spongy quality.”
Adding humus also:
• Increases the soil’s ability to
hold water.
• Creates pores in the soil to
let in air.
• Prevents clay particles from
forming into a solid mass,
making root growth easier.
• Helps control soil tempera
ture.
• Provides a better environ
ment for the growth of microor
ganisms that can help enrich the
soil.
• Releases small amounts of
nitrogen and other nutrients
through continued decay.
Nuss said gardeners should
regularly apply humus and ferti
lizers to garden soils that are
planted every year. “Organic
matter rarely will give you ade
quate plant nutrients,” Nuss
said. “Most materials are low in
phosphorus, and the process of
decay can temporarily lower the
amount of available nitrogen in
the soil.”
Nuss said gardeners can use
any type of organic matter, al
though some types might be
better suited for specific situa
tions.
Co\er Crops
Also called “green manure,”
cover crops are grown to be
plowed under in vegetable gar
dens. Annual rye, annual rye
grass, and spring oats are
commonly used as fall cover
crops. Gardeners should seed
after the final fall cultivation.
“The thick growth will
smother weeds,” Nuss said.
“However, don’t use cover crops
in flower or landscape beds be
cause you would damage root
systems if you tried to incorpo-
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rate the growth into the soil.”
Nuss recommends seeding
about four ounces of annual rye
grass or spring oats, or eight
ounces of annual rye per 100
square feet of garden. In Penn
sylvania, seeding should be done
by Sept. 15, although rye can be
planted later. “Do not seed a
cover crop after Oct. 1,” Nuss
says. “In the spring, turn it
under before its growth is knee
high.”
Manures
Dried animal manure sup
plies nutrients to plants and mi
croorganisms and helps aerate
soils. Any garden supply store
will stock various manure types
with application rates posted on
the bag.
Nuss said fresh cattle manure
should be applied in fall or
winter. “Use 50 to 100 pounds
per 100 square feet and add a
phosphorus fertilizer and lime to
better balance nutrients,” he
said. “Work the manure in right
after spreading, which helps de
compose the manure and lessens
odors.”
Nuss cautions that fresh poul
try and sheep manure can
damage roots if used excessively.
Mix 1 pound of triple or concen
trated superphosphate with 10
pounds of manure and apply at
a rate of 10 pounds per 100
square feet of garden.
Sawdust
“Sawdust can be used as a
mulch or it can be tilled into the
soil,” Nuss said. “If the sawdust
is not decomposed, it should be
composted or used as mulch.”
Three or four bushels of de
composed sawdust should be ap
plied and tilled into every 100
square feet of soil. Sawdust can
raise acidity levels, so Nuss re
commends mixing 12 ounces of
ground limestone into each
bushel of sawdust.
Using fresh sawdust can
cause nitrogen deficiencies be
cause microorganisms use nitro
gen in soils to decompose the
sawdust. “No matter how
sawdust is used, you should
apply some nitrogen to the soil,”
Nuss said.
Peat Moss
Peat moss is generally acidic
and can be used for soils where
acid-tolerant crops are grown.
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Peat moss decays slowly and
holds more water than other or
ganic materials. The slower
decay rate of peat moss also
eliminates the need to add ferti
lizer during application. “Ob
serve the plants as they grow to
make sure no nutritional prob
lems develop,” Nuss said.
“Peat moss is best for land
scape plantings because it is ef
fective in soil for a long time,”
Nuss said. “It is more expensive
than other amendments, so it is
typically used only in smaller
areas.”
Peat applications should be 3
to 4 bushels per every 100 square
feet.
Compost can be spread and
incorporated like animal
manure. Use 50 to 100 pounds
if /
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per each 100 square feet in land
scape plantings. In gardens,
compost can be used as mulch
and tilled under before the next
growing season.
“Spent mushroom compost is
a great source of organic
matter,” Nuss said. “Aged
mushroom compost is much
better because fresh material is
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very high in salts, which can
injure young plants.”
Mushroom compost is usually
high in phosphorus and low in
nitrogen, so gardeners may have
to add some nitrogen fertilizer.
Nuss recommends incorporating
a 2- to 4-inch layer into the soil
before planting.
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