PREPARATION 
AND ITS 
S OIL is the foundation of all growing plant 
life, therefore, to be assured of the utmost 
success in gardening it is necessary to first 
properly prepare the soil. It is a storehouse for 
the food and water which are so necessary to 
plant life. In addition, plants obtain some air 
from the soil. The soil also modifies heat rela¬ 
tionship to a very marked extent. Cultural prac¬ 
tices are also largely concerned with regulating 
conditions in the soil. 
Most of the common plants have special soil 
preferences, that is, they do best in soils pos¬ 
sessing certain physical properties, with a 
majority of plants these conditions are most 
satisfactory in loam soils, however, plants as a 
whole are able to adapt themselves to condi¬ 
tions other than those which are most desirable. 
They will grow in soils which may be either 
lighter or heavier than the loam. 
For practical purposes it is possible to divide 
the soils into three main groups—very light soils, 
medium soils and those which are very heavy. 
The first group is represented by sandy soil, the 
second group by loam and the third group by 
clay soils. 
Sandy soils allow considerable freedom of 
movement to the air and water and permit the 
destruction of organic matter which may be 
present in it. They lack body and plants grow¬ 
ing upon them are apt to suffer under extreme 
weather conditions. These soils are difficult to 
work because they may blow badly. 
Clay soils are heavy, that is, they do not permit 
water and air to move freely enough through 
them to encourage the best growth of plants. 
They easily become filled with too much water 
and plant roots may find stagnant air conditions 
in them. Clay soils are difficult to work, if they 
contain a little too much moisture they become 
very sticky, while if they are too dry they be¬ 
come hard and cloddy. 
Very heavy clays can be greatly improved by 
the addition of either a lighter soil, sand or peat 
moss. The latter is more desirable as it will only 
work down approximately 6 inches unless 
spaded in further and then remain for an in¬ 
definite period. If sand or light soil is used it 
will be necessary to repeat this every few years 
as excessive moisture will eventually wash it on 
through to a depth that will be of little benefit 
to plant life. The ideal solution for heavy clay 
soil is a combination of sand and peat moss. 
The sand will work through and afford drainage 
while the peat moss will remain keeping the 
heavy soil in a loose condition. 
The improvement of sandy soils may be 
brought about by the addition of a heavy clay 
material or with peat moss. If it is possible to 
improve this light soil before planting it is ad¬ 
visable to work in approximately an inch and a 
half of peat moss and clay to a depth of five 
inches. This combination should be thoroughly 
mixed before planting. 
Humus or organic matter is of importance in 
maintaining a soil in good physical condition. 
Materials commonly known as humus consist of 
declayed remains of plants and animals. Proper 
feeding of plants is the most satisfactory method 
of increasing the humus content of the soil. 
Both the top and root systems of plants grow 
much larger when they are properly fed. A 
part of the root system dies each year thus in¬ 
corporating humus in the soil where it is of great 
value. This method eliminates the objectionable 
feature connected with use of manure. More¬ 
over it is the only way in which appreciable 
guantities of organic matter can be incorporated 
at any depth in the lawn soil. 
The humus content of the soil can also be in¬ 
creased by the addition of large guantities of 
compost material if such materials are available, 
or by the addition of large guantities of peat 
moss. In the case of the compost material it 
should be thoroughly worked into the soil. 
Material such as bone meal, which form but 
little humus, are of practically no value for the 
purpose of bettering soil conditions. 
Manures should not be used on the lawn or 
in any other location where it is difficult to 
eradicate weeds since nearly all manures con¬ 
tain weed seed in large numbers. 
Loam soils represent the ideal condition for 
best plant growth. Their physical properties 
represent a medium between those of very sandy 
soils and extreme clays. They are not so loose 
and open as to permit excessive movement of 
air and water nor are they dense enough to 
prevent sufficient water movement and proper 
ventilation. 
Soil reactions can be classified into three 
general groups—Acid, Alkaline and Neutral. 
Acid soils oftimes called sour soils occur very 
widely throughout humid regions. Alkaline 
soils on the other hand are general in arid sec¬ 
tions. Most of the plants grown about the home 
prefer a soil which is neither acid nor alkaline, 
such a condition is recognized as neutral. 
[ 2 ] 
