Adding Nutrients to the Soil
Testing your soil is going to reveal to you what type of nutrients are lacking or in surplus. The value of realizing what nutrients are in your soil or that are lacking in your soil is going to be what makes your garden thrive and produce.

Posted Thursday, April 6, 2006

Different types of nutrients are going to be read in a soil test. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels are among the most common nutrients tested. Test kits are going to tell you if any of these nutrients are lacking or if they are in abundance. Testing laboratories are often going to offer recommendations about how to equalize the nutrients in your soil. Other test kits are going to recommend certain chemicals, nutrients, or fertilizers for your soil.

One method of increasing the nutrients in the soil is by using pre-packaged fertilizers. Chemical or organic fertilizers can be used to balance the nutrients in your soil, it is your preference. With every fertilizer, chemical or organic, three numbers are listed on the package. The three numbers stand for the most used organic materials. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are also represented as N, P, K in that order.

If you are going to use organic materials to fertilize your gardens, you will need a constant supply of these materials over a period of time or seasons. For example, if you are going to add manure to your gardens, adding a bit before planting season, during planting season and then again after planting season, you will have the best results instead of adding it all to your gardens or landscape at once.

If you have a low nitrogen level and you want to increase the nitrogen levels in your soil, you can use materials such as compost, manure, dried blood, cottonseed, peanut shells, or bone meal, sewage sludge, or even cocoa beans.

If you want to add phosphorus to your soil, a good source of this is rock phosphate that has been ground to a powder. Work this into your soil with rotten manure for a good balance of phosphates in your garden.

If you have a potassium shortage you'll want to add potassium inorganically with a water solution of ashes, chicken manure and/or grape extracts. Becarefull not to get the mix too close to the root as it will burn.