Soil Cheat Sheet (Copy)
A raised bed is its own ecosystem, different from hydroponics.
Healthy soil = aggregates of air, water, nutrients, microbes, and organic matter.
Components of a good raised bed mix:
Topsoil – foundation layer.
Perlite – improves aeration and drainage.
Top mulch layer (wood chips) – hold moisture, aerate soil, and release nutrients slowly as they decompose.
Coco coir – creates a fungal environment in the soil and helps to retain moisture.
Sand – improves drainage (fruit trees especially don’t like “wet feet”).
Earthworms – aerate soil and provide castings (bacterial-dominant fertilizer).
Balance:
Vegetables → thrive in bacterial-dominant soil.
Woody herbs → thrive in fungal-dominant soil.
Farmers aim to strike a healthy balance between the two, depending on what they are growing.
The rhizosphere (root space) is where roots, microbes, and nutrients cycle. Our job is to create conditions for microbial life to thrive here.
Soil is a living organism just like you and the plants.
The three components that make up healthy organic soil are:
Sand (for drainage)
Topsoil (for the roots to grab onto)
Compost (provides nutrients and bacterial dominance)
In order to determine the appropriate amendment to use, reference the 5 things that every living thing needs to thrive. Once you know what your soil is lacking, you will understand how to best amend it.
When determining how to amend the soil, your best tool is your hand— feel the soil!
When you feed the soil, you can understand what it is missing and if you need to make amendments
The 3 macronutrients that every plant needs in order to develop to full maturity and endure until the end of the season are:
N: Nitrogen
Top of the plant/leaf development and greening
Makes the cotyledon come out and makes colorful chlorophyll
Beginning experience with the plant/season
P: Phosphorous
“Ferocious” phosphorous
Middle of the plant such as stems, architecture, and fruit Middle experience with the plant/season
Usually seedlings need more help from phosphorous as opposed to seeds
K: Potassium
“Potassi-yum” , makes the fruit taste better
Bottom of the plant/root zone
End of the plant’s life/end of the season
Encourages flowering and fruiting
If we foliar feed our plant at the end of the season with potassium, it might even produce more fruit
