Garden

[Puzzle Piece]

We've moved to where the house we have has sterile soil around it.

Does anyone know if there is a liquid fertilizer or a liquid soil changer/booster to put into the soil?     

[gtx]

Go to Dirt Doctor.com

[x Hedge]

You're looking to add bacteria and crawly things to normalize the soil?

I think I'd just mix bagged garden soil into it and add a few earthworms. Then plant pre-potted things from a garden center. (You know that isn't in sterile soil.) Use no more fert than usual.

For good measure I might dig up a bucket of plain dirt from a lush area in an empty lot just to get some variety of crawling bugs.

The situation will correct itself.

[Lilysmom]

@Puzzle Piece , you could add a rich soil to make a raised bed.  The soil where we live is heavy clay.  We amend the soil for all new plantings by adding a good quality soil and compost.  

You can amend as you plant plant or do it all at once in the formation of a new bed.

Good luck!  LM

[gardenman]

Sterile soil won't stay sterile forever. If time is not a factor then nature will find a way to restore it. Was it chemically sterilized with something like Groundclear? If so, you have to wait a year or so for that to dissipate before anything will grow. If someone laid black plastic over it to bake the soil, or there was an above-ground swimming pool or similar structure atop it, you can start fixing it right away.

If the soil is just plain old bad soil, the best option is compost. But to be effective you need a lot of compost and you likely won't have access to that much. Next best option and what I'd use is a cover crop. In really bad soil a cover crop like legumes where you coat the seed in the nitrogen fixing bacteria before planting it is ideal. When the crop starts to grow and gets some decent size to it, you dig it into the soil and replant yet again with another cover crop. The nitrogen fixing bacteria will help grab nitrogen from the air and deliver it to the roots so even in the worst soils those crops can survive. As you dig the cover crop in you loosen the soil and the green organic part of the crop will decompose and improve soil texture and any unused nitrogen nodules will be there for the next crop. In a year or two of cover crop rotation you can go from pretty horrible soil to really good soil.

Cover crops are essentially living compost. Nothing is better for bad soil than compost, but to affect a wide area, you need a lot of compost. More than most people can provide. By planting a cover crop and then digging that cover crop into the soil and repeating it, multiple times you can pretty much convert sterile sand into a good quality planting loam. Don't expect great results with the first cover crop you plant but each replanting and digging in will get you closer to where you want to be.

Cover crop seeds tend to be cheap. If your soil is really bad you can even start them in small pots/flats before transplanting them out. Don't expect them to thrive right away, all you need is some growth. Once they get a decent size to them, till them in (or dig them in) and replant. You can do this forever and end up with the best soil in your neighborhood, or you can decide it's good enough and stop at some point. You can even increase the depth of good soil by diging them in deeper each go round. 

They say nature abhors a vacuum. That's especially true where there's no life in sterile conditions. Nature will find a way to restore viability. It's just a question of how much time you want to spend. Massive quantities of compost can restore life to sterile soils (assuming they haven't been chemically sterilized) very, very quickly and you can plant right away. Cover crops can do the same thing over the source of a year or two. Nature herself will restore life to the soil, but it may take longer (five to ten years or longer.) 

[Puzzle Piece]

Thanks to all.

Thanks Gardenman.

Theer is a black plastic like cover we dig up around an area that was put in years ago to stop weed growth. 

We use new soil and amendments for the plantings but the problem is everywhere. 

We think the soil is sterile because pervious owners had the windows washed with cleaner that went into the soil and left things sterile.  Also, it was just fill dirt that was put in to begine with and it was a sterile load.   

It's been more than a chore to keep things alive and growing.  When we dig deep enough, the soil is clay.  Another issue.

I will check into acquiring compost .

Thanks again. 

[Mom2Dogs]

We have clay  soil, so we brought in 'nice' dirt to replace some of the clay.  Over the years the clay took over again....

[Sooner]

@Puzzle Piece   I have THE answer for you!  If there is a county extension office, or similar group, please ask them!  They will be the soil experts for your area and are there to help you.

If you have some state agricultural college or university, they may have extension offices and lots of literature specific to your area.

They are a fabulous resource! 

[Lilysmom]

@Puzzle Piece @gardenman , every time I hear someone mention black plastic in the garden, I think of someone trying to eradicate gout weed.  @Puzzle Piece , google that for photo if you aren’t sure what it is and what it looks like.  Hoping poor soil is your only issue!  LM

[JustJazzmom]

First off you need to get a pH test of the soil. Bring in a sample to your local cooperative extension.

I doubt if the soil is sterile. I would add compost, mulched leaves or other organic material to your soil so that microbes could be introduced which are on the organic material. Are you seeing any insect activity in the soil?