How to Amend Arid & Nutrient-Depleted Soil • Insteading

你的家园或农场是否有干旱贫瘠的土壤?你的土壤是否没有为你的植物提供适当的养分来帮助它们生长，你是否因为你所在地区的土壤条件而难以种植植物?你的土壤非常干燥或干旱吗?或者你在这样的土壤条件下工作?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, this article could be helpful for you.

cracked soil — Cracked soil // Elizabeth Buttram

3 Common Missing Nutrients From Soil and How to Identify Them

1. Phosphorous

Development of dark or bluish-green color on leaves with little to no flower production and smaller size overall.

2. Nitrogen

植物生长缓慢而发育不良，茎和叶孱弱而细长，叶子没有完全长成，保持较小。叶子从底部开始变黄，并随着黄色的叶子掉落到顶部。

3. Iron

叶子褪绿:叶子变黄，但叶脉保持绿色，形成蜘蛛网状，最终变白并脱落。

leaf chlorosis — Leaf Chlorosis Example // Elizabeth Buttram

Keep in mind, there can be the opposite problem present, and you have overly nutrient-rich soil which oddly, can cause difficulties in plant production. That problem will not be covered in this article but is important to note.

Identifying if Soil Is Dry or Nutrient-Poor

我如何确定我所在地区的土壤条件是否干燥、干旱或缺乏营养?需要注意的是，虽然这对一些人来说可能是显而易见的，但解释如何识别这些特征是很好的。

Dry (Also Known as Xeric) Soil

Soil surface is cracked or flaky
Soil crumbles into powder under your feet or in your hands
Soil surface is moist, but within an inch or hand width below surface, it becomes dry
Little to no plant growth in area with the plants present being more arid or dry species (yucca, cactus, etc.)

Nutrient-Poor

Little to no plants growing in area
Plants in area seem to wilt, turn odd colors, or die, even when your seemingly doing “everything right”

You can have professional soil tests done to verify these conditions, but it’s generally easy to tell this is an issue without the test. The test can, however, provide specific information on what nutrients are missing.

cracked / depleted soil — Cracked Soil 2 // Elizabeth Buttram

The trick with nutrient-poor soil is understanding specifically what nutrient is lacking. You can have soil tests done, but generally, plants have tell-tell signs that you can learn to recognize. They will tell you what nutrients they need.

Recognizing if Soil Is Compacted

Another aspect of soil identification that can become important here is recognizing if the soil is compacted.

Compacted Soil Conditions

Very hard soil surface
Surface is not hard, but soil an inch to a hand width under the surface becomes hard
Difficult to push a shovel into the soil even with force

Now that we’ve covered how to identify these common problems, we can go into specifics on how to heal your soil, depending on the issues you are experiencing.

How to Amend Soil

有很多方法和方法来修改土壤，取决于你的土壤的具体需求。培养与你的土地的关系，了解现在的土壤是很重要的。

Amending Dry or Xeric Soil

显然，给土壤浇水是必要的。建议给土壤浇水，直到水分渗透到土壤中一个指关节到手掌宽的深度。有时候，仅仅给土壤浇水是不够的，因为当地的天气条件可能非常极端，以至于水分蒸发得很快，或者土壤太紧实了，无法吸收水分(如果你觉得这是一个问题，可以参考下面的紧实部分)。

If the local weather is the reason for the dry or arid soil, there are a few options to help alleviate quick evaporation from drastically hot conditions.

创造一个荫凉结构，让你的植物在一天中有部分阳光。这将保护土壤免受持续的、直接的阳光照射。

Makeshift shade structure over a tree nursery // Elizabeth Buttram

You can also utilize pre-existing structures (like walls and fences) and make a garden bed where the fence or wall casts shade for part of the day, or simply plant under a tree or shrub.

Using hoops and shade clothes is another way to provide shade.

Hoop and Shade Clothes // Elizabeth Buttram

Lastly, adding any type of mulch over the top of the soil around the plants you are cultivating helps with moisture retention and cools down the topsoil temperatures.

Here is a list of different types of mulch you can use:

Mulch (organic materials or rubber)
Compost
Hay
Pine straw
Leaf litter
Pebbles or rocks (but be careful as they can compact the soil)

Dry soil can also be a direct result of the soil type present in your area. Sandy soils generally will not support plant growth unless the plants you are trying to cultivate have very deep root systems (e.g., yucca). It is recommended you create a raised garden bed, or use pots to create a potted garden bed.

Amending Nutrient-Poor Soil

There are many ways to amend nutrient-poor soil, so we’ll be covering the main methods. Here is a list of ingredients you may use to amend soil, depending on what works best for you and what may be best suited for your soil. Then we’ll go over how to appropriately mix them into your soil.

Compost

Regular composting practices are beneficial both for cost-saving purposes (not having to buy compost or NPK bags, etc.) and for the environment — as you can compost food scraps instead of throwing them in the garbage and adding excess waste to an already exhausted waste disposal system. How to create compost and start a composting practice will not be covered here. It would be an entire article in and of itself.

堆肥茶是一种堆肥的替代方法，其中一种液体堆肥溶液被创造出来，并用于灌溉土壤。

Animal Manure

Manure of any kind can be beneficial. If you have livestock or animals on your homestead, and regularly clean out their living areas, this can be a great way to utilize their manure. Instead of throwing it out after cleanings, set it aside in a pile to use for soil amendment.

Worm Castings

You can buy worm castings online or at select stores like Tractor Supply and Home Depot.

Another option, which in the long run is more affordable, is worm farming. I highly recommend it, and again, as with the composting section above, many of these topics will not be covered in great detail here, but know this is an option.

Cultivating worms within your soil is equally helpful.

NPK solutions

通常在特定的商店或网上购买。

Charcoal (powdered)

Can be purchased in select stores, online, or made at home.

Nitrogen Fixing Crops

If nitrogen deficiency is a problem in your soil, it is an excellent way to help alleviate the problem. The legume and bean family is excellent for this purpose, as are certain tree and shrub species (such as the acacia family).

You can companion plant nitrogen fixing species with your desired crops as well. This can be accomplished by planting the nitrogen fixing species on the outside of your garden beds or between rows of vegetables/crops, depending on your objectives. Also utilizing the “Three Sisters” approach is great for nitrogen. For more information on Three Sisters, view this article: //m.emmstar.com/blog/introduction-to-organic-farming/

You can plant nitrogen fixing species as cover crops as well. This means between rotations of fields, or in the off season, planting nitrogen fixing species and allowing them to grow unmaintained until you are ready to begin planting. You then would take out the nitrogen fixing species, and till or break up the now nitrogen-rich soil.

Mildly dry and compacted soil // Elizabeth Buttram

How to Add Amendments to Soil

It is important in adding amendments that you thoroughly mix them 1 to 2 feet into the soil you plan on cultivating. Mixing the amendments farther down allows the nutrients you are adding to your soil to be more readily available to roots.

1. Remove first layer of soil

Begin by removing the first layer of soil and set it off to the side (either top soil or the first few inches). Try not to mix the soil layers together. Then you can begin digging down by taking a broad fork, a sturdy pitch fork, shovel, or whatever tools you have available, to dig deeper into the soil profile.

About 2 feet down should be sufficient, but if you are growing deeper rooted species, you may want to go farther. Likewise, if you are growing shallow rooted species, it may not be necessary to dig as deep.

2. Add soil amendments

After the deeper soil has been dug and sufficiently loosened (you’re basically digging down with intentions of tilling the soil, and loosening it so it’s easier to amend), you can begin adding amendments. Take your tool, insert it into the loosened soil, lift it a few inches deeper into the soil, and add the amendments. Continue doing this every 3 to 6 inches until you have completed the entire bed. The closer together the amendments are added, the more nutrients you deem your soil).

The amount of amendment you add is directly dependent on what type of amendment you use, and the nutrient needs of your soil. This is personal research to be done on your end. After the amendments have been added at even intervals throughout the bed, begin inserting your tool and twisting it in a circular motion in order to mix the soil. Do this down the entire bed. This step is the most labor intensive and takes the most time.

3. Add back top soil layer

After you complete mixing, you can add back your top soil layer, and add any remaining amendments there. These amendments will wash down into the soil after repeated waterings, although at first, they may not be available to roots.

第一次外植时，你也可以在插入植株之前，在洞里直接添加一两株选定的改良植物。这些修改将立即用于新工厂。

Adding Amendment to Compacted Soil

Deep Soil Compactions

Broad fork can be useful. If you are covering an extensive area, a tilling machine can be beneficial. However, I highly recommend not using mechanical means such as a tractor, as these can be excessively aggressive for the land. Using draft horses and farrow/tiller systems is much better for the land, and helps cultivate a deeper relationship between you, the land, and the animals.

Mild Soil Compactions

一个简单的锄头或刮土器可以很好地打破顶部表面。

Draft horse to tiLl the soil // Elizabeth Buttram

Whether you have xeric, nutrient-poor, or compacted soil (or a mix of these), you can use the above recommendations in nearly any combination. Best of luck!