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TLE 9: HOLTICULTURE (EXPLORATORY COURSE)

LESSON 2: Soil Preparation for Seed Sowing

Why soil is important?

Soil provides a host of crucial services for both people and the planet. Soil puts food on
our plates, purifies our water, protects us against flooding and combats drought. It's also
key to tackling climate change as it captures and stores vast amounts of carbon. There is no food
security without healthy soils.

Soil is also essential to our ecosystem, playing a key role in the carbon cycle, storing and
filtering water, and improving resilience to floods and droughts.

Healthy soil

It is the foundation for food, fuel, fiber and even medicine. Healthy soils are essential
for healthy plant growth, human nutrition, and water filtration. Healthy soil supports a
landscape that is more resilient to the impacts of drought, flood, or fire. Soil helps to regulate the
Earth's climate and stores more carbon than all of the world's forests combined.

The most important in soil is called Humus. It is the dark, organic component of soil from which
plants take most of their nutrients. The amount of humus in soil determines both the soil's capacity
for water retention and its fertility.

Soil is important for the various functions it provides plants, trees, animals, and humans. Soil
provides nutrients, support, protection, and filtration in its multi-functions.

Soil Provides Growing Medium for Plants and Trees

Soil supports all types of plant life in several ways. From water, nutrients and anchoring plants and
trees, soil serves nature as its nurturer.

1. Root System Support

The soil affords roots systems support. The soil provides a way for the plant or tree to anchor itself
upright and remain vertical.

2. Soil Provides Roots With Nutrients and Minerals

The soil also provides plant life of all forms the needed nutrients and minerals to grow, produce
flowers, seeds, and in some cases fruits or vegetables. The type of soil determines the type and
quantities of these vital and sustaining elements.
 3. Exchange of Oxygen and Gases

Oxygen is trapped among the spaces between the particles in soil. This provides oxygen to plant
and tree roots. The roots utilize the oxygen to breakdown various sugars from the rhizosphere (soil
containing root excretions) and root microbiome (soil microorganisms). These are then provided to
the plants and trees to spur growth.

4. Protection From Erosion

The soil provides plants and trees the protection needed against erosion and being swept away in
heavy rainstorms. Soil gives root systems the needed support to keep plants and trees from being
uprooted during severe windstorms and other types of weather.

5. Marine Soils Protect Coastlines

Marine soils nourish seagrasses and seaweeds that feed marine life and gives them places to
shelter. Just as importantly, the seagrasses and seaweeds protect the coastlines from erosion.

6. Soil Filtering Properties

The soil is able to filter unwanted and harmful contaminants away from the roots of plants and trees.
This natural filtering system is vital to the growth of plants and trees.

7. Soil Holds Water

The soil is able to hold water to provide continual moisture and vital nutrients to plant root systems.
The level of water the soil can contain depends on the type of soil. When compared to sandy soil
water retention, clay soil will hold water for a longer period of time.

8. Decomposition of Organic Materials

With the help of resident organisms and micro-organisms found in soil, the natural decomposition
process of organic material is sped up. These microscopic workers turn the organic matter found in
soil into a waste product of vital nutrients. This serves as a continual food source through the
mineralization of decomposed organic materials for both the organisms and most importantly, plant
life.

9. Soil Recycling Processes

The decomposing of organic materials and the holding of water are part of the soil's recycling
processes. The soil transforms these used matters into useable nutrients and minerals to sustain and
support the plants.

10. Soil's Importance to Humans

Humans are dependent on soil just as the rest of the animal and plant kingdoms. Soil provides
humans with many necessary things.

11. Soil Provides Food

The ability to grow food depends on the soil, more specifically, the quality and type of soil. A nutrient
rich soil like compost means plants can provide abundant healthy vegetables and fruits for humans to
eat. The results of planting in poor soil is a poor harvest, with plants suffering from malnutrition,
diseases and pest infestations.

12. Foundation for Construction

Soil provides a foundation for various human construction projects, such as homes and buildings.
Soil also supports the construction of roads, railways and bridges.

13. Raw Materials

The raw materials provided by soil, such as nutrients, microbes and minerals are used by humans to
grow foods, depending on the type and quality of the soil. Ancient pottery was made using different
soils and sediments. Clay soils are still used to create modern pottery and ceramics. Adobe
bricks have been used for centuries. Modern bricks are made from clay and fired in a kiln.

14. Animals Depend on Soil

Animals depend on the soil for food, directly or indirectly. Grazing animals rely on the soil to produce
grasses, while burrowing animals rely on the soil to provide homes and protection. The quality of soil
determines the animal diversity.

15. Insects, Annelids and Others Rely on Soil

The insect population also relies on soil for its survival. From pollinators to ants and other
underground critters, such as annelids (earthworms), arachnids (spiders), diplopoda (millipedes), and
chilopoda (centipedes), the soil determines the odds of their survival.

16. Soil and the Ecosystem

The soil plays a major role in the ecosystem. It could be called the glue that holds nature together.

17. Soil Modifies Temperatures for Roots

Root systems are insulated from changing temperatures by the soil. The density of the soil and air
pockets in the soil particles can protect roots from heat and cold.
 18. Soil Regulates Carbon Cycling

It's through the various processes taking place that the carbon cycle is held in balance. The soil
processes store more carbon than the plants and trees. The soil processes determine how much
carbon is stored and how much carbon is released.

19. Soil Natural Filtration System

When rainfall or surface soil contains harmful contaminants or pollutants that sift down into the soil,
the soil serves as a filter. The various soil particles catch these contaminants and the water moves
over them, unscathed and spared contamination, on its way to the groundwater, rivers and aquifers.

20. Soil and the Water Cycle

The soil particles prevent water from rushing through rocks. The sponge-like properties of the soil
store water for plant and tree use as well as soil microbes and various soil inhabitants.

21. Conserving and Protecting Soil

There are many ways you can conserve soil and protect it from erosion and contamination. Limiting
or eliminating the use of pesticides is a first step towards protecting soil from harmful chemicals.

WHERE FOOD BEGINS?

About 95 % of food comes from the soil. However, there are still some
people thinking that soils are dirt, probably because they forget that soils are
where food begins. Grains, vegetables and fruits, which we depend on, as well as
other plants and trees all rely on nutrients from the soil. Soils are the source of
lives and the mother of the earth. Actually, 58 % more food can be produced if
sustainable farming methods are practiced on a global scale. About a half of the
kitchen wastes can be turned into nutrients back to the soil; unfortunately, only
one third of which are composted.

WHAT IS SOWING WEEDS?

Sowing seeds is an essential part of crop production. After the preparation of soil, the
previously selected seeds are scattered in the field. This process is called sowing. There are six
(6) steps in sowing seeds:

Step 1: Fill seedling trays with soil

 Sowing into seedling trays gives you a better germination rate than sowing directly into our
garden beds.
 Soak bigger seeds such as beans, in water overnight.
 Find a bench or flat surface where you can make a mess.
 Start by filing your seedling trays with germination soil.
 Spread the soil on top of the trays until they are covered and filled to the brim. Pressing
down on top of the soil will cause compaction and hinder germination. Rather give the
seedling tray a good shake, as this will allow the soil to settle without compacting it.

Spread the soil without compacting it

Step 2: Make holes for your seeds

 You were probably wondering what that pencil was for; we are going to use it to make holes
for the seeds.
 Wiggling the pencil into the soil, create holes that correspond to the depth required by the
specific seed variety. You can make notches on the pencil for different seeds.
 You can use any other utensil to make your hole as long as it doesn’t compact the soil.

The depth will depend on the seed type

Step 3: Sowing the seeds

 Open your seed packets and take a moment to admire the shapes, colours, and textures of
the different types of seed.
 Larger seeds can be handled individually and dropped directly into their hole.
 Very small seeds are better sown using an empty open envelope with some of the seeds
Tilt the envelope and tap it lightly until the seeds fall out.
 When sowing multiple small seeds it is easier to fill the trays with less soil. Now gently sow

the seeds.

Soak bigger seeds such as beans in water overnight

Step 4: Cover with soil

 Cover with a thin layer of germination mix taking care not to compact the soil.
  You can overfill your trays and use a ruler to scrape the excess soil off from the top.
 Never stack your trays on top of each other, as this will also cause compaction.
 Now it is time to make your seedling markers. Write the name of the variety and the date
sown on your markers.  Insert into your seedling trays.
 Seedling markers help plenty when sowing varieties of the same type, such as tomatoes or
different colour Petunias.
 The best spot for keeping your seedling tray is a patio or veranda which receives plenty of
natural light. Just make sure it doesn’t get any harsh sunlight.

Now, wait till your seed gets up to speed

Step 5: Mist spray with water

 Mist spray your trays until they are thoroughly moist.

 Place the germination tray cover on top. This will create an ideal microclimate for your
seedlings to grow in.
 Only mist as soon as the soil has dried out. Keeping them too moist can lead to seeds
rotting away.

Happy in their own mini hothouse

Step 6: Looking after your seedlings

 You can water your seedlings overhead as soon as they are bigger and stronger, bearing at
least two sets of leaves.
 As they grow, lift the germination tray cover more and more over a few days taking care to
mist spray them more frequently. This will help them acclimatise to the outside
environment.
 As soon as you can lift the plants out their trays with all its roots, it is time to plant them in
the garden.

TWO METHODS OF SEED SOWING

1. Container or Cellular Method - any plants get off to a better start when sown in
containers and transplanted to garden beds later in the season. These include slow-
growing perennials, plants with expensive or very fine seed, and warm-season vegetables
and annuals that you want to start when the garden soil is still too cold and wet for in-
ground planting
2. Seedbed Sowing- is prepared by either as raised seedbed or ridging. Raised seedbed
is done by making a box where we place the soil, compost , rice hull or other organic
material where we sow the seeds to be transplanted later while ridging is the process of
cultivating the soil and plotting it