Characteristics of infertile soil

Soil infertility occurs when there is a physical or chemical problem that impedes its ability to stimulate healthy plant growth. When your soil becomes infertile due to a problem in its physical structure, this limits the plant’s access to water and oxygen.

Pollution. Continuous use of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and insecticides plays a significant role in soils being unproductive and barren. The above contaminants adversely affect the soil and the microorganisms found in the soil and should only be applied to your lawn on the recommendation of a professional.

Soil Fertility Problems From Erosion

As the topsoil erodes, the soil nutrients decrease, and soil quality and structure decline. The soil is also limited in its ability to hold water. With limited topsoil, plants reach down into the subsoil. In many cases, the subsoil is inhospitable to plant roots.

Soil fertility can be further improved by incorporating cover crops that add organic matter to the soil, which leads to improved soil structure and promotes a healthy, fertile soil; by using green manure or growing legumes to fix nitrogen from the air through the process of biological nitrogen fixation; by micro-dose

The basic method for measuring soil fertility consists of mixing a soil sample with water and chemically extracting the N, P, and K as nitrate, phosphate, and potassium. The N, P, and K amounts in the sample are determined by comparing the solution to a color chart.

You can increase the amount of organic matter in your soil by adding compost, aged animal manures, green manures (cover crops), mulches or peat moss. Because most soil life and plant roots are located in the top 6 inches of soil, concentrate on this upper layer.