Water evaporates quickly during the day; while at night, the soil is warm. But watering plants in the early morning allows water to seep to the roots for longer. The roots are the part of the plant that needs the nutrients, sugar, and hormones contained in the water.
There were some beans left over that didn’t get soaked overnight. We tossed some in a black plastic container with a six inch diameter and nine inches tall to see if they would grow. They persisted in its stubborn, alkaline soil and broke green shoots with delicate curves of leaves. With infrequent watering, they grew in the hot sun.
There is an eastern wall that shades the morning spring sunshine. Rose branches grow to the west to grasp more sunlight. So, their angle to the sun and their duration of direct sunlight increases. The branches that did not grow that way withered.
There were some couple-week-old Yukon gold potatoes with nub-like light green sprouts along their still smooth skin. With a discarded tool, I sliced the potatoes in half width-wise away from the sprouts. With a short rusted shovel, I dug a hole with a depth about the length of two hands. I then expanded and dug a small trench. I placed each half in the ground with the flat side down and replaced the soil.
I had tossed some old potatoes on a makeshift compost heap about a year ago. In the heavy rain, they went under a blanket of mud and grew rapidly in the slightly alkaline, sandy soil. While the soil lacked nutrients for some other plants–roses and lemons grew inconsistently–potatoes took a short time to grow.
With a soil test kit, I tested for pH and also nutrients in the soil. Plants need three main things to grow: light; air; and nutrients (food).
The test kit helps test for three major nutrients: Nitrogen
(N); Phosphorous (P); and Potassium (K) (Potash). Different plants require each
nutrient to a different degree for optimal growth.
Testing method and conclusions
I filled one-fifth of a clean jar with a soil sample. Then, added clean water to the brim, put the lid on, shook it, and let it settle. A fine clay soil will take much longer to settle than a coarse sandy soil. It took about 30 minutes to settle (another indication that the garden has sandy soil).
I used a dropper to pull liquid from the soil mixture, put in respective chemicals, shook each tube, and waited for each to turn a color. I compared that color with color gradients in a chart. I concluded the following:
Nitrogen: Between Low and Very Low: 35%
Phosphorous: Very Low: 25%
Potash: Low: 50%
Results for Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potash with a soil test kit
Use: match nutrient level with supplemental food (fertilizer)
The soil test kit provides recommendations for supplemental food (fertilizer) in a table. The rows of the recommendation chart are for the type of plant (lawn, fruit, flower, etc.) while the columns are for Very Low, Low, Medium, or High amounts of each nutrient.
There are different tables for feeding prior to planting and feeding established plants and beds. The table for established plants indicates that a fertilizer (food) with 8-6-8 mix of Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potash works for the plants in the soil area tested. The numerals indicate ounces (weight) /100 sq. feet.
This triad numeral is usually in bold on the back of any fertilizer (food) you purchase. With this information, I can purchase an appropriate fertilizer for the soil area tested. But how to apply this fertilizer is another topic!
Before digging up soil for a pH test, I read the definitions
for three different types of soil.
Sandy soil: A light, coarse soil with crumbling debris
Loam soil: A medium soil with a blend of sand and fine clay particles
Clay soil: A heavy, clinging, impermeable soil made of very fine particles
I held a handful and went back and forth between these definitions.
Because there were crumbling clods of dark soil, clumps of sand, I settled on sandy
soil. The soil did not have fine particles, but did have some clay.
In December 2018, I checked the pH of soil in the garden. With a testing kit, I found that the pH was 7.5. Above 7 is alkaline; below 7 is acidic. With a pH reference list, I found that most plants I planned to grow required a pH of around 6.5-7.
So, I added compost to increase the acidity of the soil. With compost, the acidity dropped nearer to 6.5-7.
Current Test (December 2019)
I repeated the test today (12/30/2019). I obtained a soil sample around 3 inches deep, placed a small amount in a test tube, added a chemical provided, and added water. I put a lid on the test tube, shook the test tube, and let it settle.
The color turned a darker green. I then compared this to a chart provided and determined that the pH was a little above neutral (7). I concluded that the pH was around 7.25.
Test for pH
Purpose: Adjust the soil’s acidity to match plants
With a pH preference chart, I found the suitable pH ranges for the plants in the garden.
Lemon: 6.0-7.5
Peppers: 5.5-7
After checking the pH preference, 7.25 is a little too alkaline for the peppers. I will add compost this year as well.
Roses need air and sunlight to prevent disease. By pruning a rose in an urn-like shape, you promote a flow of air and give leaves more exposure to sunlight. You prune or cut dead and small stalks during a slower blooming period, generally winter.
Tools
Clippers
Gloves
Small shovel
Steps
• With a small shovel, dig up soil around the bud union, the bulbous uppermost portion of the root. • Find gray, dead stalks. Cut them out from the bud union. • Find stalks smaller than the diameter of a pencil. Cut just on their outward-facing thorns at an angle.
“Pruning the roses” painted by Raffaello Sorbi, provided by Bonhaus in the Public Domain
For more information
Click here for more on pruning from the Seattle Rose Society.
There are two types of plants. Perennials and Annuals. This terminology is kind of confusing so here are some simple definitions:
Perennial: Bloom and return each year (for several years)
Annuals: Bloom only once.
Benefit of Perennials
Wheat is an annual crop that requires burning or clearing fields at harvest time each year. This can lessen the quality of the soil and require more fertilizer.
Perennial crops last for at least two years and do not require clearing fields. Nutrients can remain in the soil. Watch the following short video on a new initiative to substitute wheat with a perennial crop.
