How to Improve Soil Quality

Ensuring the quality of your garden soil is a constant process. Let’s dig some basics of healthy soil. Healthy soil contains nutrients, minerals and organic matter. Among them, organic matter is significantly important in supplying nutrients to the plants, holding pollutants and improving the soil. It grips soil together, retaining additional moisture and nutrients.

If time is your biggest constraint, you can hire garden services. They’ll do lawn mowing and make your garden look healthy and lush. However, if you want to take it as a DIY project, here are eight tips to improve soil quality.

1. Fertilise
   
   
   Fertilising is one of the best ways for improving the soil. Fertiliser is an organic matter that works deep into the soil. By layering them, you’ll improve the soil structure, allow the soil to retain nutrients and promote good drainage. Furthermore, it moistures the soil, keeping it loose to allow air to reach the plants’ roots, maintains neutral pH and safeguard the plants from common diseases.
   
   
2. Go Organic
   
   
   If you improve soil health, the garden above ground can properly absorb water, recycle nutrients, improve soil tilth and grapple pests and several diseases. The key here is organic food. You can supply some fallen leaves, garden or kitchen trash to the top two inches of the soil. Additionally, add concentrated manure, mineral phosphorous and potassium fertiliser for better results.
   
   
3. Rotate Crops
   
   
   Rotating crops or plants every year in different locations avoids exhausting the soil nutrients and helps keep pests at bay, keeping the garden healthy. Let’s take the example of potatoes. Fungi and nematodes result in rough patches on the crop, and this continues to increase. It, then, affects the crops produced next year in the same location. Therefore, follow the three-year rule and rotate crops annually and improve your soil.
   
   
4. Encourage Earthworms
   
   
   Earthworms play a crucial role in improving the soil. They disintegrate the organic matter into minerals and nutrients beneficial for the plants. They recycle the organic matter, which eventually becomes a great source of food for crops or plants. As well, it works like a natural compost in your garden. Additionally, earthworms crawl around and introduce air into the soil. This makes the plants' roots get adequate water, which helps them to thrive.
   
   
5. Use Organic Mulch
   
   
   You’ll get plenty of benefits when you use organic mulch. It helps keep the moisture and nutrients intact in the soil, withstands the exposure of harsh elements and decreases weed growth. The quantity of organic mulch needed by your garden depends upon the climate. Hot and dry climates require heavy mulches, whereas cold and rainy seasons need light mulches. You can add sugar cane, pea straw, leaf litter, wood chips and lucerne as they turn into an organic matter in the soil.
   
   
6. Avoid Chemical Herbicides/Pesticides
   
   
   When it comes to improving soil health, using chemical herbicides or pesticides is a big no. When they come in contact with the soil, living beneath the ground, it injures your plants or crops. Some are also unavoidable to eliminate. So, whenever you shop around for pesticides or herbicides, make sure chemicals aren’t included in them.
   
   
7. Use Soil Testing Kit
   
   
   Soil testing kit is an essential garden tool that shows soil health, whether something is missing or not, etc. We would recommend conducting the soil test every few years to determine the health of your garden. The kit is easily available on the market; as well, it’s an easy DIY task. You only need to take the soil samples and submit them to the nearest certified lab. Its results will show you a clear picture. It helps you take the next vital steps for improving the soil’s health, as well as your garden.
   
   
8. Remove Weeds
   
   
   Weeds are the biggest enemy of healthy soil. They take away all the nutrients and organic food from the soil. Therefore, pull out the weeds when they are small as they are easy to remove. If you’re a beginner, then fall mulching will be the perfect solution for spring weeds. Also, in spring, you can remove the weeds when they are small and growing quickly.
   
   

So, these are the ways of improving the soil. But the crux of each technique is to reduce compaction and amend the soil with organic matter. Besides this, if an organised and lush-green garden is your priority, then take the help of mowing service. They’ll make your lawn the heart of your property.