Gardening Notes

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 14, 28 August 1930, Page 9

Gardening Notes

V" SOILS AND THEIR TBEATMBNT;

•A successful' garden, ..whether ... of flowers or vegetables;-requires regular «are and attention, but this is useless without a knowledge of the necessary operations and proper methods. The soil is the loose material of the earth's crust, in vftich plants find a iome for tneir roots and from which they are able to secure certain foods necessary for their growth.

Some soils are rich in all the foods ' required by plants; some are rich in certain elements, but deficient in others «nd some are low in practically all of the necessary foods. This great variation makes clear the> fact that -what is called "soil": is by no means a deUnite thing, but may have almost any composition or structure. The soil may be considered as the waste heap of natuTe, since almost everything eventually finds its- way into, tie soil, where it is mixed and remixed with all sorts of substances to make a : - blanker-covering for the earth., Fragments of' all k^rclsr. of • [minerals! and"rocks, a.rid ,th;e remaiiis pf-all t^het: ' plants and animals/ aire- Brought - to- ' \- ; ■ '■ g^tK«r in; the soil it a home 1 4n'Wieh plans-may "> •■_.•■■:. V -The growth;of all cultivated plants is \'" ' aWpenddnt^k tn-e^s:oii,;:a!tfdiihe i: yield; of >v <: crops is a direct reflection of its condif.'.:'iioiiv./;.'{ .:,:!;'.? . Soils are f ormeofby th*e decomposition or wearing away of rocks, under the in- • :!^|ften^:-6f*ttfE^ : ■ ' 'or- valeahic^ ste^on^aist^'by i^pre^ '• " sen^e of plant lif|i . o^te'm-| ) ;.. .important effect on \ ' * tn*e f orfrWion '\ of ■> soiis^jEor.rocks.v ex- s pand by 1 heat" sstd-' contract i : by : "• the teat, pi- the-'^nr-by^Mu^VHJ.aWes^the^; surface of ':ijie rocks to.expand, 'and; they* contract, .again with the coblv^r,: at night; this causes, them to. crack, "v and particles crucible:off,^thereby giving rise to a constant addition to-the. ' . .soil. Vegetation contributes,to, the for mation' of the soil by depositing dead • leaves and stems on t»he surface in thej i orm o£ humus. • Soil may be said to be composed of *ye substances, viz!, Sand, Clay, Lime, Vegetable Matter or Humus/ and ' ' Stfines. ' <-". ■"■;-■-.; ■■■'■■, :- .-...; ; Of the properties of -soils affectedi by texture, s probabiy none is of greater practical iuiportan.ee, than the waterholding eapaedty. This is more, the^ •'•■•.■ case •in Agriculture thun. j^lortiuiture, but no.ue the less plays a very important .part^ in the" growing 'of- ; fruit, flowera*and vegetaibles. A clay soil may " hold 45 per cent of water When a Cdifse s'an<l' .wduld1 Scarcely hold 15 per cent.' .-. :'.,.. ; . '['. '' Soil TeKture. ~ . i . '-...." The term "texture," as applied to* soil, refers to its sjiffnesa, friability or looseness, as the case may- be. vPor instance, day is a "stiff" Soil; sand is a "loose" soil. The happy medium be- - . v tween. these two extremes is tlie ideal j texture for a garden soil. " . Sand."-.. • , ••■■ • .■';_■■"■[■■■. ."■ '"' ' \-ir This is principally composed- of , quartz, flint or-silica; it impart^ a loo^e .; "porous consistency to the soil, assists the air and water in finding their way■"! through the land, and aids the roots * of plants to penetrate in, all directions, j In potting composts sand is usually4--a rieeessary constituent. Sandy soils | cdntain not less than 7Q; per 'cent :; ; of. i * quartz sand, and have little cohesion. Sanely, soils are very pprptis and con- j tain■■little nourishment'for pfants; But • -may• be greaily'improved by^.thesaddi.-^j -'; tion of clay, farm-yard manure, etc. Two chemical bodies'—silica and c-alt»mina*r-in . combination with ; water., 1■" ■compose'.c^lay, ;whioh...is .colder and Ye; : tarna; more, -nioisture , jj&an -san|d.' ;'.Clay is pften spoken of as a."heavy" soil* 8 Sand is s^id'ib be ;a." light soiL TJEijs" oneans that -clay^ is" difficult and sand is '•■■•' -easy to etlitivat.o:. An Av6rage Jfean'd.i; weigiis about 801bs to -tjie..^ci^ic |*oot).; -while clay weighs about lioibs. Clay soils a?e-heavy and dense^ retentive of : . 'watei| r <jold and difficult to Work-and require to be well drained in of der to. •be properly cultivated; In petiods of drought, plants on clayey soils are apt" to suffer as. the roots'canfibt penetrateimto atiff ) clays, ot o&ttnn moisture from the subsoil. Thoiigh: such-soils may contain an abundance of mineral food for plants, it is ofteii' rendered

unavailable by their stiff texture; this may be corrected by the addition of sand, lime' and suitable manures and by drainage;

Lime is an important soil- —forming mineral *Vvhieh is but slightly soluabie in pure water, although much. moTe so in the presence of carbon . dioxide. It is dissolyed readily by acid's. Limestone copies, partly from, the shells and framework ;pf marine and fresh water animals and partly .through concretions of lime directly from water; hence much of. it has been dissolved and precipitated many times. The old saying that "a limestone country is a ricSi conn try" has, on the" whole, but few exceptions.

Humus or Vegetable Mould,

Humus or vegetable mould is formed by decayed vegetable matter, such as leaves, roots, stems, etc. Humus is the most important constituent of all soils for the gardener; it has a great influence on the capacity of soils for Tetaining moisture, .renders their cultivation easier and- encourages the activity of soil bacteria; soils that are deficient in h'um^s are liable to cake and quickly lose their-heat in cool weather. PracticallyOraU plant residues eventually finii tliO.h' way into the soil, -where thoy undeTgo changes of some kind. They may decay entirely,and form gas, which passes ;!}nto the air' or they may under'gp transformations which result in the formation of ; humus in the soil; or they may remain preserved in almost their original fo>rm. The gT'eater part of the .^organic;- matter, that gets into tiie' soil undergoes, some process of humification, and asa result, it is of- great benefit. . Stones V."!'■ -■■■■■•••:.•■• ■■-', ---:' ■■■■■■ •-"-' •■'■'■ • ;

i ,'T^,e^e. are particles of the "original riofek\-'ifrp^;^lbLich^ t ,th^oil;' : :;#as formed; if not todtnumerbus .they iefve a usefti puTp'ose.-.in the'soil,; reridering it lighter in character affording porosity and assfe^ing ,m .the retention of moisture; their gradual wasting away adds material to the.soil. <■

Oold or Warm Soils. ' Clay soils retain mucn more moisture I than sandy soils, and this causes a" I great difference ioi yegard to trheir teia.- y '■^etature ;,v former are, therefore, sometimes spoken of. as' cold, and sandy soils as warm. As a certain amount of -warmth in the soil is necessary for plant life, this indicates the importance "of draining low-lying, cold, clayey, land. ■; ■■' ' } "■' .;;;;? /: ;v- . \ Oapilla^ vAction of, - •' The power of soils for drawing /up water from the lower strata towards the surface is one of the greatest im-. portanee from the cultivator's point of vie.w. It is possessed in a greater !ox lesser degree by all soils, being greater, in proportion as their pores are finer. Saaadv possesses this power to ! the least extent and clay to the greatest; thus .a .clayey soil is always ■wetter than" a .sandy soil placed, under the same influences. ."V^hen the surface soil is left; and becomes hard, ! much of its moisture passes off by I evaporation^ a^mulch or any dry. cover- | ing that, can be placed between the at: inosphere a^hd the damp soil will check ■this evaporation. Tillage also disturbs capillary action by forming anon-con-ducting surface, which acts as a maiMb. and retains the moisture in the soil wifchin reach of the plants. In order to get good fesivlts from your ; plantings the typfi". of soil and its treat-, ment,, as well /as. the vaTieties best suit?ed to the varaoius kinds of soil, must, 'be eonsidejred, and the method^ of treating the soil at different-seasons of the year so as to get the highest production, shoul^. lie given careful: attention.; Preparirig the Soil for Planting: Tho soil sifiould be thoroughly prepared by ''trenfeiiing. In trenching new ground, it "is "not'advisable" to bring the sub-s ? oil to the surface, because shallowv, rootedy and even rather- deep-rooted plan.ts do not always succeed well in it. s Tn6 v subsoil should then be dug as deeply as possittley and: left rough. If thei sub-soil is popr^, a good dressing of ■vrood ashes, iinl.- bones, or farmyard ; manure, spread on the top will keep it cpen and considerably improve its fertility: •• ■■■••■■■.-■/■ •;.■•■■'•' :./ ■ ..-.. .., 'v .In well-prepared 'soilj the roots ..of plants ramify1 easily and deeply, .and as iheatea of plant food is considerably Increased all kinds, of plants wjOl thrive, and be a>ble to .w^thstaacl dry Weather during the hot suiumer months. Tie Summer or early Autumn is the best time of the year for preaching new ground, and if. tlie soil is left exposed to the influence of the sun and

aii for some weeks before planting, it becomes friable and benefits immensely.

. The objects of trenching are to loosen, pulverise, ..and deepen. ..the. ?°il> so that the roots of plan4s can rtsa, more freely in it ; tp facilitate the admission of air and water, as well as to incorporate manurial substances <irith tie soil. ■-...•■•