This involves soil testing and understanding how to adjust soil properties. A soil test indicates what nutrients are in the soil and what nutrients are needed. A soil analysis from NCDA lists the amount of nutrients in your soil and gives recommendations for improving the nutrients for landscape plants. After the initial soil test, you should analyze your soil every three to five years to make sure that your fertilizer program is on target. The effectiveness of fertilizer applications depends on soil properties such as texture, organic matter content, drainage, and pH. Soil particles are grouped by size and designated as sand, silt, or clay.
Sand is the largest particle size, and clay is the smallest.
Soils contain different proportions of sand, silt, and clay that make up the soils' specific texture. In general, soil textures with a greater portion of silt and clay retain more water and nutrients than those soils composed mostly of sand particles. Soil organic matter also influences soil productivity. In general, organic matter increases both the water and nutrient holding capacity of a soil. Organic matter additions to soil may also provide nutrients as they decompose or increase the tilth of the soil by amending or modifying the soil structure to promote water infiltration and root penetration.