any way to know if my native soil is amendable?

SG420

SG420

Active Member
ive been reading a bunch and some people are saying if your native soil is okay then you can use half and half.

(so in my case 1/3 spagnum peat, ewc, aeration)...and then some minerals, organic all purpose fert mixed in, and then mix that with half of my native soil)

if this is possible then it would save me a great amount of $$$. hell even if i were to use 70% of my mixed soil and then 30% of my native soil would save a ton. does anyone know how i can test my native soil? i really dont want to bother with it if its shit.
 
ShLUbY

ShLUbY

Well-Known Member
SG420 said:
ive been reading a bunch and some people are saying if your native soil is okay then you can use half and half.

(so in my case 1/3 spagnum peat, ewc, aeration)...and then some minerals, organic all purpose fert mixed in, and then mix that with half of my native soil)

if this is possible then it would save me a great amount of $$$. hell even if i were to use 70% of my mixed soil and then 30% of my native soil would save a ton. does anyone know how i can test my native soil? i really dont want to bother with it if its shit.
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take a quart mason jar, fill it 1/2 full of your native soil. fill it the rest of the way with water. tightly put the lid on and shake it up for about 5 minutes and then set it down onto the counter and leave it alone for up to a week. you will see the portions of sand/silt/clay content of your soil as it settles (sand/minerals on bottom, silt next, then clay on top), and then you can decide if your soil is worth using in your mix. a soil rich in clay will likely not lend well to container gardening. a soil with a ton of sand will drain well but poorly hold nutrition. this will give you a starting point to determine whether or not your soil is worth using.
 
SG420

SG420

Active Member
ShLUbY said:
take a quart mason jar, fill it 1/2 full of your native soil. fill it the rest of the way with water. tightly put the lid on and shake it up for about 5 minutes and then set it down onto the counter and leave it alone for up to a week. you will see the portions of sand/silt/clay content of your soil as it settles (sand/minerals on bottom, silt next, then clay on top), and then you can decide if your soil is worth using in your mix. a soil rich in clay will likely not lend well to container gardening. a soil with a ton of sand will drain well but poorly hold nutrition. this will give you a starting point to determine whether or not your soil is worth using.
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thank you so much shulb. you are literally a godsend when it comes to advice. incredible man you are. :)
 
ShLUbY

ShLUbY

Well-Known Member
SG420 said:
thank you so much shulb. you are literally a godsend when it comes to advice. incredible man you are. :)
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lol i don't know about all that, but you are too kind. just here to help out the community and share my experiences. glad to help.
 
WeedFreak78

WeedFreak78

Well-Known Member
Get a cheap soil test kit also so you can get a basic nutrient profile. Unless it's contaminated, it's usable, but you may need to play with your amendment amounts to get the consistency right. Clay heavy soil needs different amending then sand or humus heavy soils.
 
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