What is Garden Soil : Uses and Soil Mix

Gardening doesn’t start with seeding but with selecting the right soil for your landscape. You can’t have a healthy plant, without rich, soft soil, filled with the right nutrients. The idea of gardening may come at any point.  If you are planting flowers or growing vegetables, choosing the right soil shall be the first step towards a healthy and green garden. Let us take a look into garden soil, its uses, mix, and other problems which are faced in garden soil along with the solutions.

What is Garden Soil?

Garden soil is soil enriched with nutrients such as compost and organic matter. Many people think of garden soil as a type of soil like sand, silt, and clay but it is not. It is the best soil promoting plant growth that has all the essential elements like nutrients, minerals, organic matter, compost, etc in it. 

Let us know more about Garden Soil below.

Garden soil is Topsoil plus organic matter. Topsoil is the top layer of natural soil which can be of any type with fewer nutrients than garden soil, making it not suitable for plants and vegetables. Great garden soil is a mixture of air, water, living and dead organic matter, and mineral particles.

If you are planning to purchase garden soil in bulk, then make sure that you also inquire about the soil used in it and the organic matter. This will assure you that it will blend well with your existing soil and will promote the growth of the plant that you were planning. 

What is Garden Soil made of?

Garden soil is mostly made of air, water, organic matter, living organisms, and mineral particles. Air and water are necessary for every soil. For garden soil, the soil porosity is high, which gives free water flow and sufficient air to the roots of plants. With its texture, water flow and holding for plants are better. Mineral particles are tiny rocks found in soils that help plants to be healthy.

They makeup half the volume of garden soil but may vary according to the soil mix. Organic matter and Living organisms are the dead and not-so-dead particles in the soil. Dead organic matter decomposes to become a part and living organisms such as bacteria make the soil filled with microorganisms. Garden soil that consists of all the above elements in the correct amount is very healthy and also enhances plant growth and greener leaves. 

What are the Uses of Garden Soil?

Garden soil is used to add to the garden bed the extra nutrients it needs. It also gives more nutrients to plants. The recommended ratio to garden soil is 25% garden soil to 75 % compost and an equal amount of mixture according to the type of plant or flower to grow in the soil. It is meant to be used in the garden, where the additional fertility and nutrients help your plants. Even some garden soils are designed specifically for growing flowers or vegetables.

What is in the Garden Soil mix?

The natural soil mix for garden soil is a combination of the natural soil and organic matter such as tree waste, sawdust, moss, insects, earthworms, grass clippings, and animal manure, along with fruits and vegetable waste.

What is the pH in Garden Soil?

The pH of healthy garden soil can vary from 6.0 to 6.5. Soil pH(Potential Hydrogen) is the concentration of hydrogen ions in the soil solution that determine the acidic or alkaline nature of the soil.

pH is measured in numbers from 1 to 12 range where 7 is neutral. The soil pH usually varies from 5.0 sour to 8.0 sweet soil. There are many ways to test soil pH but the cheapest is using Litmus paper. Add some soil to distilled water. Dip the paper in it and check the color in the chart to determine the pH level of the soil. 

If you also want to know how to do a soil test, click here

What is Silt in Garden Soil?

Silt refers to the mineral particles in garden soil. They are round and give a free flow of water. The color of the soil varies on the number of organics in it. Silt is made up of rock and other mineral particles that are smaller than sand but bigger than clay and is believed to have more tiny particles than sandy soil. The soil holds water better than sand because it is smooth and fine. Furthermore, silt is dense, dust-like silt that is transported and deposited by water, ice, and wind.

What is a Pink Soft Mass in Garden Soil?

The Pink soft mass is a slime mold that is completely harmless and even better as it acts as organic matter, the same as mulch. But if you want to remove, scoop, Bag, and trash it. Pink soft masses live in hot weather on the dead. With baking soda, potassium bicarbonate, cornmeal, cornmeal tea, hydrogen peroxide, or commercial products like BioSafe Disease Control, slime mold, and any mushrooms or toadstools can be eliminated. Other successful methods include physically disturbing the area, such as cutting the grass or clawing the slime mold on the beds.

What is the White stuff in Garden Soil?

The white stuff in garden soil could be fungi that thrive on rich organic matter. They are found on bits of wood in soil or leaf mold or manure. Or, it could also be perlite which is mainly added to soil to improve the aeration and drainage in the soil.

What is the ideal amount of NPK percent in Vegetable garden soil?

The ratio of 3:1:2 is the ideal amount of NPK percent in Vegetable Garden soil. NPK- Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. Nitrogen helps plants to grow leaves, Phosphorus is responsible for root growth and potassium is a nutrient for the overall functioning of plants. 

What is the Red cone-shaped Shell in garden soil?

The Cone-shaped snails are predatory sand snails that feed on leaves and fruits and they are completely harmless.

According to the EPA, Pests come in a variety of forms: weeds, insects, animals, molds, and fungi to name a few. The need to control outdoor pests varies. However, certain pests present serious threats in some years. Pesticides provide relief from many pests, but they are not the only solution to pest problems.

What Happens if too much Compost is put into Garden Soil?

If too much compost is added to garden soil, it can kill your plants. The garden soil will not get enough air and water as the nutrients in the soil will block it. Thus, leading to slow growth and destruction of the roots of plants. 

What Insect is Digging Holes in my Garden Soil?

Cicadas are digging holes in your garden soil. Female Cicadas could burrow deep into the soil and lay eggs in it, mainly under the plants on the soil.

According to tests conducted by scientists in USDA, using a variety of insects and soil conditions in Florida and Oregon. The portable acoustic sensors were found to detect insects within 180 seconds over distances of 10-30 cm, depending on the composition of the soil and peak frequencies of the sound pulses. Those sound pulses were then averaged to create profiles for each insect.

Conclusion

Building a healthy garden soil is a great first and great step in gardening. But a leap in having a good plant and vegetable garden. Knowing the PH and NPK will help you determine the soil’s nature and the plants that grow in it. With the differences in good bacteria and slime mass, add extra info to prevent it. By making a few simple decisions along with these guidelines, you are on your way to being a great gardener.

FAQs

1. Is garden soil best for Vegetables?

Yes, it is. Rich in organic matter and living organisms they are the best choice. 

2. Can I use Garden soil for indoor plants?

No, because the organic matter in it can bring bacteria, and fungus into the home.