Build and Maintain Healthy Soil With Compost and Mulch
A teaspoonful of healthy soil contains about four billion organisms! This community of beneficial soil creatures keeps our landscapes healthy by:
- Creating a loose soil structure that allows air, water and plant root growth into the soil.
- Recycling nutrients and making them available to plants.
- Storing water until plants need it.
- Protecting plants from some pests and diseases.
Know what your soil needs.
A soil test will tell you how much nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and lime your soil needs to grow healthy plants. Depending on the condition of the soil, you may not even need to apply these nutrients! Contact the King County Coorperative Extension office or garden supply center for a soil test kit.
Feed your soil with compost.
Dig or rototill one to three inches of compost into six to twelve inches of topsoil when you're making new beds or planting lawns. Top dress existing lawns with a quarter- to half-inch of compost every spring or fall. Compost helps sandy soils hold nutrients and water, loosens clay soils and feeds the beneficial soil life so it can feed and protect your plants.
Make compost at home, or buy it in bags or bulk.
Yard and food waste are a gardener's gold! Leaves, chopped stalks, flowers and grass all make great compost in a pile or bin. Vegetable scraps and coffee grounds can also be added to your bin, but do not use meat, dairy or oils because they can attract pests. You should turn your compost every few weeks with a pitchfork to distribute air and moisture. Make sure to sprinkle water on your pile in dry weather. You should have finished compost in three to six months, when the waste becomes a dark, crumbly material that is uniform in texture. You can then spread your compost in garden beds, under shrubs, on your lawn, or use it as a potting soil.
Mulch it!
Mulch is a layer of organic material like leaves, aged wood chips, compost or grass clippings that you spread in spring or fall around your plants. Never exceed more than three inches of mulch in your landscaping beds, and keep mulch about an inch away from stems and tree trunks. Mulch stabilizes soil temperature, prevents weeds, feeds the soil for healthier plants, and helps to conserve water. And it recycles itself!
Need fertilizer? Go slow!
Most trees and shrubs get all the nutrients they need from the soil. But annual plants, vegetable gardens and lawns sometimes need additional nutrients from a fertilizer. When shopping for fertilizer, look for a product that contains "natural organic" or "slow-release" ingredients. Unlike "quick-release" fertilizers, "natural organic" or "slow-release" fertilizers feed your plants slowly and evenly. The result? Healthier plants with strong root systems and no excessive "top growth" - saving you time and money. Moreover, using "slow-release" fertilizer can reduce runoff into ground and surface waters.
Improper use of fertilizers can damage beneficial soil life essential for healthy soils and plants. Excess chemicals can also find their way into groundwater, streams and lakes where they can contaminate drinking water and harm fish and other wildlife. Read and follow product labels carefully before using fertilizer and other lawn chemicals, and make sure you avoid application of these products to impervious surfaces to avoid run-off.
Remember, healthy plants grow in healthy soil.
