soil

The effects of soil degradation

Soil degradation is an environmental concern that occurs when land becomes less fit for a specific purpose, like crop production. As the soil loses nutrients, namely phosphorous, nitrogen and potassium, crop yields can decline significantly, compounding the problem of food shortages resulting from...

Managing forests to sustain soil biodiversity

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Soil is the foundation of forests. Soils are living, breathing ecosystems! Forest soils provide many essential services: they serve as a place for trees and other plants to grow, store and filter water, cycle nutrients that are essential...

Keeping up with the Cutworms

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu As soil starts to warm and vegetables get in the ground, complaints about cutworms often follow. Minnesota is home to a few species of cutworms, some of which we can track and predict, and others we can’t. Regardless of the species, we...

Cover crops improve soil health, even on a small scale

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Live roots maintain soil structure and provide a diversity of benefits. Have you ever felt like you want to invest in soil health, but it’s hard to know how to apply soil health concepts on a small scale? Cover crops are an important...

Test your soil this spring

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Even though there still may be snow in the forecast, it’s time to think about testing your soil to prepare for summer. Whenever we get questions about fertilizing lawns and gardens at Extension, we always ask if a soil test was done on the...

Getting to the root of sodic soil

Plants often are only as strong as the soil in which they grow. While certain greenery may thrive no matter where it's planted, soil conditions are often key to successful growing. Sodic soil is one condition people may experience at home or in commercial farming operations. Sodic soils, sometimes...

Free soil testing for 100 vegetable farms

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Extension is offering soil testing in high tunnels and fields at 100 vegetable farms across the state. Participants will receive complimentary soil tests that include a basic soil series (texture, organic matter, pH, phosphorus, potassium...

Backyard science: Is your soil healthy?

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Measuring the physical properties of soil Measuring the physical properties of your soil can give you a sense of how healthy your soil is. These measurements are informative, even if you only do them once. But they are also very useful...

Is your soil health improving? Metrics for assessing soil health over time

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu I’ve been participating in a climate resilience planning cohort with 12 farmers, led by Land Stewardship Project. One of the topics that has consistently come up is how we can measure our soil health over time. Evaluation is important,...

Does your soil have a high pH? Fall is the best time to amend it.

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu The ideal pH range for growing fruits and vegetables is 6.0 - 7.0 (with the exception of a few specific plants such as blueberries, which thrive in acidic conditions). Outside of this range, nutrients become less available to your plants,...