Adding Inorganic Material to Your Garden
There are many things that you can add to your soil so that your garden will grow better and your plants and vegetables will get what they need but there are a few inorganic materials that you should understand a little more in detail so that you know what you are adding to your soil and exactly what this addition is going to do to your soil.

Posted Thursday, April 6, 2006

Some inorganic materials that you may consider adding to your soil include, sand, salt, gypsum, lime and perlite among others. Adding inorganic materials to your soil does not really mean that you are not an organic gardener, you are just adding materials to your soil that came from the earth to begin with but your soil is lacking this. The inorganic materials we are going to discuss here are considered chemical free and they are naturally found in other places in the earth so they are not going to harm the balance of the environment, they will add to the nutrients and the value of your soil in your gardens.

Sand - Sand is found in all types of soil and is used to help your soil drain better. While sand is not found in great abundance in all areas of the country, adding sand to your soil can help particular plants in your garden grow that do not like to be kept moist while sand also will help your soil be ?looser? so your plants can grow deeper roots.

Salt - Adding salt to your garden, particularly Epsom salt is used as a fertilizer. Epsom salts adds both sulfur and magnesium to your soil, which helps add to the acid level in your soil. One plant that comes to mind that loves the acid that is brought about from using Epsom salts is rose bushes and some types of evergreen bushes.

Gypsum - If you have problems with your soil draining you can add Gypsum to your lawn. The Gypsum will balance your high ph levels and can even help when you have high concentrations of clay, where over time the Gypsum will help break down the clay which also promotes better drainage in your soil.

Lime - Lime is often used in gardens and in landscaping everywhere, making grass greener and promoting growth. Lime takes weeks to work with your soil to promote a healthy environment for your soil where your magnesium content is low or is your ph levels are too low. Lime is only used once a season because it is a slow acting additive for the soil. Lime can be bought in a powder, pellet or in a middle ground salt like substance that is easy to use. The best time to add lime to your lawn or to your garden is before you know there is going to be a rainstorm so that the lime can be soaked into the soil.

Perlite - Perlite is a different type of additive for your soil promoting drainage and looseness for your soil. Perlite is most often used in container gardens, garden beds or in the greenhouse more than it is used in your lawn area. If you are using Perlite in a large quantity for mixing in your soil, you should be aware that is can be very dusty and you should take precautions when using it but if you are using just a small amount in your garden beds you will not notice the little bit of dust from Perlite.