Soil Amendments
Soil Health Basics
The key to healthy plants is healthy soil. By improving the quality of your soil you can quickly improve the health of your plants.
The components that make up soil are minerals, organic matter and air. With the correct proportions of each of these, it makes for a habitable environment for living organisms like worms and fungus. These living organisms, called soil life, are essential to plant health. They break down nutrients found within the soil into a form that can be consumed by plants’ roots.
The soil found throughout New England is extremely diverse. Even within your own yard it can be sand in one area and clay in another. Most soils whether they are sand, clay or somewhere in between, can be greatly improved by adding organic matter.
Organic Matter is partially decomposed plant matter. Although it accounts for only a small percentage, it is vital to the composition of healthy soil. It adheres to the minerals in the soil, forcing them to separate and creating pores for air, water and organisms to circulate throughout the soil. It’s full of nutrients, which are broken down by the soil life and consumed by your plants. It also absorbs water and retains it until your plants can utilize it.
At Mahoney’s, we offer dozens of products rich in organic matter like composts, manures and other amendments. We also offer soil additives like myccorhizae, which will increase the soil life. To learn more about what you can do to improve your soil, stop by and speak to one of our plant care experts.
Printer-friendly
PDFOrganic Outdoor Potting Mix
Natural Ingredients
Mahoney’s Garden Lover’s Organic Container Mix is made up of natural ingredients proven to provide your container plants with a healthy growing environment. The rich organic compost provides a natural nutrient flow to your container plants while the peat moss holds moisture in the soil mix allowing for better water conservation. Perlite is a natural volcanic rock that when added to our soil mix, increases air space to improve water drainage for healthy root systems. Composted pine bark increases air circulation.
Containers and Window Boxes
Mahoney’s Garden Lover’s Organic Mix combines the benefits of natural ingredients with the ease of container gardening. This ready-to-use blend is perfect for all annuals, perennials and especially for edible container gardens. It’s improved moisture retention prevents rapid evaporation in window boxes and containers in direct sunlight. Check with a Mahoney’s staff member for an appropriate organic fertilizer for your plants.
Edibles
Grow your tomatoes, citrus plants, herbs and veggies with peace of mind while using Mahoney’s Garden Lover’s Organic Mix. Tasty edibles grown in containers are a direct result of a good potting mix. The organic compost ingredient feeds your plants with an enriching nutrient base to help your potted edibles establish a healthy root system. Use in conjunction with an organic fertilizer for prolific and tasty herbs and veggies!
Dehydrated Cow Manure
A fortified, dehydrated cow manure with a nutritional analysis of 2-1-2. Drier than compost. Will not burn. Goodfor preparing planting beds for roses, annuals, perennials, and vegetable gardens, and supplementing all gardens. Improves soils texture. Mix in with heavy clay soils to aerate and loosen.
Composted Cow Manure
A premium soil conditioner for vegetable and flower beds, containers, trees and shrubs. Improves water and nutrient retention, drainage and aeration. Controls erosion and soil crusting.
Compost Planting Mix
To keep your new trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials and roses healthy, plant them with our compost mix enhanced with Bio-tone Starter Plus. It acts as a natural fertilizer promoting bigger, healthier plants. For sandy soils, it adds nutrients as well as humus to help retain moisture. It also helps loosen and aerate the soil and improve drainage. Bio-tone Starter Plus from Espoma is an all-natural plant food with beneficial microbes, humates and mycorrhizae–it provides beneficial fungus that stimulates root growth, helps plants establish faster and reduces plant stress.
Top Soil
A screened mixture of highly organic soil and partially decomposed compost, excellent for planting trees and shrubs. Its dark, rich humus enhances any soil and is best used in combination with Composted Manure and Sphagnum Peat Moss. Use as a top-dressing for improving lawns, seeding, gardens, and planting beds. Also use as a soil replacement to fill holes, etc. Use along with fertilizer for optimal results.