Water-Wise Gardens

Soil Conditioning

Introduction | Planning and Design | Planting a New Garden
Soil Conditioning | Watering Requirements
Limiting Grassy Areas | Fertilizers
Pesticides and Herbicides | Plant Selection
Gardening with Native Plants

A simple soil analysis will determine is improvements need to be made to your soil. If you're using native plants, soil supplements may not be necessary. Some plants prefer not to have too rich a soil. For these plants, loosening the soil is all the preparation that is needed.

Soil Analysis

Take several spoonfuls of soil from your garden and place in a glass jar with a lid. Add 500 ml (2 cups) water. Mix well. After a few hours, check your sample and use the guide below to identify your soil type.

Loam soil: Has a balance of clay, sand and silt particles, and is the ideal soil for all types of gardening.

Sandy soil: Has a larger percentage of sand (approx. 1/3 sand). It can dry out very quickly, is low in organic matter and tends to leach nutrients readily.

Silt soil: Has a larger percentage of silt (approx. 1/3 silt). It is very slow to warm up and dry out in the spring, delaying planting. Organic matter breaks down quickly, and there is a high risk of erosion by wind and rain.

Clay soil: Has a larger percentage of clay (approx. 1/3 clay). It is very slow to warm up and dry out in the spring, delaying planting. It becomes hard and cement-like when dry, and has a high risk of compaction when wet.

Rocks and stones will settle out first, followed by sand, clay and then silt. Organic matter will float on tope or settle as a fine, dark layer over the silt.

Soil Improvements

Whether a soil is sand, clay, silt or loam it can be improved with a generous amount of organic material such as compost, manure, shredded leaves or peat moss. Having organic material in your soil is the key to retaining water, and it won't interfere with soil drainage.

The Region of Peel produces compost through its curbside organics programs. It can be purchased in bulk or bags.

You can also make your own compost.

Mulch

Adding mulch to soil helps reduce moisture loss, control weed growth, keep soil temperatures even, limit reflections from the sun, control erosion and reduce maintenance. Mulch can be either organic, such as bark mulches, bark chips, straw, leaves, and grass clippings, or inorganic, such as rocks or pebbles.