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how to be a gardener - The complete online guide BBC Homepage Lifestyle Gardening Part One Part Two Are you signed in? Go here for more information Know your plot Assessing your plot Analysing your soil Soil types Soil ph Drawing a survey Test your knowledge Go further Plant lists Interactives Glossary Credits Programme information Help with plugins Gardening newsletter Site map
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1 - Analysing your soil Print page
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Soil Soil is far from dull stuff. It is made up of humus (organic matter) and three different types of particle: clay, silt and sand. It provides a plant with an anchor for its roots, its water and its nutrients. Did you know? When you look at a border, all you see is 'topsoil' . Dig down 30cm to 60cm (1ft to 2ft) and things change. You’ll see a clear boundary between the topsoil and ‘subsoil’ – mucky stuff that plants won’t grow in. In some new gardens, especially on estates built on heavy soils, that clay subsoil from footings etc, has been spread over the natural topsoil and then covered with a few inches of indifferent topsoil and then turfed . It’s worth checking because if the topsoil layer is only a few centimetres thick, subsoil can cause problems:
The 'old faithful' - manure But don’t despair, reach for the ‘old faithful’ - (well-rotted) bulky organic manure - and you can improve things greatly. Watch the clip Find out more about the origins of soil and the benefits of organic manure . Previous next
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1. Know your plot Introduction Assessing your plot Analysing your soil Soil types Soil ph Drawing a survey Test your knowledge Go further
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Plant lists
Plant lists Plants for different soil types: Plants for clay soil Plants for sandy soil Plants for silty soil Plants for acid soil Plants for alkaline soil Plants for loamy soil Find thousands more plants in the BBC Gardening database .
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Video Soil, what's it all about? The origins of soil Organic manure
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Interactive Test your knowledge of planting in different lighting conditions . Or find out how to test your soil . (External) Requires Flash 5 About the BBC | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy Explore the BBC
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