Identifying Soil Types

The most common soil type is clay, which, to say the least, can be difficult to work. With a correct clay soils  treatment and drainage is of paramount importance, for in the nature of things they are extremely retentive of moisture, the individual soil particles being very small indeed.

The humus-forming materials in connection with light sandy soils are just as useful for clay soils for the opposite reason, namely, that they break up the close-packed soil particles and so allow excess moisture to drain freely to lower levels.

One of the key factors in the successful mastery of clay soil, is timing ones cultivations correctly. Working them in wet weather for instance, is folly of the worst kind, for the compaction which results can do enormous harm. On the other hand, digging during good weather in autumn, so that the surface can be left rough for the alternating frosts and rains of winter to break down, is just about the ideal.

Where ericaceous or other lime hating plants (such as rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and magnolias) are not going to be grown, dressing with lime or gypsum will also help to improve the soil and once that happy state of affairs is more than a dream it will grow almost anything. But it is a long term business. Perhaps this is a good time to emphasize that it is far better to grow those plants suited to your type of soil than to do things the other way round and try to make the soil suit the pIant-requirements.

Fundamentals for Garden Soil Preparation

Now, fundamental things like having the wrong kind of soil or the wrong aspect and not to soil improvement or the removal of branches from trees to let in more light are being referred to. One can nowadays grow lime hating plants in calcareous soil by treating the latter with iron treatment, to release the iron previously unavailable to the plants, but the necessity for further applications at intervals and the resulting expense does not make this a practical proposition for most of us if large numbers of plants are involved. It is, however, a very useful technique if one wishes to grow a few lime-hating plants of special interest in calcareous soil.

At this early stage, too, it is essential to determine, if the natural drainage is sufficient to cope with all likely weather conditions. lf there is any reason to doubt this, it is a good idea to dig 2 to 3ft. deep holes in several parts of the garden and then see if these hold water after heavy rain. Land which is low-lying or very heavy is liable to suffer from bad drainage and the water logging associated with this will result in the roots of plants dying and often the complete loss of the plants.

Three-inch-diameter drainpipes, put 2ft. underground and leading to a suitable outfall, provide the best remedy but a trench partly filled with rubble, covered first with a layer of turf and then with soil to surface level is usually quite effective, because it is cheaper, but a good lawn can be made quite quickly by these means.