Now, look. What's left in your hand represents all the soil we have to support life on earth. This soil is trickling through our fingers at an alarming rate due to unchecked erosion. In fact, recent statistics indicate the U.S. is losing 6.4 billion tons of soil each year due to erosion. This amount of soil would fill 320 million dump trucks, which if parked end-to-end would extend to the moon and three-quarters of the way back. The eroding soil is washed into lakes and rivers and blown into our air where it pollutes our environment. If we all knew a little bit more about soil, we could each do our part to help conserve this precious resource.

Read on for some fascinating facts and conservation tips about soil.

• Soil makes up the outermost layer of our planet.
• Topsoil is the most productive soil layer. It has varying amounts of organic matter (living and dead organisms), minerals, and nutrients.
• Five tons of topsoil spread over an acre is as thick as a dime.
• Natural processes can take 500 years to form one inch of top soil.
• Soil scientist have identified over 70,000 kinds of soil in the U.S.
• Soil is formed from rocks and decaying plants and animals.
• An average soil sample is 45% minerals, 25% water, 25% air, and 5% organic matter.
• Different sized mineral particles, such as sand, silt, and clay, give soil texture.Lichens help to break apart rocks to form soil.
• Fungi and bacteria help break down organic matter in the soil.
• Plant roots break up rocks, which become part of new soil.
• Roots loosen the soil and allow oxygen to penetrate. This is beneficial to the animals living in the soil.
• Roots hold soil together and help prevent erosion.
• Five to ten tons of animal life can live in an acre of soil.Earthworms digest organic matter, recycle nutrients, and make the surface soil richer.
• One earthworm can digest 36 tons of soil in one year.
• Mice take seeds and other plant materials into their underground burrows, where this material eventually decays and becomes part of the soil.
  
  

Former Vice President Al Gore says this about environmental protection:
"We honor and glorify the Creator by being good stewards of what He has created."
-Al Gore

Tips on Protecting YOUR Soil
It is not hard to conserve soil in your own backyard. The first step is recognizing areas that are prone to erosion. You should look for:

• areas where no plants are growing along property lines, walkways, and drives.
• sloped areas where gullies are forming from water runoff.
• exposed soil around houses and downspouts.
  
  

Other signs of soil erosion are dust in the air on windy days, and mud in gutters and on sidewalks. These factors indicate that soil is eroding from surrounding areas.

Once you have identified the problem areas, consider these ways in which you can help curb erosion:

• Seed exposed areas with grass, or plant some other groundcover. After seeding, spread a mulch (such as straw or compost) over the area to help keep the seeds moist and in place until they germinate. On steeper slopes you should cover the mulch with burlap netting for extra protection.
• Build steps, made of logs or old railroad ties, on areas with steep slopes to help prevent increased erosion. Between the steps, spread a thin layer of wood chips to protect the soil.
• Put splash guards on downspouts to help reduce erosion around the foundation of your home.
• Plant windbreaks of trees or shrubs to reduce soil loss from blowing wind and also to provide habitat and shelter for wildlife.
• Contact your local resource agencies, such as the Soil and Water Conservation District for assistance and advice in devising an appropriate erosion control plan for your backyard.

Here are some soil-wise ideas that will help keep your garden healthy and productive:

• If your garden is on a slope, plant the vegetable rows along the contour, rather than up and down the slope. This will help slow down water runoff and decrease the rate of soil erosion.
• Plant different crops in different places in you garden each year. For example, a plot used for growing tomatoes one year is used for planting beans the following year. Rotating crops balances the uptake of valuable nutrients from the soil and keeps your plants strong and healthy.
• Spread mulch around your garden plants using compost or grass clippings to help reduce erosion, keep moisture in the soil, suppress weed growth, and add nutrients.
• A good way to create a mulch and enrich your soil is by making a compost pile. Construct a small bin beside your garden plot to hold the composting material. Fill it with alternating layers of organic material (i.e. grass clippings, dead leaves, and plant stalks and hulls) and garden soil. Keep moist and turn the compost pile regularly to aerate it. This helps speed up the natural decaying process. A good compost will create a rich fertile mulch for your garden.
• Minimize the spraying of poisonous insecticide in your garden, by letting certain types of plants and insect-eating animals control pests. Some plants, such as marigolds and onions, contain chemicals that repel pesty bugs. Toads, ladybugs, praying mantises, and other insect-eating animals can also help control pest populations in your garden.

Your Lawn, Your Garden, Your Air

Emission reduction standards are going to be in place for small hand-held engines at or below 25 horsepower that are used in lawn and garden equipment such as trimmers and chainsaws.

When the new standards are fully in place in 2007, the ground-level ozone pollution caused by these engines will be cut by 70 percent or 350,000 tons each year.

Ozone, the main ingredient in urban smog, can cause lung inflammation and aggravate pre-existing respiratory diseases like asthma. The 20,000,000 small engines sold each year contribute about one tenth of the total U.S. mobile source hydrocarbon emissions and are the largest single contributor to these non-road emissions.

Since the equipment is used mostly during the hot summer months, when ground-level ozone is the highest, it causes problems for asthmatics and aggravates other respiratory conditions. These new standards will also increase fuel efficiency by 30 percent which will lower consumer operating costs.

Manufacturers of hand-held garden engines have already made significant improvements in emission control technologies since the first standards became effective in 1997. EPA

Conserving Soil & Water with Mulches

The use of mulches has long been recognized as an agricultural and gardening practice that protects natural resources while adding organic matter to the soil. Mulch is a finishing layer spread on the surface after all other garden cleanup and planting is completed.
Mulches range from homegrown materials, such as leaves and grass clippings, to industrial by-products, such as sawdust and cranberry pits. The resourceful gardener can find an endless supply of mulch materials to use to save water, conserve soil, suppress weeds, and contribute valuable nutrients to the garden.

Mulches provide these benefits:

• Help hold soil particles and nutrients on the field or garden and slow down water runoff, thereby improving surface water quality.
• Decrease exposure to sun and wind, thereby reducing water evaporation from the top few inches of the soil reducing the need for frequent irrigation or watering.
• Suppress weed growth, reducing the need for chemical herbicides.
• Maintain soil quality and protect crops, gardens, and lawns by reducing soil erosion by water and wind.
• Some of the mulches recommended for home gardening include municipal mulch products, leaf mulch and grass clippings, newspaper bedding, coffee grounds, straw, industrial by-products available through manufacturers, and groundcovers such as pachysandra and periwinkle.

Using Mulch from your home Environment

You can make compost yourself from leftover plant materials from you garden or from kitchen scraps, such as fruit and vegetable waste. Newspapers can be used in home composting. They are considered save for composting: research has indicated that PAH's (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) which were formerly used in black inks, are rendered inert by the temperatures generated in a hot compost pile, the biological activity, and the acids in soil.
Mulch materials add organic matter to the soil and furnish food for earthworms, which are valuable in aerating the soil. At the end of the growing season, the mulch can be worked into the soil to supply organic matter the following year.
To provide a source for mulch you should have a compost bin -- or preferably two. Commercially produced, and in come cases municipally supplied bins are available. You can make the bins yourself by attaching ordinary wire fence or boards to solid posts or open brickwork. Each bin should be about 4 feet high, 3-5 feet wide, and any convenient length. One side of each bin should be removable for convenience in building up the compost materials and for taking it out.
The ideal way to make compost is to use two bins. Fill one with alternate layers of organic materials 6-12 inches thick and of garden soil about 1 inch thick. Chemical fertilizer may need to be added.
Be sure to moisten the organic materials thoroughly. Repeat this layering process until the bin is full or you run out of organic material. Pack the material tightly around the edges, but only lightly in the center so that this area settles more than the edges and the water do not run off.
After 3-4 months of moderate to warm weather, begin turning the material by moving it from the first bin into the second bin. Before turning, it is a good idea to move the material that was added the previous fall from the edges, which dry out first, to the center.

Leaf Mulches and Grass Clippings
Leaves are rich in carbohydrates and make excellent mulch when combined with organic materials rich in nitrogen. To improve soil health it is beneficial to compost leaves before using them as mulch. However the advantage of applying raw leaves is that they are more efficient in suppressing weeds.
Grass clippings are easy to apply as mulch. Simply spread a 3-6 inch layer on the soil surface around your plants, making certain you do not cover the plats. Keeping the layer deep enough to do the job is important too. This means that you will need to add more mulching material over the old layers to get all the benefits of mulching. You may need to mix the grass clipping with other mulch materials to keep them from packing down.

Municipal Mulch and Compost.
Most suburban and urban municipalities will collect leaves in the fall as well as remove and prune street trees. Many municipalities also have an area designated for residents to bring leaves, brush and branches. Due to the high cost of disposing of the vegetative materials, many municipalities have processed the materials into wood ship mulch and compost which is then made available to the residents for their landscape and gardens. This not only saves the municipality and the residents money, but also recycles the vegetative materials. Another possible source of compost and mulch is your county, as there are some that operate vegetative recycling facilities.

Municipal Mulch
The mulch available from municipalities is generally composed of wood and brush that has been chipped. The wood and brush usually comes from resident's yards and from pruning or removal of trees from streets and parks. The types of woody materials usually vary with he sources available. Generally there is a reasonable mix of hardwood and softwood, which makes it ideal for use on landscape beds, around trees and shrubs, or in areas where grass is difficult to grow. Since there is usually a good source of material, the mulch areas can easily be re-mulched as required.

Municipal Compost.
The compost available from municipalities is generally from the composting of leaves collected in the fall. However, it may include grass clippings and chopped brush. This is an excellent material to incorporate into your garden to improve the fertility and organic matter content. The quality and quantity of municipal compost has been improving in recent years as municipalities refine their composting facilities and invest in better equipment.
The best way to find out if your municipality offers residents municipal mulch and/or compost is to contact the Recycling Coordinator or Public Works Department. Generally the only requirement is that you are a resident and are willing to haul the materials yourself. Supplies may be limited and available only in late winter and early spring, so it is a good idea to ask which are the best days to pick up the material.
If you do not mind hauling the materials, one of the best sources of mulch and compost materials is in your own community and free for the taking!

Pine Straw as Mulch
Pine straw or pine needles may also be used as mulch and to add to the appearance of a natural landscape. Pine straw is especially useful with acidic-loving plants such as evergreens, holly, azaleas, and rhododendrons. Because of its acidic nature, pine straw resists decomposition so can be used more than once.
Pine straw is light and easy to spread. When spread to a recommended thickness of 3-4 inches it will reduce weed competition. But pine straw absorbs little moisture, so it is inferior to straw for reducing the need to water.

Straw as Mulch
Straw is the stalk of a small grain such as wheat, cereal rye or barley after the grain has been harvested. When used as mulch it performs well for a number of reasons:

• Is readily available at a reasonable cost to the home gardener.
• Is relatively free of weed seeds (as opposed to hay, which does contain many weed seeds)
• Is organic and therefore biodegradable
• Captures moisture and keeps it available to plants for a longer period of time.
• Will reduce weed competition.
• A good thick layer of straw (6-8 inches) may help prevent some insect damage from soil born pests such as cucumber beetles. However, straw does have a few minor irritations. It is bulky and comes in bales that need to be broken open and then spread. Spreading straw can be difficult on windy days, and if allowed to dry can be a fire hazard.

Most people want a lawn that is dark green and lush and they often over fertilize with synthetic fast-release fertilizers in order to achieve that affect.

Over fertilizing your lawn can actually put your lawn at risk for disease while endangering the health of your stream. Too much fertilizer, or fertilizer applied at the wrong time can lead to many problems such as:

Excessive leaf growth,
Shallow roots,
Thatch build-up,
Increased susceptibility to disease,
Need for frequent mowing, and
Excessive weed growth.

The most popular fertilizers on the market are fast-release fertilizers such as liquid chemicals often applied by lawn care companies. Fast-release fertilizers are water-soluble and they provide dramatic results by greening up a lawn quickly. However, the lush green is illusionary in that it hides problems that often lie below the surface. Fast-release fertilizers cause a host of problems because they:

Leach from the soil quickly,
Run-off into streams or groundwater,
Burn grass because their nitrogen is too hot,
Provide no food for soil microorganisms or earthworms,
Repel worms because they acidify the soil,
Slow down biological activity in the soil,
Increase susceptibility to pests and disease,
Increase soil compaction,
Lesson organic material so that soil structure declines,
Reduce water holding capacity of the soil, and
Lead to chemical addiction where more chemicals must be added with every application.

Unlike fast-release fertilizers that are water-soluble, organic fertilizers release their nutrients over time; provide moderate rates of nitrogen, are pH neutral and are water-insoluble. This means they:

Provide food for both soil and plants over time,
Build up the soil water infiltration rate,
Increase water holding capacity, and
Make your lawn healthier.

Using organic lawn care methods will make your lawn care job easier over time because it will make your lawn healthier, less weedy, and more disease and pest resistant. At the same time it will help you alleviate some of your stream problems because your ground will hold more water and you will have less stormwater run-off. Granted it may take the entire subdivision (or watershed) changing their lawn care habits in order to achieve real results but once they see through your example how easy it is to perform organic lawn care and how many benefits they can reap I think they will be sold.

The first step in organic lawn care is to get a soil sample analysis from your County Extension Office. This analysis will tell you exactly the amendments your soil needs and the proper application rates to use.

Sometimes, when we apply fertilizer to our lawns it is possible that we won't see the desired result of a dark green lawn. When this happens people often apply more fertilizers; however, the problem most likely lies not with the fertilizer but within the soil itself. If the pH value of the soil is either too high (alkaline) or too low (acidic) the lawn will be unable to take up the nutrients we supply no matter how much we put on. Lawns like a pH that is between 6 and 7, so before you apply fertilizer you should first ensure that your soil falls within this range. Your lawn's pH should be tested every two years. If your pH is not within this range a soil test analysis will tell you exactly how much lime must be added in order to bring your soil back into the proper range of pH. The recommended lime application will be based on your soil type. Soil pH testing kits are now readily available at local garden centers and they are relatively inexpensive; however, these tests do not tell you how much lime you will need and they may not be very accurate.
Your soil test analysis results will most likely suggest an application based on pure calcium carbonate per 1000 square feet. Lime comes in several forms. Some are fast acting while others take more time to change the pH level. Horticulture lime is usually of high quality so that you may directly apply the recommended pounds/1000square feet directed on the soil test.

One thing that keeps the average homeowner from using organic materials is the perception that they will be too difficult to work with and will require special tools or methods that they are unfamiliar with. That is simply not true. Many organic products have been introduced to the market that are packaged exactly the same as synthetic chemicals. They require no special expertise or new costly tools. In fact there are now organic lawn care companies operating within the St. Louis Region.

Because unprocessed organic fertilizers (such as homemade compost) often don't have uniformity of size and shape it is recommended that you use a drop spreader. If the application rate is not stated on the package you may have to do some experimenting. Simply start at the lowest setting on your drop spreader and fill the spreader's hopper with twice the desired amount for the area. Practice in a 1000 sq. foot area until you get the right application rate. After pacing the area measure the product that is still in the hopper. If you have more left than you should increase the setting and re-pace the area.

There is no reason for anxiety that you may apply too much or too little. In fact, you have less to worry about with organic fertilizers than with synthetics. First they contain less nitrogen and second, they are slow-release so they are less likely to burn your lawn.

For liquid applications of fertilizers such as seaweed or fish emulsion you will need a spray applicator. These are readily available and range in price based on how convenient they are to use and how much liquid they will hold.