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Clayton, Ohio, USA

What % Sand, %Silt and %Clay would make the ideal soil for these things?

1/9/2010 12:22:49 PM

Colorado Springs, CO

How would you actually correct an imbalance of any one of those components if such results showed that your garden was not "perfect" ?

How many times (and locations) have you done the soil+water in jar method, shake that up, and then let all settle out over many hours so as to make relative % measurements (and then average) of those components in your soil there ?

There is a classic distribution "triangle" portraying the descriptive aspects of an ideal soil type based on %'s between 0 and 100. Do some web research to find it. Regardless of what YOU have.....adequate organic matter and compost, combined with a smart natural fertilization program, can allow you to have successful growing in ANY soil type.

1/9/2010 8:03:41 PM

Clayton, Ohio, USA

Thanks Tomato Man. I'm well aware of the soil + water "shake in a jar" and the classical "triangle". I KNOW what I have. My question was what is ideal? If my soil was found to be impossibly imbalanced, I wouldn't waste my time trying to compete in that soil. I would find another patch or simply grow grass and some food for the table and relax all summer.

1/9/2010 11:27:12 PM

Breslau, Ontario, Canada

Phil Hunt posted this a while back, hope it helps:

The Biological Farmer by Gary Zimmer describes a balanced soil as 1/3 chemical, 1/3 physical & 1/3 biological.

Chemical is minerals & nutrient elements used by crops to grow. Chemical Balance is:

-Calcium 70-80% of CEC
-Mag 12-18% of CEC
-Potassium 3-5% of CEC

-Phos 50 ppm
-Sulfur 25 ppm
-N:S Ratio of 10:1

-pH between 6.5 - 6.8
- Med to high Organic matter
-Adequate trace elements

Biological is soil organisms, they decompose raw organic matter into humus, which holds water & nutrients. A biological balance is soil in an aerobic state.

Physical is the soil's texture & structure which relates to drainage & aeration. A physical balance is 50% soil minerals, 25% water & 25% air.

This is basically what your looking for in your soil. If you can get your soil in this condition, then your off to a great start.

1/10/2010 2:45:29 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

All good responses though pH of 7.2 is good for many growers. I always shy away from posts like this as there are too many variables to consider with local issues taking precedent.

1/10/2010 12:10:50 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

There is more to a good soil than just what an analysis of the top few inches will tell you. Compaction can ruin a perfectly balanced soil. Subsoil means a lot. Does it have a hardpan to limit rooting depth? Is it full of clay that keeps the top soil too wet? Is it too sandy and allows the soil to drain out too fast? Soil structure is important. If you soil is tilled to the max and all the soil particles are broken up too fine, you will have problems with soil crusting after a rain as well as compaction. If your worms are chopped up by the tiller, you will lose the drainage from their burrows. Even the slope is important: is it depressional and puddle after a rain, is it too steep and prone to erosion? Environmental factors can affect your ph. Wet soils in my area tend to be more acid (acid rain). Soils close to country roads that are surfaced with crushed limestone tend to be somewhat alkaline from the dust.

1/10/2010 3:31:39 PM