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Soil for Virginia Master Gardeners

Soil for Virginia Master Gardeners. What you should know What you can do What you should be able to teach. Francis J. Reilly, Jr. http://advancedmastergardener.org/ Webmaster@VMGA.net. Shameless Commercial. Have you joined VMGA? The Voice of VA Master Gardeners

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Soil for Virginia Master Gardeners

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  1. Soil for Virginia Master Gardeners What you should know What you can do What you should be able to teach

  2. Francis J. Reilly, Jr. http://advancedmastergardener.org/ Webmaster@VMGA.net

  3. Shameless Commercial Have you joined VMGA? • The Voice of VA Master Gardeners • Promote fellowship, training & communication • State Coordinator’s Endowment.

  4. Outline • Why Soils • What are Soils • Soil testing and fertility • Practice • Compost

  5. Why are Soils Important? • ? • ? • ?

  6. Why are Soils Important? • Support Plant growth • Mediate Climate • Store water

  7. Why do we need to know about soils? • ? • ? • ?

  8. Why do we need to know about soils? • Its what plants grow in • Troubleshoot plant problems by looking at soil • Disease – Abiotic Factors • Will water be easily given up to the plant • Are there any Soil Organisms at Work • Does water soak in • Run off? • Stand on the surface?

  9. What is Soil? Ideally: • 25% Air • 25% Water • 45-48% Minerals • 2-5% Organic matter • Soil organisms Mineral & Organic Materials that contain living matter and can support vegetation

  10. Where Does Soil Come from? • Parent Material • Climate • Time • Relief, Topography • Organisms • Human Activity • Beavers • Grazers like cows and deer • Worms • Bacteria/fungi

  11. Physiographic Regions

  12. Physiographic regions and soil types • Physiographic Regions describe land surface features • Closely related to geology • Slope, and soils are related

  13. Soils Classified • Soil Survey • Printed version (1960) • Ask in the office where that copy is! • On-line version • New version on line http://soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov/Metadata.aspx?Survey=VA107&UseState=VA

  14. What can the soil survey tell you?

  15. What can the soil survey tell you? • Drainage • Slope • Topography • Water features • Wetlands • Crop worthiness • Buildability

  16. How Do You Use It? • Use it to plan • Don’t use it to DO! • Look up spot on map • See what it says • Read about the soil type • SOIL TYPE?

  17. Soil Type Soils Classified by: • Depth of layer • Color • Texture • Structure

  18. State Soil of Virginia!

  19. Soil Taxonomy • Soil Orders

  20. Depth

  21. Color • Color of parent material • Other Colors due to pedagenesis

  22. Soil Texture

  23. Soil Texture • Sand are the largest particles and they feel "gritty." • Silt are medium sized, and they feel soft, silky or "floury." • Clay are the smallest sized particles, and they feel "sticky" and they are hard to squeeze.

  24. How to Texture • 1st a pinch • Then a ribbon

  25. Soil Structure

  26. Soil Structure

  27. So what about structure? • Drainage • Plant penetration • Oxygen penetration

  28. Pore Spaces • The smaller the particles • The smaller the pore spaces • Water moves slowly • Less air present

  29. How do we improve soils? • ? • ? • ?

  30. How do we improve soils? • Drainage • Moisture • Fertility • Soil Health • Problems

  31. Pore Spaces can decrease due to compaction

  32. Soil horizons and water infiltration • Horizons have different properties • Some may retard water flow • Watch out for the “builder’s horizon”

  33. Check for Yourself • Dig a hole 12 inches deep and fill it with water • 30 minutes, the soil has a drainage problem • 24 hours, waterlogged soils may impact plant growth

  34. Soils have moisture characteristics • Important for runoff • Important for plants

  35. Fertility • Soil Tests • Kits • Cheap meters • Agricultural testing

  36. How’d we do?

  37. How’s that stack up?

  38. Lets look at our soil tests!

  39. What’s wrong with “none?”

  40. P Results Statewide1 in 7 existing lawn samples test low in phosphorus.

  41. Other stuff

  42. Lawn Notes

  43. So now what? • Calculate the area • Read the bag • Do the math

  44. Calculate the area • Remember to subtract • The driveway • The house • The sidewalk • The other gardens • Remember to add • The devil strip

  45. Lets do another!

  46. Blue Berries Notes

  47. So now what? • Calculate the area • Read the bag • Do the math

  48. Calculate the area • Remember to subtract • The driveway • The house • The sidewalk • The other gardens • Remember to add • The devil strip

  49. Read the bag • NPK • Turf type • Complete • Calculate the percentages • WIN • Organics • Cottonseed meal, Blood Meal • Sludge • Farm applications of sludge or poultry litter

  50. Specialty Fertilizers

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