# Good soil additive?



## JuiceGoose (Oct 4, 2006)

The wife and I cleared out some land between our house and a creek this year. I would imagine the soil is very fertile because of it being along the creek. Problem I ran into was the soil compaction and inability to hold water well. The first part is going to take time in the tilling department but the soil moisture problem I thought I could help along by adding some organic material. What kind of material would work well as an additive to the soil? I will need at least a yard so something I can get at a soil store. Manure? Hummas? Garden mix? Thanks


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Everything you mentioned is good. Just about any organic material will help. Composted is better. Gypsum works well to loosen compacted soils. Just till it in


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

You can buy a good quality compost at most soil yards .... this will help loosen the yard and allow the roots to go down ...

With being so close to the creek, you might need to think about sand


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## fangard (Apr 18, 2008)

Meadowlark said:


> Everything you mentioned is good. Just about any organic material will help. Composted is better. Gypsum works well to loosen compacted soils. Just till it in


You can rent a plug aerator as well. Once you are done, heavy dusting of gypsum and some sand. will fill in the holes and keep it from getting compacted again. You need beneficial microbes to change the soil profile. Medina Soil activator or agricultural molasses will help.

Earthworms wouldn't hurt either.

Tons of options.

Best of luck.


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## BATWING (May 9, 2008)

You may stop at your local full service feed store with agg products and see about getting a soil sample done. This will tell you exactly what is needed and very cheap to do.

The feed store will give you a bag to put sample in and they can send it off for you.


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## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

Cotton Bur Compost works well to add nutrients and bulk.


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## B-1 83 (Sep 22, 2009)

Ask the Agronomist(TM) says .....

Soil activators are, for the most part, snake oil. The best thing you could do right now for the compaction is to till a bunch of good quality compost in now (a 2-3 ton per acre rate is not too much), then perhaps use a cover crop that is heavy with tap rooted legumes this winter (think: hubam clover). No need to till it ever again if you use the cover crops, compost, mulch, and roundup to keep the weeds out and kill the cover crops. I have seen gypsum used, but you need to be very careful - too much calcium can mess up the soil chemistry (especially when it comes to phosphorus and micronutrients).


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## cva34 (Dec 22, 2008)

*Also*

If mentioned I didn't notice .Need SUN most of day and far enough from trees that roots do not rob your garden of moisture and fertilizer.Take a sharpshooter and run in ground around perimiter to find out and cut.Compost of any like mentioned Cotten burs/mushroom compost/etc.And if tight soil some coarse sand can help too.Get in improvements soon and tilled under so they can mellow by planting time ...cva34


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## swifty (May 13, 2005)

JuiceGoose said:


> The wife and I cleared out some land between our house and a creek this year. I would imagine the soil is very fertile because of it being along the creek. Problem I ran into was the soil compaction and inability to hold water well. The first part is going to take time in the tilling department but the soil moisture problem I thought I could help along by adding some organic material. What kind of material would work well as an additive to the soil? I will need at least a yard so something I can get at a soil store. Manure? Hummas? Garden mix? Thanks


Get a soil analysis instead of guessing. Here is a place to start...http://soiltesting.tamu.edu/.

After that rent an aerator, apply needed components...most of which you can get from organic compost. And for an excellent and *proven* soil activator, try the Medina product called Soil Activator. Research here: http://www.hastagro.com/index1.php


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## B-1 83 (Sep 22, 2009)

To my knowledge, Medina has never been proven by any Land Grant University or USDA research facility to have a measurable effect on the soil. The microbe boosters in it amount to "spitting in the ocean" when compared to the natural ones already out there - especially if compost is in the plans. That's also what my soil microbiology professor always said .... not that he would know anything about it ....

Save your money and use it to buy compost.


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## fangard (Apr 18, 2008)

B-1 83 said:


> Ask the Agronomist(TM) says .....
> 
> Soil activators are, for the most part, snake oil. The best thing you could do right now for the compaction is to till a bunch of good quality compost in now (a 2-3 ton per acre rate is not too much), then perhaps use a cover crop that is heavy with tap rooted legumes this winter (think: hubam clover). No need to till it ever again if you use the cover crops, compost, mulch, and roundup to keep the weeds out and kill the cover crops. I have seen gypsum used, but you need to be very careful - too much calcium can mess up the soil chemistry (especially when it comes to phosphorus and micronutrients).


I disagree with the assessment regarding soil activators. It is really just a name of something designed to do a specific purpose.

IMO, compost is a soil activator.


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