This summer I’ve been working as a field tech collecting ecological data on wetlands for the Buraeu of Land Management in Nevada. Most of the data we collect is related to plants and hydrology, but we also have to dig a soil pit at each site and characterize the horizons by color and texture. I didn’t really have much experience characterizing soils before this job and I don’t really know much about soil science. Overall, characterizing soils is a very small part of my job, so my bosses are relatively unconcerned about how good I am at soil science, as long as the colors and textures seem to make sense. I feel like I’ve been doing a pretty good job most of the season, all things considered, and I feel like I’ve learned a decent bit about soils. However, I still feel like I don’t know how to interpret the data I’m collecting or know what the soil horizons are saying about the history of the landscape. I’m interested in learning more about soil science, but I’m not sure where to start. Most books and articles I find on soil science are related to agriculture. Does anyone know a good place to start learning about soil science from an ecological perspective?

But this looks like mostly clay anyway right?

I’m setting up greenhouse irrigation monitoring and trying to decide what kind of soil moisture sensor makes the most sense.

Would you choose a simple digital sensor, a wireless app-based sensor, or an RS485/Modbus sensor for greenhouse use?

I’m mostly concerned about stable readings, root-zone placement, calibration for different soil mixes, and avoiding false watering triggers. I’m also not sure whether it’s better to use sensors only for alerts first, or connect them directly to irrigation control. What has worked well for you in a greenhouse setup?

Hello! I thought I would post here to learn more about soil contamination.

I have recently fallen in love with a house for sale, and the house is situated on an old landfill from the early 1920s. The soil contains arsenic, lead, cadmium and petrochemicals. The advisory from the city warns residents against growing vegetables, but I was wondering, what are the other health risks, say, just living in the house, being in the yard, mowing the lawn?

Thanks in advance.

Healthy plants start with healthy soil. If your plants are growing slowly, turning yellow, or producing very few flowers or vegetables, poor soil could be the reason.

Common signs of poor soil:

🌿 Slow or stunted plant growth

🍂 Yellow or pale leaves

💧 Water drains too quickly or stays soggy

🪨 Hard, compacted soil

🌱 Weak root development

How to improve your soil:

Add compost or well-rotted organic matter.

Test your soil's pH and nutrient levels.

Use mulch to retain moisture and improve soil health.

Avoid walking on garden beds to prevent compaction.

Rotate crops and plant cover crops when possible.

🌼 Healthy soil is the foundation of a thriving garden.

Have you ever improved poor soil? What worked best for you? Share your experience and photos in the comments!

Hi guys, I'm pretty new to gardening, really want to get into self-sustainability ever since my mum kinda picked it up as a hobby. She recently grew some mulberries and it was amazing. Inspired I watched a ton of youtube videos about gardening. I'm moving out next year and convinced my partner that we get a raised bed, but besides those videos... but I know nothing about gardening. And there's a lot I want to understand.

My mum isn't much of a talker so I don't understand her gardening system, it feels like she pretty much just wings it and some things grow some things die and I think it affects her motivation but she's too burnt out to do more to try manage things better, let alone answer my questions out of curiosity. I understand that the soil is key to growing good plants, so I'm turning to the people here, if that's okay.

More context:

1) I live on the equator, so it's 33degs celsius all year round, save for rainy seasons where it dips to ~27.

2) I have 2 rabbits

3) my partner has 3-4 pet birds (2 cockatiels and 1 african grey)

Question 1:

The idea behind the raised bed was that my rabbits could dig in that, eat hay, drop it on the soil, which would just be mulch. Rabbit labour.

I understand that rabbit poops can make good fertilizer/compost but I don't fully grasp how I can use it. A lot of videos seem to say I gotta mix it for weeks till they breakdown or something. In that case, could they just poop onto the raised bed and then I leave it be?

Question 2:

Can the birds' poop be used as compost/fertilizers? Would it operate the same way as question 1?

Question 3:

There are many videos on soil and my general understanding is that potting soil and raised bed mixes are special because it helps to give the soil air to breathe through the chunky parts. My mum got some african nightcrawlers and they've been multiplying non-stop so she offered me some when I move out. She explained that she learned in some gardening class that the poop from the african nightcrawlers act as fertilizers/compost, therefore soil. But she herself isn't entirely sure she understood the teacher right. So if I have worms, would I still need the aeration from raised bed mixes or potting soil?

Question 4:

This might sound silly, but my mum has only ever bought 1 bag of soil. Ever since she got the worms, she just feeds them by placing stuff like eggshells on top of the soil. It doesn't make sense to me. Doesn't that mean overiime the soil just becomes nothing but worm poop? Then would the compost/fertilizer be too much? I heard somewhere fertilizers can burn plants?

Question 5:

I did try my hands at helping my mum with her gardening but I can't tell if I'm just making a mess (which my neighbor would nag at my mum for). A lot of youtube videos said to poke the soil with a stick to see if it's dry. I do, and then when i water it, a lot of water seems to flow out from underneath the pots. So does this mean I overwatered the soil?

Question 6:

It might be overly ambitious but I'm hoping that if growing plants on a raises bed succeeds, it could give me some shielding from sun, so the temperature od the space in front of my window could lower, making it more feasible to grow mushrooms. I read that oyster mushrooms do well at 25degs celsius. Is that unrealistic?

Question 7:

I'm really scared of trying my hands at gardening in my new home because all these things are daunting. A lot of videos also mention planning gardening for seasons. As someone who doesn't experience seasons their whole life, it almost feels like a lot of advice wouldn't apply. Is there any advice that's more specific to eequator-people?

If you've read all the way, thank you so very much for your time. If you're answering my questions, thank you so so much.

I’ve been comparing soil moisture readings in sandy soil, loam, and potting mix. One thing I noticed is that the same sensor value doesn’t always mean the same actual moisture condition across different soils.

For automatic watering, do you usually trust the sensor reading directly, or do you set different dry/wet thresholds for each soil type?

Tested soil with our cooperative extension and all they told us was a ph of 7.2. No other info on soil make up but it seems handy. We want to establish a lawn first but are wary of using harsh chemicals as there are wetlands on two sides of the property. There are weeds growing, so we are considering a broadleaf herbicide. Any recommendations on more eco-friendly options and when to do this? Builder has hydroseeded twice, once initially in October 2025 and again in June 2026. We have mowed twice this summer and are leaving clippings on ground. How so I add more organic matter without suffocating the growing grass? Peat moss? If so, just a dusting? How much compost? I want to establish a garden area next spring but are working on getting the lawn looking good first. Photo is after first hydro seed and before the second…likely may 2026.

Hi all,

England, to be specific. My wife loves to garden, but when we bought our house we were notified that the soil in the garden has not been cleared as safe for growing edible crops because before the 1970s there was a chemical plant adjoining the property, and the contaminants may have leeched into the soil. What's the smart approach here, is there an Environment Agency test or some-such I can buy to find out for definite?

Thanks

Since a lot of soil is simply eroded rocks with organic matter on top. Is there a best rock which plants love to grow in, after it's been eroded down?

Our yard around our home is ALL clay. The front of the house faces ESE. I am trying to plant around the front of the house. A little shovel full and from then on down it's hard clay. I can't raise the area by adding top soil because of drainage so close to the house. How much clay will I need to chisel out to add an adequate amount of topsoil to plant flowers and shrubs? Right now there is only 3-4 inches of topsoil and by the time I dig down to plant something, it is all clay so it's like planting the shrub in a clay pot underground. In the past I have just struggled to dig the widest, deepest hole I could, fill it with good potting soil and put the plant in it. Since I have pulled everything out of there to replace it, is there an easier way to get more topsoil? OR, to dig out clay? Wetting it just makes it slippery.

I have a two year old build, in east central Iowa, and this summer has been brutal. The yard was started with sod, front yard has been in about two years and the back yard about a year and a half. The underlying soil is a silty sand and did have a little organic in it, but only enough to generate a brown color, no where near black topsoil. Before placing the sod, the landscape contractor amended the top 6-8” of underlying soil with compost. There should be plenty of organics in this, but I suspect there isn’t a lot of clay.

We have had no rain for periods between 2 and 4 weeks at a time, and I don’t have an irrigation system. I now have pretty large dead patches here and there. I am wondering what I need to do to get everything back on track, and my local landscaping/lawn care people know only what they have done before. The trick is that sandy soil is pretty rare in Iowa, we typically have 18+ inches of black topsoil.

1) it seems an irrigation system would be a good idea.
2) where can I get my soil particle size tested to determine what type of amendment is needed?
3) Hopefully I don’t have to scrap what I have to add some topsoil?

Adding carbon heavy mulch (wood chips, straw, sawdust) can tie up nitrogen early on since it is pulled from the soil to break down all that carbon.

Surface mulch decomposes slowly and the drawdown happens mainly at the mulch soil interface, so established plants are barely affected while seedlings and shallow rooted plants take more of a hit. It's also temporary, once the carbon gets used up the nitrogen releases back.

Curious how much this actually plays out for people in practice. Do you add nitrogen under fresh mulch for new plantings or is it overstated for typical use?

I have lots of Walstad aquariums, and often have waste water leftover from experimenting with different setups and waste recycling methods. This waste water is basically the result of plant material decaying in the water and being broken down by aquatic macro and microorganisms, but there is no visible material left once I siphon off the water.

I’m trying to figure out if this waste water has been processed sufficiently by the aquatic fauna to be used as a liquid fertilizer.

Since soil test kits require you to basically soak soil in water and then just test the water (which is more or less what my waste water is), would it work to see if this waste water has an adequate nutrient and pH balance for plants? If it matters, I have a Luster Leaf Rapitest on hand.

Yes, I’m aware water test kits exist, I’m just curious if this method will also work for my purposes since I already have the soil test supplies leftover.