Organic Soil
For all the gardening buffs reading this, there’s an awesome technique doing the rounds of the gardening arena. It is a technique that uses different types of organic matter in soil to make it suitable for a healthy and steady growth of plants. It is called organic gardening. It uses an organic soil mix that can be prepared easily even by you.
What is Organic Soil
Soil erosion and excessive use of fertilizers, pesticides, and insecticides leave soil infertile and barren. Harsh chemicals wreak havoc on soil, rendering it useless for cultivation. People studying soil science and its different types have evidence of the same. So, to save the soil and in turn, the crops and grains that need to be grown, an option available today is organic soil. But what is organic soil? Organic soil is basically a type of soil that uses only organic material for plant cultivation. Organic matter means anything that is devoid of chemicals or synthetic material; a purely ‘earthly’ mixture of substances that render their nutrients to the soil on decomposition.
How to Make It
In order to make organic soil, you’ll need to make the necessary amendments to the soil that is already present in your garden. Since this soil consists of only organic matter, you’ll need to test the levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the soil. If these levels are satisfactory (consult a gardening expert or refer to a gardening manual for this), then no problem. Otherwise, you will have to find some material that will provide these nutrients to the soil. For organic potting soil, you will need any or all of the following.
Compost: The technique of composting involves gathering different types of organic waste and placing them in a pit dug into the ground. This waste is allowed to decompose and mix with the soil. This soil is then used in gardens to help the plants to grow well.
Household Waste: Household waste from the kitchen, which includes fruit and vegetable waste, food, water, etc., is also effective in helping to prepare organic soil. The nutrients from the waste are broken down by micro-organisms, making the soil rich and suitable for excellent plant growth.
Manure: Manure derived from the waste of plants and animals is also a key ingredient in the preparation of organic soil. As with the ones mentioned above, the nutrients in the waste are absorbed by the soil, and then get transferred to the plants in the soil, thus ensuring that they have a healthy and problem-free growth and development.
You need to be careful about how you layer this soil. First comes the soil that is already available in your garden. Then come the layers of the organic soil that you have prepared. Do this in a ratio of 1:2 for best results.
It is always better to use organic soil in gardening for obvious reasons. It does not harm the environment like chemical fertilizers plus works wonders for the plants as well!
