For almost all plants, soil is the essential growing medium. Soil provides the warmth and protection for the roots, the anchorage for stability and a source of nutrients for growth.
Soil has been “ground down” from the basic rock forms, through millions of years of weathering and erosion, into the soil we have today, and this process in continuing.
Different plants have adapted to different soil conditions such that some can grow in sandy, almost desert like conditions and others in completely waterlogged conditions, so therefore the “ideal” conditions depend greatly on the plants that are being grown.
The texture of the soil, being basically the mineral makeup of the soil, is almost unchangeable without massive changes to the mineral makeup, however the structure of the soil can be controlled and altered in order to ensure that plants are given the ideal conditions they need to thrive and grow.
Correct management of the soil structure will provide the best possible conditions for plant growth and development, ensuring the balance of organic matter, nutrients, living organisms, air, and water are at their optimum.
In addition to the structure of the soil, maintaining the levels of acidity and alkalinity in the soil is essential to allow correct release of nutrients and the activity of living organisms leading to the breakdown of organic matter and the further development and release of nutrients.
The effects of poor soil on plants will lead to poor development and growth, and certain plants will not survive at all.
The management of the soil is an ongoing process. Organic matter that has been added will eventually decompose, and more organic matter must then be added. Similarly, the addition of alkaline material to reduce acidity, will eventually have no effect, either because of leaching through the soil. The soil will gradually become more acid, and the process must be repeated to reduce acidity.