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By the end of summer's long hot days, I'm always anxious for the cool wet days of winter. Anxious, that is, until I have my first MUD encounter.
Mud, yuk, what a drag. Once we have lost our youthful fascination with mud pies, mud seems to be an absolutely useless state of our most valuable natural resource, soil. Soil is the miracle on which all earthly life depends.
For the gardener, the quest for the perfect soil is no less elusive than Don Quixote's search for perfect justice. It is the canvas on which to paint the perfect masterpiece, or perhaps just grow bigger and better tomatoes than the next door neighbor.
Mud is testimony to one of soil's most important garden tasks, holding water. There is a fine line between holding water long enough for plants to take a drink and being so saturated that it drowns them. Soil's ability to accomplish this Herculean task is determined by its texture, the measure of it's ratio of sand, silt and clay.
Soil is made of rock particles of different sizes; largest are sand, the smallest are clay and the ones in between are silt. If a sand particle was as big as a house, a clay particle would be the size of a nickel. If a soil has equal quantities of each, we call it a loam. Loam's sand particles allow water to pass, while clay holds on to it. Silt can't quite make up its mind, so it does a little of each.
Texture also helps determine soil's fertility, the ability to supply the nutrition that plants need to thrive. Some nutrients are supplied by the rock particles, while others are recycled from another important soil component, organic matter. Organic matter is simply stuff that was once alive, but is now in some stage of decomposition. Any Master Gardener will tell you that the single step to making any soil better is to add organic matter.
Organic matter is abundant and often free for the taking. Some good resources are lawn clippings, leaves, kitchen waste and barn sweepings. These are usually best when composted, but can be used in their initial form. One good source for compost is the Douglas County landfill.
Another important soil characteristic for the gardener is pH. Soil's pH is the measure of its acidity or alkalinity. The pH of a soil determines its ability to release nutrients to plants. Most western Oregon soils are slightly acidic and benefit from the application of lime. Lime is available in a couple different forms and is best applied in the fall. Prilled lime is more quickly absorbed than dolomite lime or agricultural lime.
It is almost always better to improve the soil that you have, than to try to bring in a different one. There are no perfect soils and what you bring in may be worse than the one you have. For more soil information, contact your OSU Extension office.
Happy gardening!
Leo Grass is a Master Gardener for OSU Extension Service of Douglas County. The Master Gardeners can be reached by phone at (541) 672-4461.
Mud, yuk, what a drag. Once we have lost our youthful fascination with mud pies, mud seems to be an absolutely useless state of our most valuable natural resource, soil. Soil is the miracle on which all earthly life depends.
For the gardener, the quest for the perfect soil is no less elusive than Don Quixote's search for perfect justice. It is the canvas on which to paint the perfect masterpiece, or perhaps just grow bigger and better tomatoes than the next door neighbor.
Mud is testimony to one of soil's most important garden tasks, holding water. There is a fine line between holding water long enough for plants to take a drink and being so saturated that it drowns them. Soil's ability to accomplish this Herculean task is determined by its texture, the measure of it's ratio of sand, silt and clay.
Soil is made of rock particles of different sizes; largest are sand, the smallest are clay and the ones in between are silt. If a sand particle was as big as a house, a clay particle would be the size of a nickel. If a soil has equal quantities of each, we call it a loam. Loam's sand particles allow water to pass, while clay holds on to it. Silt can't quite make up its mind, so it does a little of each.
Texture also helps determine soil's fertility, the ability to supply the nutrition that plants need to thrive. Some nutrients are supplied by the rock particles, while others are recycled from another important soil component, organic matter. Organic matter is simply stuff that was once alive, but is now in some stage of decomposition. Any Master Gardener will tell you that the single step to making any soil better is to add organic matter.
Organic matter is abundant and often free for the taking. Some good resources are lawn clippings, leaves, kitchen waste and barn sweepings. These are usually best when composted, but can be used in their initial form. One good source for compost is the Douglas County landfill.
Another important soil characteristic for the gardener is pH. Soil's pH is the measure of its acidity or alkalinity. The pH of a soil determines its ability to release nutrients to plants. Most western Oregon soils are slightly acidic and benefit from the application of lime. Lime is available in a couple different forms and is best applied in the fall. Prilled lime is more quickly absorbed than dolomite lime or agricultural lime.
It is almost always better to improve the soil that you have, than to try to bring in a different one. There are no perfect soils and what you bring in may be worse than the one you have. For more soil information, contact your OSU Extension office.
Happy gardening!
Leo Grass is a Master Gardener for OSU Extension Service of Douglas County. The Master Gardeners can be reached by phone at (541) 672-4461.
