Soils, Fertilizers, and Soil Amendments

At the end of this unit, the student will be able to: • Describe characteristics of a typical landscape soil and how it differs from native or agricultural soils. • Describe how soil organisms directly and indirectly benefit the soil and plant growth. • Describe management practices effective in nurturing soil organisms. • Describe the relationship between soil texture, structure, pore space, and tilth. • Describe effective management practices for sandy soils, clayey soils, and decomposed granite rocky soils. • Describe effective management practices to prevent and reduce soil compaction. • Describe considerations in selecting soil amendments. • Describe considerations in selecting mulch