Pine straw being used as mulch in plant bed. Credit: Larry Williams
There is a difference between mulching and amending the soil. Mulching involves placing material such as pine straw, leaves or pine bark on top of the soil. Amending the soil is the incorporation of the material into the soil (in the root area).
Soil amendments and mulch can be organic or inorganic. Most soil amendments are organic (coming from a living organism) such as pine straw or peat moss. A few inorganic (non-living) soil amendments include sand, perlite and vermiculite.
Many common organic soil amendments don’t last long in our soils and climate. Materials such as peat moss decompose rapidly in our sandy soils, under our warm, moist conditions. Microorganisms break the “stuff” down rapidly, once it is in the soil. As a result, the benefits from the additional organic matter are quickly lost unless additional organic matter is repeatedly incorporated within the soil.
Slower decomposing materials such as sawdust or other wood products will last longer. But microorganisms that help decompose wood within the soil use or tie up some of the available plant nutrients such as nitrogen during the decomposition process. So additional nitrogen may need to be added to meet the nitrogen requirements for plants that are growing in the amended soil when wood is used as a soil amendment. Additional nitrogen may be needed until the wood is thoroughly decomposed. This may take months to years based on how well rotted the wood was when incorporated. It’s best to use well-rotted sawdust as a soil amendment. Nitrogen deficiency results in a general light green to yellow color in plant leaves.
Mushroom compost contains a high degree of lime. As a result, it will raise the soil pH, making the soil more alkaline or less acidic. It has its place as a soil amendment but should not be used where “acid loving” plants are to be grown. This would include plants such as centipedegrass, blueberries, azaleas, camellias and gardenias. It’s best to know the soil pH before using mushroom compost to avoid ending up with soil that’s too alkaline for the plants you intend to grow.
There needs to be a reason to amend the soil. Is the soil too heavy and poorly drained such as is the case with clay or muck type soils? Then, you may need to add something such as perlite or sand to “open” the soil to improve drainage. Is the soil sandy with a low pH? Then, you may want to use mushroom compost.
Amending soil for no good reason can be a time consuming and costly mistake.
Even though it’s still 98 degrees outside, it’s the time of the year to be looking ahead to plan a fall garden. With the optimal climate of Northwest Florida, the fall season offers gardeners a time to refresh their plots and prepare for another productive season. Here’s a guide to make the most of the fall gardening season!
Site Prep for Fall Gardens
When transitioning from summer to fall, it is important to prep the area where a new crop will be placed. It’s best to remove all dead material from your spring garden so it will not spread disease or bacteria to the new plants. You also may consider adding nutrients to the soil after it has been tilled for fall vegetables. The best method to know how much to add into the soil is by first taking a soil sample. The soil sample results will show what is readily available for vegetables going in the ground and will give you a baseline of how much fertilizer or organic amendments to add. The fall season is also one of the best times of the year to prioritize soil health. Another way to do this in the off season is to incorporate a cover crop into your gardening regimen. For more information on cover crops please visit: https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2023/10/19/cover-crops-in-the-garden/
UF/IFAS Photo by Tyler Jones.
What Vegetables Do I Plant in the Fall?
The “cool” temperatures of a Florida fall make it very ideal for a variety of cool-season vegetables. Vegetables can be classified a hardy, semi-hardy, and tender based on their abilities to withstand freeze conditions, cold temperatures, or high heat. That is how can put vegetables in warm-season and cool-season groups. Tender vegetables are considered short season and are typically seen in spring and summer months. Examples of tender vegetables are potatoes, tomatoes, and squash. Semi-hardy vegetables are mostly frost-tolerant but cannot withstand freezing temperatures. Examples are carrots, leafy greens like Swiss chard and Bok Choy, peas such as sugar snaps, and celery. Lastly, hardy vegetables are a true cool-season vegetable that is frost-tolerant and can withstand freezing temperatures up to a certain degree. Examples of hardy vegetables are broccoli, cauliflower, kale, onions, and garlic. To find more information on fall vegetables in northwest Florida, please visit: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP451
UF IFAS Photo by Tyler Jones
Fall Garden Maintenance
With the temperatures being cooler in the fall months, your garden vegetables will require less water. It is best to water your garden early in the morning to allow the soil to dry out during the day. Doing this will prevent fungal growth and root rot. Utilizing mulch will also help conserve soil moisture, regulate the soil the temperature from the cool weather, and suppress weeds. Even through the winters are typically mild in Florida, it is still best to have a freeze protection plan for your garden. Using row covers or frost blankets will help shield your garden when the temperatures drop.
As you enjoy your fall garden, planning ahead for winter and spring will also set you up for success. Research what crops will follow best behind your fall harvest and consider starting your seeds indoors to get a head start. By embracing these fall gardening tips, you can enjoy a bountiful harvest and a thriving garden throughout the season. Happy Fall!
Understanding soil composition is crucial for successful gardening. Soil is the slow interaction of parent material with regional climates, topography, and soil biota over millennia. The breakdown of parent materials results in layers of material called horizons. A subset of soil science is dedicated naming soils with similar horizon development. In North Florida, three of these soil types predominate. Near the northern border, we find ultisols, these sandy soils have a higher clay content and are suitable for row crops with proper management. Through the center of the Panhandle counties, you’ll find entisols. These are sandy and undeveloped, thus requiring close attention to irrigation and fertilization. Finally, by the coast are spodisols rife with mineral pockets and known for being waterlogged. All are usable for plant growth, and with little knowledge of cultural practices can make your landscape thrive.
Soil horizons of ultisols Photo: USDA/NRCS
The Panhandle Parent Material
In Florida’s panhandle, the parent material stems from the Citronelle formation transitioning into the Miccosukee formation around Gadsden County. The Citronelle formation consists of unconsolidated quartz (sand), gravel, clay, and mineral deposits from rock formations in the Appalachian Mountains. Clay associated with this formation is the basis for the ultisol concentrations in the northern portion of the state. Alluvial flow or deposits left by rivers washes the sandier particles down into the center portions of the panhandle, and siltier particles flowing to the coast depositing minerals as they settle. The Miccosukee formation is similar but has different textures and particle sizes in the quartz deposits. Knowing where your soils originate will help you understand two major aspects with regard to soil’s physical properties. Those being texture and aggregation.
Soil Texture
Soil, a blend of sand, silt, and clay, is not just the ground you walk on but the very foundation of your garden. These components, deposited in your location through natural processes (as outlined above), have been blended to create a soil unique to your garden. Sand is the largest of these particles, with silt considerably smaller and clay smaller still. This size difference, means there will be air spaces known as pore space within what appears to be a consistent material. These spaces comprise approximately 45% minerals, 25% air, 25% water, and 5% organic matter. Higher sand soils have larger pore spaces which facilitates water flow through that soil profile. What that means for your soil is less water holding capacity and higher losses of nutrients. In contrast, higher clay percentages have smaller pore spaces which coupled with charges at the atomic level are better at holding onto water and nutrients. Understanding your soil texture is key to determining the right timing for irrigation and fertilization while providing insight as to potential aggregation of your soils.
Soil Texture Triangle Photo: USDA
Aggregation
Soil structure is an often overlooked aspect of garden management. Well structured soils resist compaction, hold on to water, and retain plant nutrients. They also provide growth space for roots which have access to the resources they need to fuel healthy plants. Conversely, poor soil structure makes your garden more susceptible to ponding and inhibited plant growth. Soil aggregation is what provides this structure. Aggregation is the conglomeration of soil particles bound through chemical bonds and physical forces bolstered by soil biota. Aggregates form through a few mechanisms both inherent and dynamic. Inherent factors include clay content which form and break with changing moisture levels. Other inherent factors include those minerals inherently present in the soil such as calcium. Dynamic factors include levels of organic matter, and those fauna present in that soil.
Types of soil structures credit: USDA/NRCS
Maintaining Healthy Physical Structures
Many Florida soils are poorly structured which is why they need to be properly managed for homeowners to have successful gardens. Before you can begin to improve your soil, you must understand your soil’s story. Start with testing for compaction by pressing a screwdriver into the ground. If this is difficult, you need to take action to relieve the situation and increase the availability of air in your root zone. Tillage is a good way to do so, but be wary as excessive tilling can lead to higher compaction problems long term. Look into conservation tillage as a methodology to avoid this problem. Perform a jar test to understand the texture of your soil and thus its propensity to develop aggregates. For high sand soils, add organic matter to improve structure. Be careful to add smaller amounts at a time as organic matter has an inherent nutrition load and too much may begin to limit nutrients. Cover crop strategies are a great way to add organic matter while keeping soil covered during non-active growth periods.
Soil improvement and management will take multiple growing seasons. Stick to it and monitor your soil to keep your gardens healthy and thriving. For more information on soil, see these Ask IFAS documents, or contact your local extension agent for additional information on this and any topic regarding your gardens and more.
Vermicomposting is an eco-friendly method for recycling organic waste, improving soil fertility, and boosting plant health. Photo by UF/IFAS.
In a world increasingly focused on sustainability, vermicomposting has quietly emerged as a simple, eco-friendly method to reduce waste and enhance garden soil health. This natural process involves specialized earthworms that convert kitchen and garden waste into nutrient-rich vermicompost, often dubbed “black gold.”
Beyond the environmental benefits, vermicomposting brings tangible advantages to your garden. When integrated into your garden soil, vermicompost enhances soil structure, improving water retention and reducing soil compaction. Moreover, it serves as a slow-release fertilizer, converting nutrients into readily available forms for plant roots. Vermicompost also enriches your soil ecosystem by introducing beneficial microorganisms that help suppress soil-borne pathogens, fostering a healthy environment for your garden and landscape plants.
Finished vermicompost has a crumbly, earthy texture that enhances soil structure, improving its water retention and aeration properties for healthier, more resilient plants. Photo by UF/IFAS.
Below is a summary of the components needed to successfully vermicompost at home.
Worm Bin: Choose a dark-colored, breathable bin that is no deeper than 20 inches. The size of your bin should align with the amount of food waste you produce weekly. As a general guideline, you’ll need approximately 1 sq. ft. of surface area for every pound of weekly food waste. If you’re building a vertical system, consider using three 10-gallon bins, which work well for this purpose.
Worms: You’ll need approximately 1 lb. of Eisenia fetida worm species, which equates to about 1,000 worms, for every 1 sq. ft. of surface area in your bin.
Bedding: Choose moistened carbon-rich organic materials such as newspaper strips with plant-based ink, leaf litter, shredded corrugated cardboard, or coir for bedding. Fill the bin about one-third full of bedding or create a layer no thicker than 6 inches.
Grit: To aid in digestion, mix in one handful of regular soil when you’re starting a new bin.
Food: Worms have a taste for chopped vegetable scraps and most fruits, as well as coffee filters/grounds, leaves, crushed eggshells, and plain grains. As your worm population becomes established, begin feeding them slowly and ensure the food is being consumed before adding more. Smaller food pieces, with greater surface area, are easier for worms to digest. In general, 1 lb. of worms can consume roughly 1/3 lb. of food per day once they are well-established.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s been hot outside. Like really, scorching, hellacious, dog days hot. In this weather pattern we’ve been in, it’s hard to make yourself do non-essential stuff outside that doesn’t involve swimming and so our gardens go by the wayside. In my opinion, that’s totally okay! Give yourself a rest from the garden and landscape chores for the next couple of weeks and get your fall gameplan ready. The following are some things to think about over the next few weeks to prepare yourself for the coming cooler weather!
Soil testing in centipedegrass. Photo courtesy of Daniel Leonard.
Get your soil tested. If you’re an in-ground vegetable gardener or just like to have an attractive lawn/landscape, performing a simple soil test can offer either peace of mind that your soil’s pH and fertility is good or give you a nudge to schedule some needed amendments. Though I don’t recommend fertilizing lawn grass this late and there’s no need to fertilize the garden before it gets planted in mid-late September, you can certainly begin to source and price fertilizer for the appropriate time based on your test results. However, now IS the perfect time to get lime out in a vegetable garden if your pH has sunk beneath the recommended 6.5. Lime takes weeks to months to begin to alter soil chemistry so the sooner the better if it is needed!
Order seeds. While I love to support local farm stores and plant nurseries, you are limited with the vegetable and flower varieties you can plant by what they have in stock. I enjoy trying new/improved and heirloom plant varieties each year and, most of the time, these can only be found by ordering online. For the latest in vegetable and cut flower varieties with a nice mix of heirloom cultivars thrown in also, I can recommend Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Seed Savers Exchange, and other similar purveyors – all of these are great places to look. Continue to purchase your more common standbys through local outlets but, this year get different and try new things by ordering online!
Develop a garden/landscape plan. I doubt there’s a gardener amongst us who wouldn’t like to rearrange things a bit outside. Maybe you planted your lettuce a little too closely together last year, you’ve been dreaming of installing a new flower bed, or you really want to do a full garden/landscape renovation. The best way to be successful at any of these things is to get outside (or at least look out from behind a window in the A/C), take stock of what is already there, the space that is or might be available, research what plants or varieties might do well in your yard/garden (your local UF/IFAS Extension office is a great resource for this), and begin to sketch your ideas out. This planning step WILL save you time and money by ensuring you don’t purchase too many plants, by picking plants that will do well, and ensuring you install everything at the correct time.
So, take advantage of the heat, stay inside, and work up your garden gameplan together this August – fall is just around the corner. For help with soil testing, recommendations on plant varieties to purchase, or working up a garden/landscape plan tailored to you, contact your local UF/IFAS County Extension Office. Stay cool and happy gardening!
It is mid-summer with temperatures outside in the 90’s plus, so you may wonder why article on landscape installation considerations during this time of year. It simply is an excellent time for planning and preparing for fall and winter site prep and planting well before it arrives, reducing a time crunch when it is time to plant.
Think healthy plants for our Northwest Florida settings, proper preparation of the site before planting, and many other points to be successful with establishing a landscape that will be enjoyed by all. This article will address the use of woody ornamental plants, but many things discussed can be applied to perennials and annuals as well.
Before starting, make sure to do your homework not only on the plants and placement in the landscape, but any county, city, or homeowner association requirements to work within. Many neighborhoods have review committees for these approvals. This commitment by you when purchasing property and a home can be a part of the closing papers during the purchase. If you are required to submit for an approval before work can begin you might want to consider consulting with a professional landscape company to assist in this process. Always ask for references and sites you can visit before securing services.
Site preparation can be a afterthought, with limited funding focused on this critical area, but properly addressing it leads to healthy, vigorous plant establishment and future growth. Understanding the site from soil type and drainage, size of area, sunlight, water availability, plus needs of prospective plants goes a long way to being successful. If there are plants already established on site that may be worth keeping, be sure to include them in the consideration. Determining soil drainage, moisture retention that would be available to plants, soil pH and structure will also go a long way to determining the type of plants that work best for the site. If, for example, your site does not drain well and holds higher levels of water in the root zone area (top 12″ of soil), consider plants that grow well in wet settings. The next steps are determining soil pH and nutrient needs for general landscape plant growth performance. Many plants thrive in slightly acidic soil (pH 6.0 to 7.0 range) while others grow best in moderately acidic settings (pH 5.0 to 6.0 range). Contact your local UF IFAS Extension office in your county for additional information.
The landscape site brings other considerations for plants to flourish, involving space and light. Space should be considered both above and below ground. With the above ground area, is there room for the limbs to expand in width and height? If pruning is required to manage the size, considering another plant may be a viable option. Next is the root growth and expansion opportunity for the plant. If the root area is limited in space, other options may need to be considered to mitigate compacted soils or pavement areas. Adding raised beds for better soil drainage and increased root growth room may be an option. Be sure to know your soil type and use a similar soil with characteristic that match the existing soil. If you do not, there can be incompatibility that leads to a hard pan layer between the soils reducing potential root zone establishment.
The desire to develop and establish an enjoyable landscape for all to appreciate can be a challenge, but a positive one. As a reminder, call and go visit with your local UF IFAS Extension office, there is great research information available for the asking. Enjoy your gardening experience.
