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Organic Partially decomposed
material mined from the swamps
Good moisture holding properties
Peat Moss
Inorganic Mica material matter Commonly used to start
seed and cuttings Holds moisture Neutral pH
Vermiculite
Organic Larger matter added to
some horticulture media to promote drainage
Adding bark usually makes mix heavier
Used in tree and shrub production
Bark
Organic Dehydrated remains
of acid bog plants Holds moisture Very acidic Commonly used to
line wire hanging baskets
Sphagnum Moss
Soil is sterile pH is neutral Soil is disease and weed free Good for starting disease sensitive seeds
(tomato) Easy to control the nutrient content of the soil Improves crop uniformity Easy to create a horticulture soil for particular
plant needs
Advantages of Horticultural Soils
Sawdust has a high carbon to nitrogen ratio
Sawdust makes nitrogen unavailable for plant use
Wood shaving have a high carbon to nitrogen ratio Wood shaving makes nitrogen unavailable for
plant use
Additional Materials Used
Properties of Soils
Obj: Discuss the soil profile and soil sampling for surface and subsurface
layers.
Topsoil Just below O Horizon Home to earthworms and soil organisms Brown in color due to the organic matter in
soil
A Horizon
Subsoil Clayey soil High mineral content Usually brown or
reddish due to large amount of clay
B Horizon
As you can see, soil is made up of several
layers…much like this pudding Imagine the layered pudding representing
different layers of the soil horizon Top the pudding off with a gummy worm, as
the gummy represents the critters of the topsoil
Enjoy!
An Edible Soil Profile
Soil structure: How the soil particles fit together
Soil texture: Soil characteristic determined by the percentage of sand, silt, and clay
Soil Structure
Sandy Soil
Sandy soils typically have a loose soil structure
Sand has the largest particles (.05-2 mm)
Sandy soils have low moisture and nutrient holding capacity
Silty Soil
Silty soils have a granular soil structure
Granular soil structure is best for plants
Silt has medium sized particles (.002-.05mm)
Silt has a good moisture and nutrient holding capacity
Clayey Soil
Clayey soils have a blocky or platy structure
Clay has the smallest sized particles (<.002mm)
Clayey soils have a high water and nutrient holding capacity
Loam
Loam has almost equal parts of sand, silt and clay
This is the ideal texture for most non container outside plants
Textural Triangle
Used to determine soil textural class from the percentages of sand, silt, and clay in the soil
How do you determine these percentages? SOIL SAMPLE!