Johnsons's Garden Centers Text File document - copyright 2007 PDF file available at http://www.johnsonsgarden.com/newsletter/soilmulch.html Organic Based Soil Amendments and Fertilizers April / May 2007 Marty Johnson, President & Kansas Certified Nursery Professional Spring, like no other time of the year, affords us the opportunity to build up and improve the condition of our soil. And there are certain steps you can take each spring to keep your soil in good shape. First and foremost is the need for adding organic matter to your soil. This one step will go a long way in making you a better gardener with happier plants. There are lots of options out there. Let's review some of them with their benefits for your soil. Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss This is decomposed sphagnum moss. Its large cell structure enables it to absorb air and water like a sponge. Although peat moss does not contain nutrients, it absorbs nutrients added to or present in the soil, releasing them over time as the plants require. This saves valuable nutrients which are otherwise lost through leaching. Gard'n-Wise Cotton Boll Compost When properly composted, cotton bolls are a natural fertilizer with a protein content of approximately 35%. This makes Cotton Boll Compost an excellent food source for the beneficial soil organisms that help make nutrients available to plants, aerate the soil, and help to combat harmful organisms and diseases. The outstanding ability of Cotton Boll Compost to loosen tight, clay soils has long been common knowledge in states where cotton is grown. Cotton Boll Compost also has excellent moisture retention characteristics and unlike peat moss, accepts and retains water easily. Gard'n-Wise Choice Blend This product is specifically formulated for roses. Choice Blend combines the proven results of fine screened Cotton Boll Compost with composted cattle manure, cottonseed meal, feather meal, alfalfa meal and sulfur. Back to Nature Chicken Manure Unlike many so-called "bargain" manures that contain filler material, our Composted Chicken Manure is 100% fully composted chicken manure. It has been aerobically composted at temperatures approaching 160 degrees for over four months. Low in moisture content and salts, it's nearly odor free. Chicken manure is a natural fertilizer and important food source for beneficial soil organisms. These organisms help to make nutrients available to plants, aerate the soil, and help to keep harmful organisms and pathogens in check. Father Dom's Duck's Doo Compost Weed-seed free and made entirely of recycled duck poop, cranberries, rice hulls, wood shavings, pickles and vanilla beans, Duck's Doo Compost is surprisingly sweet smelling. You could say it's "heaven scent!" Duck's Doo is an award winning soil conditioner that can be used in vegetable and flower gardens, tree and shrub plantings, and lawn seeding and sodding projects. The condition of the soil will determine how much to use. Father Dom's Duck's Doo Compost is also useful for indoor gardening. It can be used in potting soils for houseplants or in soil mixes for starting flower and vegetable seeds. Father Dom's Duck's Doo Compost should be mixed with other materials, such as potting mix, perlite and vermiculite, for indoor gardening purposes. Natural Guard Soil Activator with Humates Much of the humic acid substances available today originated from prehistoric plant tissue that has been subjected to millions of years of bacterial activity, pressure and heat. This activity creates an extremely rich compost-like material that supplies a large number of needed nutrients and micro-nutrients that are missing from more traditional plant fertilizers. Humates are an important element to any natural growing environment and have been accepted by agricultural scientists as necessary for plant health for over 150 years. Natural Guard Soil Activator is 100% humates and makes an excellent additive to traditional fertilizers, improving fertilizer effectiveness by making it more easily absorbed by plants. Because dry humic acid powder is mostly water-soluble it can be easily added to plant soil to restore depleted soil to a rich organic substance. Gard'n-Wise Organic Earthalizer This 100% organic, alfalfa-based fertilizer pretty much has it all. It is safe to use around children (and adults), pets and is great for indoor or outdoor use. Each pellet contains both major and micro-nutrients, minerals, sugars, humates, seaweed and carbon. Earthalizer contains no manure or rendered animal products. This product will build humus, soil tilth and increase water holding capacity. It contains triacontanol, a naturally occurring plant hormone that acts as a growth promoter and raises plant yield by improving photosynthesis and cell division.