14. soil amendment Vy Allah dad Khan

2. Soil Amendment By Allah
Dad Khan

3. Soil Amendment
 A soil amendment is anything added to soil that
improves its physical properties. The categories
of soil amendmentsare broad, and may include
organic amendments to change the texture of
soil, fertilizers to boost the nutrient structure,
cover crops to add aeration and drainage or
even items that will change the pH of soil.

4. Soil Test
• Before adding amendments to soil, get a soil test
to learn the existing condition of the soil.
Typically, soil tests reveal the nutrient content of
soil, the quantity of organics and the pH level.
Knowing the existing condition of the soil can
tell you which amendments and how much of
each amendment to add to the soil in order to
create positive change.

5. Misconceptions
• Not all soil amendments you add to soil are
good. Plants are adapted to naturally grow in
different environments. These plants thrive
when the soil in which they are grown replicates
these environments. For example, desert plants
thrive in loose, sandy soil with little moisture or
nutrients. Soil amendments for these plants
should consist of amendments that increase
drainage.

6. Blue Green Plant
 Blueberry plants and azaleas grow in bog-like conditions
where soil is moist and filled with organics and the pH is
high in acid. Amendments for these plants should
add organic ingredients to the soil and lower the pH.
Often the soil cannot absorb all of an amendment
quickly enough to make a positive change in a plant.
When this occurs, the amendments may harm the
environment or the plants. One example of this occurs
when lawns are overfertilized in spring. Too much
nitrogen added to a lawn can cause the grass to burn.
Additionally, the nitrogen can be carried off by rainwater
or drainage and cause pollution. Nitrogen runoff is the
primary cause of algae bloom in lakes and rivers.

7. Organic vs. Inorganic
• Amendments may be comprised of organic
material or inorganic material. Organic material
is made up of things that were once living.
Examples include compost, peat moss and cover
crops. Inorganic amendments are made of items
that were never alive. Examples include
synthetic fertilizers and elements such as sulfur
or dolomite lime that are used to change the pH
of soil.

8. Mulches
• Amendments differ from mulches in that they
are added into the soil to change it. A mulch is
placed on the surface of the soil. In this way,
many of the same items that could be considered
amendments such as compost may also be
mulches. Even wood chips which are added to
the surface of soil as mulch may be mixed with
the soil for aeration as an amendment.