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Fertilizers, Pest Control and Soil Management
Organic Gardening

The Solution for Clay Soils: Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Compost™

If you are looking for a long-term cure for hard clay soils with poor drainage, look no further. Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Compost™ is the all-natural and organic permanent solution!

First, let’s examine what the problem really is. Dense clay is the prevailing soil type in much of the Western United States. So what’s wrong with clay? Actually, the tiny mineral particles that make up clay are rich in many plant nutrients. Unfortunately, clay is formed by these particles binding together both chemically and physically into a mass so dense water can barely penetrate it. Additionally, water is “bound” so tightly to clay that plant roots are unable to absorb it. And, of course, soil nutrients must be dissolved in water before plants can use them. Lastly, the dense nature of clay makes it difficult for plant roots to penetrate and expand into the soil, resulted in “stunted” root systems that limit the growth potential of the entire plant. When clay is broken apart by rototilling or spading, it quickly reconstitutes itself into a dense mass once again.

The trick to converting clay into wonderful, healthy garden soil and keeping it that way is adding Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Compost™ at the time of tilling. Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Compost™ is made from a base of composted forest humus containing redwood and fir bark. These materials are known to be among the longest lasting in a soil environment, taking up to seven years to completely break down. The wood and bark materials in Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Compost™ are specially ground and screened to uniform, 3-dimensional 1⁄8” X 1⁄4” particles. Although a bit more expensive, this process creates a product far superior to 2-dimensional shavings, “bark dust”, sawdust, or peat moss fibers. These organic bits act as tiny sponges wedging themselves between the particles of clay, allowing water and air to penetrate. When the clay in the soil is held apart like this, plant roots can penetrate and extract the water and dissolved nutrients, while the porous compost particles act as air and water “reservoirs”.

How much Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Compost™ is enough? It depends on the severity of your clay problem. As a rule, for heavy soils we recommend adding it at a rate of 50% of the depth you are cultivating. For example, if you are tilling 6” deep, add 3” of Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Compost™ and till it in thoroughly. If the soil still feels dense and “sticky”, add more until it is crumbly and loose. In subsequent seasons, mulching and light tilling with Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Compost™ will maintain this excellent soil texture indefinitely. That’s all there is to it!

Solving the clay problem and improving soil texture is not the only thing Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Compost™ does for your garden. It also contributes valuable nutrients and pH adjusters to your soil. Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Compost™ is fortified with all-natural and organic nutrients. A special combination of chicken manure, worm castings and bat guano contributes both fast and slow release forms of nitrogen for quick but lasting results. These plus kelp meal also replenish important micronutrients and trace minerals in depleted soils. The pH is adjusted (with oyster shell and dolomite lime) to a slightly acidic 6.5, ideal for most planting applications. As a bonus, these pH adjusters provide significant levels of Calcium and Magnesium, both essential for healthy plant growth.

And don’t forget that Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Compost™ makes an excellent mulch and is unsurpassed as a lawn seed cover for both new and reseeded lawns.

Why wait? Try Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Compost™ in your garden today and see the difference yourself.

Skylights Autumn 2007 Vol 22, No. 3

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