Minerals can make all the difference.
We tend to think of soil as being a mixture of clay, loam, sand, organic matter, soil biology and of course air and water. But what happens when soils or growing media are predominantly organic matter? Peat based potting mixes are a prime example of this. Plants still need all…
Scroll to calculator All about how to lower mineral soil pH using elemental sulfur and why that's a good idea. Many plants cannot thrive in soil with a high pH. It's not just blueberries that need an acid soil. Apples, basil, carrots all prefer a slightly acidic soil with pH…
What are the basic types of soil tests? What do they tell you? Which test is the best for your soil?
Soil pH has a profound influence on the availability of certain nutrients, especially if the pH is out of the 6.0 to 7.0 range. For example, we note that manganese becomes toxic below pH 5.5 and little will grow until the pH comes up. For those with pH in the…
Conventional agricultural practices do not include balancing soil minerals. This has caused a decline in the nutritional value of our food and a decline in human health. Mineral balance is one of the keys to healthy soil. Healthy soil grows healthy plants and healthy plants create healthy people and animals.…
The soil survey can tell you a lot about the soil on your garden-farm. In the US, most of the soils have been surveyed and there is detailed info about pH, sand fraction, clay fraction, CEC, carbonate content, organic matter content and more. These are a snapshot of what the…
TCEC, CEC, TEC, exchange capacity -- it all has something to do with soil and the ability of soil to hold nutrients. But really, what do soil scientists mean by TCEC? Total Cation Exchange Capacity Let's start in the middle with the cations, some of which are essential plant and…
Calculate the TCEC of a soil based on the measured amount of calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and the pH, using the Brookside method.
This post is about dealing with excess minerals or nutrients in the soil. Dealing with excess tomatoes or zucchini is a different problem. Adding deficient minerals to the soil is relatively straightforward and OrganiCalc is a great aid in deciding just how much of what to add. In soils with…
The main cations we are concerned with for plant growth are Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Potassium (K), Sodium (Na). Each plays a role in plant nutrient uptake and plant health. For example, magnesium is one of the key constituents of chlorophyll. Calcium aids in the uptake of all nutrients and helps…
