What is a soil conditioner?
One of the constituents that is added to the soil to boosts up its value, defines soil conditioner. And there are various reasons and need to enhance the quality of the soil which ranges from repairing of damaged soil, maintaining soil quality, regularize the nutritional value, etc.
Now the question arises in our mind is, what do these soil conditioners consist of? They are meagerly the organic matter, which has the compost of animals in it, and in turn, these conditioners provide the great health to the plants. The soil conditioner provides the microorganisms where they protect the quality of the soil.
The Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) one of the process to balance the different types of soil is attained by the properties of the soil conditioner. They bring about the changes to the soil which is required for the nourishment of the plants.
Benefits of soil conditioner
The benefits to the soil after the conditioning are that it retains the quality of the soil by increasing the airspace and improves the drainage. Also it enhances the aeration, water holding capacity, and nutrients, etc. It is assumed that the proper soil has the 50% organic or inorganic material, 25% airspace and water space. The conditioners rectify the bad condition of the soil which can be in the form of lots of clay in the soil, rocky soil, soil with high ph or low ph, sandy soil, etc.
Predominantly, the two kinds of soil conditioners are Limestone which adds the calcium and magnesium to the soil. Whereas the Glauconite adds potassium and magnesium to the soil. The inclusion of these vital nutrients adds the natural glory to the soil which is further observed in the form of greenery and effective vegetation.
There is a huge misconception regarding the importance of fertilizer and soil conditioner. And that is, are these same? Or do they differ, the answer is yes they do have slightly different properties in them. The soil conditioner is vital for the growth of the soil. Whereas the basic property of the soil is maintained by the fertilizer which boosts the plantation. Thus if the quality of the soil is not maintained the use of fertilizers is not of much use.
