Hear me out, this is the easiest and best soil test. Step 1. Grab 1 handful of soil Step 2. SMELL IT. If it doesn't smell at all, you have bad soil. If it smells EARTHY, you have great soil. 😅😂🌱
@@joewil1441 if its not obvious, fix it with adding more organic material. #1 you are not growing ANYTHING in sand. #2 you are not growing ANYTHING in clay. #3 If you're worried about the ph then you definitely not doing something right. Garantee you go out to your backyard and grab a handful of soil, you'll know instantly if its good soil or not.
Soil Scientist here! Great stuff!! Fun thing about this test is that you can look up various tables which give you a relation to particle size and time to settle. So, you can also roughly determine the size/shape of your various clay types, giving you further insight into what’s really going on. Additionally, the colloidal particles will not settle, so at the end, you get an idea of how much colloidal clay you have, which can be helpful
Hey soil scientist! I have a question- My soil is naturally almost black, which is what I've been taught as being "good rich soil", but can soil be "too rich"?
@@PatienceMarie88 generally, no. “Too rich” is only a concern after intense intervention via human or animal interactions. Too much manure and/or fertilizer, in other words. Black soils have very high organic matter (OM) content, which is generally a very good thing. I can go into more detail about where color comes from in soil, and what that can indicate for a particular soil, if you want. Suffice to say, blacks soils are high in OM and relatively low or moderate amount of clay. Great for plants, especially seedlings! That being said, soil color alone does not indicate whether or not your plants will be prone to diseases/pests, or if there are particular nutrient deficiencies. It is generally a good sign, but does not give any specific information in terms of fertility and soil health. That would require a full soil test and DNA analysis to understand. Even then, it’s difficult to make very specific predictions about plant growth and health. That requires experience growing that crop in that area with consistent management protocols. You can only know for sure in hindsight, observation and record keeping is your best friend when gardening!
@@kylenmaple4668So based on your text the conclusion is that your elaborate soil science can not give better answers than just experimenting on field? I assume the price tag of this scientific analysis shows more than two zeros...
@@tonisee2 I don’t know exactly what you mean by “better”, but I will assume that you mean something like “having more predictive accuracy”. In this sense, no, a single soil test will not provide as much predictive power as a laymen field analysis and 1-2 years of experience growing a particular crop in a particular area with a particular management protocol. There are many other factors besides soil quality that influence how well a plant grows. The study of plant growth and cultivation would be encompassed by botany, horticulture and agronomy, along with soil science, biology, chemistry, physics…. There are even specific “crop sciences” related to each crop. Agriculture is very complex to understand and predict, despite the observed simplicity of growing a plant (just add water, duh 😆). The price of a soil test is usually around $50-$100, maybe a bit more depending. And it will provide you with a robust framework to make decisions about your soil management. We provide you with relevant data that would normally not be available. This ultimately allows you to skip a lot of trial and error, saving time, money and effort. With a proper understanding of soil and plant management, it will allow you to reach a specific goal faster than simply experimenting blindly. I personally think a soil test is less relevant at small scares rather than at larger scales. Unfortunately, soil science is a broad and complex field that cannot make strict and specific predictions in the real world, and struggles to do so theoretically as well. It is a relatively new field, maybe 50-60 years old at this point. There is much we do not understand, and the majority of effort is being put towards experimental data collection, rather than creating predictive models. As such, the predictions and frameworks that are presented inevitably lack detail and will be wrong to a significant extent, simply due to a lack of understanding. This is no secret, soil science at large does not aim to make highly accurate predictions, with the exception of soil engineering where soil is treated as a physical medium with purely physical properties (much easier to understand and predict). Hope that all makes sense
As a soil scientist I'm excited you shared this! Great lesson, experiment and method! People tend to get apprehensive about their soils but this helps simplify understanding. Needless to say other tests may be needed for specifics but with time soil remediates naturally with a little help like you said. Awesome!
Yes, other things may need to be done to understand the health of your soil but knowing the structure to provide the ideal home for roots and microbes is where it starts! Glad you enjoyed it 🌱
Very interesting, found out that our soil is 95% clay, which is a nightmare for the gardener. However, since we have a permaculture vegetable garden I plant everything into compost, then covered with wood chips. Everything grows like wildfire needing no herbicides, fertilisers or pesticides (companion planting ftw!). No tilling is required either (we use a grelinette to air the soil) and we make our own compost from a huge variety of ingredients. Turning every 30 days or so is key to good, fast compost. We're in growing region 9 and water retention is awesome, as is weed prevention. And stuff just grows. Keep up the great videos!
Love this comment and everything that you are doing, keep it up! I did a think layer of mulch years ago and weeds still come back with a vengene every year. got any tips?
Where I live in Texas it's Clay. We owned Garden Center for over 70 years and Grandpa would say put a $1 plant in a $10 hole which meant additives because it's hard to grow stuff in clay
I just add composted leaves and worm castings on top of a carboard and paper layer no matter what the soil is because you literal can't add too much, it has every nutrient and micro nutrient known to science and it's perfectly balanced and available for the plants to use. It's also almost 100% free.
If you have healthy soil on your property there should be zero need to add worm castings. The worms should naturally be there producing their own castings.
@@elementalbioremediationinc21 But if they're not? Adding them helps. Even if the soil's good, you can add them to get the kids involved! Fun. 🌱🐛👍
Hey, thank you so much, bro.This just helped me out so much. I'm actually having complications in my garden. I believe you just explained the. Reason why thanks brotha i appreciate you.
😂I already know mine too. 50 feet deep of beach sand, no rocks, no clay, no silt. With goat manure and wood chips added. And, I am probably 20 miles from the ocean. It’s an old beach.
It’s also important to test the ph. You can get a device from a hardware store that is accurate enough. The correct ph range is critical. It’s relatively easy to adjust once you know what it is.
@@earthnailsandtails That’s why I said that it’s also important. At the end you said that once you know, you know what you need so that your plants can thrive. For plants to thrive, you also need the correct PH, along with other things like organics. There isn’t a rule that people can only comment on the things discussed in a video. It’s a short so it’s logical to conclude that you aren’t covering everything related to soil science and plant health. I wasn’t correcting you, I was adding to the discussion. It is useful information.
Do t forget the loam and peat aggregate and it'd be good to do a water test on it to see how well it absorbs water. I did soil testing in HS for AG science class.
I Don't need to test my ground soil.... I got 100% silica sand lmfao... I might have some other stuff, but it's basically sand. Now for my self-made garden beds this could be a cool experiment to test how well I amend my beds... Thank you!
Is that laundry detergent or dishWASHER detergent? Ive never seen powdered dish detergent but I have powdered dushwasber detergent. i want to tell my brotber about this.
Good soil actually contains lots of organic matters, including breaking down tiny pieces of wood, grasses, leaves and so on which most of them float! Also, good soil contains lots of organism, such as earth worms, pest bug larvae... pest bug larvae they are also a part of healthy eco system. You can tell the soil is good or not without touching the soil, just have a good look of what are growing and how these plants their health! For example, if acid loving plants thriving in your garden, I 100% guarantee that your soil is acidic! You also can use Hydrangea flower color to check the soil pH without digging and wasting your time.
WOULD THIS BE SUFFICIENT TEST TO GIVE AN ENGINEER TO DRAW UP PLANS FROM THE RESULTS TO BUILD A RETAINING WALL? OF COURSE I WOULD DO MANY SOIL JAR TESTS IN MULTIPLE AREAS DIGGING AT DIFFERENT DEPTHS.
WOW..that jar must be "millions" of years old, look at the sedimentary layers! Kinda makes you want to rethink the grand canyon! Think on it for a while. They had that same separation when mt st helens blew and collapsed, one afternoon= "millions of years of layers" JUST SAY'N
We have Sonoma Cement. Hard clay soil with gophers. Best thing we did was avoid the whole problem. 1st. Cover the soil with 1/2in wire mesh(hardware cloth). 2. Haul in duck manure compost to a depth of 8in for each 6ft x 100ft bed. Add Bioflora starter fertilizer. Build drip systems for each bed and hookup to water timers. Plant seedlings or sow seeds. Watch em pop up and grow! ❤😊 Solved 2 huge problems. Hard clay soil and @!#$%&*! Gophers!
Please tap the three dots at the top of this video to read the description before you add any amendments to your soil!
It’s very sandy where I live what do I need to do please
Jim Kovaleski taught me, even if i have crap soil, Mulch it and in a few months ill have great soil. Nothing beats natures Forest System.
He’s a great teacher, really good to see him shouted out
Great knowledge
Basically. Give it a good pile of leaves in the fall. Come spring give it a mix and your good to go. Do it every year.
Hear me out, this is the easiest and best soil test.
Step 1. Grab 1 handful of soil
Step 2. SMELL IT.
If it doesn't smell at all, you have bad soil. If it smells EARTHY, you have great soil. 😅😂🌱
Love that earth smell!
That doesn't tell you the ph of the soil or what's missing. Smell alone isn't enough.
@@joewil1441 if its not obvious, fix it with adding more organic material. #1 you are not growing ANYTHING in sand. #2 you are not growing ANYTHING in clay. #3 If you're worried about the ph then you definitely not doing something right. Garantee you go out to your backyard and grab a handful of soil, you'll know instantly if its good soil or not.
You gotta taste it to know the other stuff
I do this every spring to smell what is to be corrected. Last 65 years worked well.
Soil Scientist here! Great stuff!! Fun thing about this test is that you can look up various tables which give you a relation to particle size and time to settle. So, you can also roughly determine the size/shape of your various clay types, giving you further insight into what’s really going on. Additionally, the colloidal particles will not settle, so at the end, you get an idea of how much colloidal clay you have, which can be helpful
Hey soil scientist! I have a question- My soil is naturally almost black, which is what I've been taught as being "good rich soil", but can soil be "too rich"?
@@PatienceMarie88 generally, no. “Too rich” is only a concern after intense intervention via human or animal interactions. Too much manure and/or fertilizer, in other words.
Black soils have very high organic matter (OM) content, which is generally a very good thing. I can go into more detail about where color comes from in soil, and what that can indicate for a particular soil, if you want. Suffice to say, blacks soils are high in OM and relatively low or moderate amount of clay. Great for plants, especially seedlings!
That being said, soil color alone does not indicate whether or not your plants will be prone to diseases/pests, or if there are particular nutrient deficiencies. It is generally a good sign, but does not give any specific information in terms of fertility and soil health. That would require a full soil test and DNA analysis to understand. Even then, it’s difficult to make very specific predictions about plant growth and health. That requires experience growing that crop in that area with consistent management protocols. You can only know for sure in hindsight, observation and record keeping is your best friend when gardening!
@@kylenmaple4668
Great info! 👍
Thank you!
@@kylenmaple4668So based on your text the conclusion is that your elaborate soil science can not give better answers than just experimenting on field? I assume the price tag of this scientific analysis shows more than two zeros...
@@tonisee2 I don’t know exactly what you mean by “better”, but I will assume that you mean something like “having more predictive accuracy”. In this sense, no, a single soil test will not provide as much predictive power as a laymen field analysis and 1-2 years of experience growing a particular crop in a particular area with a particular management protocol. There are many other factors besides soil quality that influence how well a plant grows. The study of plant growth and cultivation would be encompassed by botany, horticulture and agronomy, along with soil science, biology, chemistry, physics…. There are even specific “crop sciences” related to each crop. Agriculture is very complex to understand and predict, despite the observed simplicity of growing a plant (just add water, duh 😆).
The price of a soil test is usually around $50-$100, maybe a bit more depending. And it will provide you with a robust framework to make decisions about your soil management. We provide you with relevant data that would normally not be available. This ultimately allows you to skip a lot of trial and error, saving time, money and effort. With a proper understanding of soil and plant management, it will allow you to reach a specific goal faster than simply experimenting blindly. I personally think a soil test is less relevant at small scares rather than at larger scales.
Unfortunately, soil science is a broad and complex field that cannot make strict and specific predictions in the real world, and struggles to do so theoretically as well. It is a relatively new field, maybe 50-60 years old at this point. There is much we do not understand, and the majority of effort is being put towards experimental data collection, rather than creating predictive models. As such, the predictions and frameworks that are presented inevitably lack detail and will be wrong to a significant extent, simply due to a lack of understanding. This is no secret, soil science at large does not aim to make highly accurate predictions, with the exception of soil engineering where soil is treated as a physical medium with purely physical properties (much easier to understand and predict). Hope that all makes sense
As a soil scientist I'm excited you shared this! Great lesson, experiment and method! People tend to get apprehensive about their soils but this helps simplify understanding. Needless to say other tests may be needed for specifics but with time soil remediates naturally with a little help like you said. Awesome!
Yes, other things may need to be done to understand the health of your soil but knowing the structure to provide the ideal home for roots and microbes is where it starts! Glad you enjoyed it 🌱
I have a very small yard. After conducting this test i have discovered my soil is concrete.
😂😂😂
Very interesting, found out that our soil is 95% clay, which is a nightmare for the gardener. However, since we have a permaculture vegetable garden I plant everything into compost, then covered with wood chips. Everything grows like wildfire needing no herbicides, fertilisers or pesticides (companion planting ftw!). No tilling is required either (we use a grelinette to air the soil) and we make our own compost from a huge variety of ingredients. Turning every 30 days or so is key to good, fast compost. We're in growing region 9 and water retention is awesome, as is weed prevention. And stuff just grows. Keep up the great videos!
Love this comment and everything that you are doing, keep it up! I did a think layer of mulch years ago and weeds still come back with a vengene every year. got any tips?
Where I live in Texas it's Clay. We owned Garden Center for over 70 years and Grandpa would say put a $1 plant in a $10 hole which meant additives because it's hard to grow stuff in clay
I just add composted leaves and worm castings on top of a carboard and paper layer no matter what the soil is because you literal can't add too much, it has every nutrient and micro nutrient known to science and it's perfectly balanced and available for the plants to use. It's also almost 100% free.
If you have healthy soil on your property there should be zero need to add worm castings. The worms should naturally be there producing their own castings.
@@elementalbioremediationinc21 But if they're not? Adding them helps. Even if the soil's good, you can add them to get the kids involved! Fun. 🌱🐛👍
Stop using cardboard, it contains solvents and formaldehyde and other really toxic stuff!
"You know what i got?, i got a jar of dirrrttt, i got a jar of dirrrttt, and guess what's inside it?"
Hey, thank you so much, bro.This just helped me out so much. I'm actually having complications in my garden. I believe you just explained the. Reason why thanks brotha i appreciate you.
Brother mind blown doing this right now!!!!
Thanks Buddy . Thats a great idea. Gonna give it a goooo !
Kiddo! If grandpa taught you that give him credit!
I like your video.
What a simple idea bro.👍
I already know mine. 50% Yellow clay, 40% Yellow clay, 8-9% Yellow clay...and 1-2% "Other stuff!" 😂
You must be my neighbor! 😅😂
❤ the smell when it 🌧
1-2% other stuff 😂😂😂
😂I already know mine too. 50 feet deep of beach sand, no rocks, no clay, no silt. With goat manure and wood chips added. And, I am probably 20 miles from the ocean. It’s an old beach.
Clay and more clay. I got you dude I understand
Thanks for the practical knowledge
Very good information sir. Thank you
The ideal ratio is not equal parts. It depends entirely on what you’re growing.
My channel is about growing vegetable gardens, so that’s what I’m focusing on
He gave u an idea to adjust things according to ur own need....be thankful
Excellent video. Thank you. Your info is valuable.
it is confusing at best
That was very informative🎉
⭐Bloody Genius mate⭐
Thank you 🤜🏻🤛🏻🕶👍🏻
I've never seen powder dish detergent!
It might be for a dishwasher.
Are you gen z?
You must be a youngin
@@NotoriousNUGS nope 55! I'm just not a poor'in
@@divineknowledge4607
You could pr'bly use liquid soap too as its main purpose is to help with separation.
Then there me just straight up dry river sand. Growing like 35 sunflowers and a corn patch with zinnia & cosmos
great soil, river sand is very good.
Thank you. Great and helpful. Do you think dawn detergent will work?
Best. info EVER ....in yt history...ever
Dang! I’m honored 🏆
Subscribing cause you mentioned the three dots, and I just learned something.
It’s also important to test the ph. You can get a device from a hardware store that is accurate enough. The correct ph range is critical. It’s relatively easy to adjust once you know what it is.
I agree. But this is a soil composition test, not a pH test.
@@earthnailsandtails That’s why I said that it’s also important. At the end you said that once you know, you know what you need so that your plants can thrive. For plants to thrive, you also need the correct PH, along with other things like organics. There isn’t a rule that people can only comment on the things discussed in a video. It’s a short so it’s logical to conclude that you aren’t covering everything related to soil science and plant health. I wasn’t correcting you, I was adding to the discussion. It is useful information.
Wow great idea 💡. ✌️🇺🇸
Good job man
Thank you
Awesome. Thank you.
Thank you dear very helpful and simple
I like this simple simple test...u 🏆 win
Do t forget the loam and peat aggregate and it'd be good to do a water test on it to see how well it absorbs water. I did soil testing in HS for AG science class.
Don't forget Loam? Sand, silt and clay is LOAM. Maybe fell asleep in HS a few times there lil pup...
@slickdaddy_tv4499 loam by definition is a mix of sand silt and clay, classified as its own component/layer in soil. Get learned son
Don’t add peat. Seriously.
@geekchick4859 why not? Imo it makes for healthy soil when the end pH is correct.
Brilliant!
Holy moly you have nice lookin soil! I don't need to test. I HAVE SAND!
Thank you Sir 🎉
😄👍Good To Know, Great Tips
I Don't need to test my ground soil.... I got 100% silica sand lmfao...
I might have some other stuff, but it's basically sand.
Now for my self-made garden beds this could be a cool experiment to test how well I amend my beds...
Thank you!
Amazing 👏
Beautiful I love it I'm thinking about building my own home Ram Earth
Powdered dish detergent?
I was thinking who uses powdered dish detergent?!😂
I too was confused. Maybe it's dish washer detergent 🤔
We didn’t add detergent to ours from memory, at uni, and it still worked.
@@barbblack7825 it has bleach and what country sells another type?, borax?
You don't need to add detergent. He is the only person I see add it .Google don't even say add detergent.
That is so cool!❤
Thank you that was awesome
Fantastico
Amazing. Thank you!!!!!!🎉🎉🎉
Is that laundry detergent or dishWASHER detergent? Ive never seen powdered dish detergent but I have powdered dushwasber detergent. i want to tell my brotber about this.
Bravo thank you much.
That's pretty neat. I do the smell test.
Excellent!!!
Thank you 😊👍
Very interesting...
That was the most useful shit I’ve learned on the internet in years
boom!
BRILLIANT🎉🎉🎉🎉
Thanks
I'm trying to imagine how a gardener could add 'supplemental clay' to their garden soil ?
Me too!!
Very informative! Thanx
Where do you get powder dish detergent
Your moms house
I got lost here too. Powdered dish detergent?? 🤔
That’s very cool
Thanks bro😊
Don't forget organic matter 👍🏼
R u sure that a dish detergent?
love you! many thanks!!! subbed, of course xo
Welcome!!
Good soil actually contains lots of organic matters, including breaking down tiny pieces of wood, grasses, leaves and so on which most of them float! Also, good soil contains lots of organism, such as earth worms, pest bug larvae... pest bug larvae they are also a part of healthy eco system. You can tell the soil is good or not without touching the soil, just have a good look of what are growing and how these plants their health! For example, if acid loving plants thriving in your garden, I 100% guarantee that your soil is acidic! You also can use Hydrangea flower color to check the soil pH without digging and wasting your time.
I did the same without detergent just water sand being the heaviest is at the bottom clay being the lightest on top
salt works great too
100% Addison county clay. Hard as concrete when dry. 😊
Very cool
Omg! This is actually cool
I need to try this.
However, let’s say I need more of something, what do you recommend? Home Depot can get expensive
Cool
excellent
WOULD THIS BE SUFFICIENT TEST TO GIVE AN ENGINEER TO DRAW UP PLANS FROM THE RESULTS TO BUILD A RETAINING WALL?
OF COURSE I WOULD DO MANY SOIL JAR TESTS IN MULTIPLE AREAS DIGGING AT DIFFERENT DEPTHS.
im sure the engineer would do their own analysis
This is brilliant! Thank you!
Really? The claim that there should be equal parts of each doesn't ring any alarm bells for you?
You're very welcome!
@@demophys4883 The composition isn't the important part. It's the ability to perform the test without spending any money on BS tests.
Thanks for the good tip👍
Very helpful tip. Thanks with a sub/likie
Interesting
WOW..that jar must be "millions" of years old, look at the sedimentary layers!
Kinda makes you want to rethink the grand canyon!
Think on it for a while.
They had that same separation when mt st helens blew and collapsed, one afternoon= "millions of years of layers"
JUST SAY'N
Hell yeah cuz nice vid
For anyone who is out of jars... You can also use your eyes to look at the soil lol
Will this work with other detergent powders? Like laundry detergent powder?
Doesn’t the depth of which you dig affect the results?
😮❤
Is that a powder dish detergent or dishWasher detergent?
dish detergent
Love ur biceps....so awesome 🎉🎉🎉🎉
I want to know where you can get dry particle dish detergent at?
Update: Is it dishwasher detergent possibly?
Any grocery store
Adding compost is always a good idea
Its Not..
But if its difficient in silt then what soil need? Or if its less in sand then what needed
Yea that native soil looks like black gold. This guy doesn’t even have to try.
You should have shown the results of the area of garden where you fixed using this method and see how well you did
I posted a video on that a few few weeks ago you can go look
@@earthnailsandtails sweet I'll. Check it out cheers
there is still clay floating in the water?
We have Sonoma Cement. Hard clay soil with gophers. Best thing we did was avoid the whole problem. 1st. Cover the soil with 1/2in wire mesh(hardware cloth). 2. Haul in duck manure compost to a depth of 8in for each 6ft x 100ft bed. Add Bioflora starter fertilizer. Build drip systems for each bed and hookup to water timers. Plant seedlings or sow seeds. Watch em pop up and grow! ❤😊 Solved 2 huge problems. Hard clay soil and @!#$%&*! Gophers!
Who washes their dishes with powder? Or is this a US thing?? ( we use liquid in the UK)
Never seen it. Could be dishwasher detergents
We use liquid dish detergent in the US too. I have no idea what he is using. It could be dishwasher detergent.
Cool. I always wondered how to measure the dirt.
Thanks
Does liquid detergent work
it will bubble up and wont be as good
I know i can buy clay and sand, but where do ya purchase "silt" ?
Amend with compost and it will make clay more silty
Worm Castings, add it
V E R Y . . . . . I NTR E ST I N G .....
You don't need detergent, it works without it.
What type of dish detergent?
Having equal parts does not mean you will have good soil. There's a lot more to soil composition than this.
Nice biceps 🌱
Looks like he was a wrestler at some point