Solve your dirt dilemmas at soil seminar

Are your plants expressing leaf scorch, tip burn, are sickly yellow, stunted and showing signs of water stress? You may have a salt buildup or a high pH soil, according to Sal Ramirez of Gro-Well Brands. Ramirez has been in the fertilizer and soils business for years and has become an expert in problem solving.

Our soils are notoriously difficult and nutrient poor. Ramirez will help correct your dirt dilemmas, showing you organic ways to solve those issues. The program's at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd. Call 822-7700 for reservations.

Ramirez encourages you to bring a soil sample so he can test its pH and salts, which are two major problems in our soils. He'll give suggestions to overcome them and turn your yard into a Garden of Eden.

To gather soil for testing, do the following to get accurate results:

■ Divide your garden into grids.

■ Take a pint of soil from each grid, going at least five inches down.

■ Do not skim off the topsoil, because that's where the salts are.

■ Place all samples in one container and thoroughly mix together.

■ Take about a quart of soil from the composite sample.

■ Bring the sample to the seminar for evaluation.

If you have a troublesome spot where nothing grows, bring a sample from that area also.

Here are some organic fertilizers Ramirez recommends. The percent of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium follows each product.

Blood meal (13-0-0): It's a slow-release, long-lasting source of nitrogen from dried animal blood. It gives plants luxurious deep green growth, something our plants need.

Bone meal (5-15-0): It's coarsely ground bones used as a slow-release source for phosphorous. Since it doesn't move in soils, apply it before planting. It helps develop roots, buds, flowers, fruit and seeds.

Cottonseed meal (6-2-1): It's an excellent source of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, along with numerous minor elements that release slowly for long-lasting growth, beauty and productive plants.

Seaweed or kelp (1-0-1.5): It comes from large deposits of seaweeds found in the oceans. It stimulates root and shoot growth and improves overall plant vigor, flower set, microbial activity and tolerance to stress.

Fish emulsion (5-1-1): It enriches soil with nutrients becoming readily available for microbial activity and root growth. It's a fast-acting foliar fertilizer high in nitrogen.

We've all heard the story about Indians teaching pilgrims how to fertilize corn by burying fish with the corn. Whether true or not, it is a fantastic organic fertilizer.

Alfalfa meal (3-2-2): It invigorates microbial activity because of the nitrogen in it. It decomposes rapidly, making it an excellent soil conditioner but is slow acting and often is used instead of blood meal.

Corn gluten meal (9-0-0): It's a byproduct of corn. It contains a slow-release form of nitrogen, an essential nutrient that turns plants green over a long period of time, without pushing unhealthy growth. It's also a natural crabgrass-control herbicide.

Collectively, organic fertilizers break down slowly, feed soil to feed plants, encourage earthworms and last a long time.

But these organic products are expensive because they are low in nutrients and it takes a lot to do the job. In addition, as more gardeners learn about them, demand increases, sending the cost even higher.

Some gardeners combine organic fertilizers to get the most out of them.

We now have a new class of organic fertilizers on nursery shelves, too. They provide the basic nutrients for plant growth, improve soil-building properties, but are fortified with other products to obtain higher nutrient analysis and are environmentally friendly. Examples are Miracle-Gro and Peter's Mix

Square foot gardening

Sustainable gardening is on the rise. There is increasing evidence for eliminating chemicals to benefit your health, as well as the environment. Amending soils organically increases the nutrition of your food.

With this in mind, while at this seminar, you'll be introduced to square foot gardening. It is a simple, versatile system adapted to all levels of experience, physical ability and geographical location. You'll grow all you want and need in 20 percent less space than conventional gardens. You'll save time, water, work, money and heavy digging. For those who want to learn even more, there's an in depth class on square foot gardening at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 7 at the Springs Preserve.

Linn Mills writes a garden column each Sunday. You can reach him at linn.mills@springspreserve.org or call him at 822-7754.