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Soil conditions are part of our discussions here at Plant to Plate. In fact, each gardening facts article has a soil conditions section for the plant being discussed.
For example, our Growing Thyme article contains this statement:
Thyme prefers well-draining, sandy to loamy soil with average fertility. It tolerates a pH range of 5.0 to 8.0, but a pH of 7.0 is ideal.
What do these terms mean? How do soil conditions affect plant health? Read on to find out.
In this article, we'll discuss the following:
- What Do Soil Conditions Tell You?
- Soil Types and Composition
- Moisture Level
- Nutrient Content
- Soil pH: Acidity and Alkalinity
- Where to Find Information on Soil Conditions
What Do Soil Conditions Tell You?
Soil conditions describe the composition, moisture level, nutrient content, and pH level that a particular plant species needs from its soil in order to thrive.
Improper soil conditions can negatively impact a plant's growth, production, and vitality. In other words, the plant may stop growing, stop producing flowers and fruit, or even stop living if soil conditions are not right.
If your plant shows signs of distress, soil conditions are one of the first things to investigate, along with other growing conditions such as sun and water.
Let's discuss some common components of soil, starting with soil types and composition.
Soil Types and Composition
The three main types of soil are clay, sand, and loam. Silt falls into the sand category.
Clay soil is thick and dense. It tends to become compacted quickly and to drain poorly. Plants with fragile roots may have trouble getting established in clay soil.
Sandy or silty soil is loose and full of fine particles. It allows water to drain quickly, which is preferred by certain plants such as many in the carrot family. For other plants, sandy soil may drain too quickly. It may not retain enough water or nutrients for them to thrive.
Loamy soil has a fairly even mixture of clay and sand. It is a "middle ground" soil, making it the most versatile type.
Still, no soil type is perfect or universally compatible with all plants.
Most U.S. states have a master gardeners program. Gardeners in these states can take a sample of their soil to be analyzed for its composition percentages and nutrient content. You can also test it yourself using a kit like this one.
Moisture Level
For the purposes of this discussion, moisture level refers to how wet or dry the soil should be on a consistent basis for the plant in question.
Some plants prefer their soil to be consistently moist, with some even tolerating standing moisture. Others prefer to have their soil dry out in between watering sessions. Still other plants are somewhere in between.
A term you may see occasionally is "wet feet," which means standing water or water that does not drain promptly.
Most plants prefer the opposite of wet feet, and standing water can cause root rot in these plants. The opposite of standing water is one of our most common soil descriptors, well-draining, meaning that the water drains quickly, evenly, and completely.
Nutrient Content
Our soil conditions articles refer to nutrient content by terms like rich or fertile, which mean similar things, basically that the soil has been amended or enriched with nutrients through methods like compost or fertilizer.
Naturally-occurring nutrients in the soil can become depleted over time, so these methods can be used to add them back in. Crop rotation can also help with wearing soil evenly and putting nutrients back into soil.
Some plants do not need rich, high-fertility soil. A couple examples of this are lavender and gaillardia.
Our gardening facts articles do not usually get more specific than high, medium, or low levels of soil fertility. But note that different plant species thrive under different levels and balances of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Calcium, magnesium, and sulfur are also less commonly discussed elements present in soil.
Soil pH: Acidity and Alkalinity
Soil pH measures the level of acidity and alkalinity in the soil.
The pH scale runs from 0 to 14. A pH of 7.0 is neutral. The lower and closer to 0 a pH value is, the more acidic it is. The higher and closer to 14 the value is, the more alkaline it is.
Again, different plants have different preferences, and there is no one-size-fits-all pH level.
Our gardening facts articles list a specific pH range when possible. For example, the Growing Radishes article says, "Radishes prefer light soil that is sandy to loamy and that has a pH of 6.5 to 7."
When this information is not available, we will use terms like acidic, slightly acidic, neutral, slightly alkaline, and alkaline. For example, the Growing Squash article states, "Squash prefers rich, well-draining soil with a neutral to slightly alkaline pH."
You can determine your soil's pH by taking a sample to your county or region's master gardener center or by testing it with a pH tester like this one.
Where to Find Information on Soil Conditions
Each of our gardening facts articles contains a section that discusses soil conditions. You can access it by going to an individual plant's gardening facts page.
From there, you can click on "soil conditions" from the "jump to" menu at the top of the page, or you can scroll down to the section itself, which starts with "What soil conditions does..." such as this one for strawberries.
Some seed packets and seed company websites also contain this information. This varies by company.
Read More
Check out these articles about more of the categories listed on our gardening facts pages:
- How Often to Water Plants
- How Much Sun Does My Plant Need?
- What Does "Full Sun to Part Shade" Mean?
- Choosing the Right Planter for Your Container Garden
- Companion Planting Basics
- What is a Heat Zone?
- How Temperature Affects Plant Health