How Do You Know If Your Soil is Compacted?

If you have a recently built house, you could have compacted soil in spots where you want to put a garden or landscape. Usually, topsoil is put around new construction areas and intended for future lawns. Though, underneath the layer of topsoil, there might be highly compacted soil. Read this article to learn how to know if your soil is compacted.

Identifying soil compaction in pastures is down by analyzing the symptoms of the root, soil, and tree. Measurements of soil strength help quantify restrictions and verify if other constraints like soil salinity or soil acidity are present. For an accurate analysis of your lawn and trees, contact an arborist.

Soil Compaction Information
Soil that is compacted doesn’t have the porous spaces for oxygen, nutrients, and water that trees require to live. Soil compaction is typically caused by urban development. Sometimes, though, it can be brought on by heavy, hard rains.

Areas that have been trampled on by heavy equipment like hoes, tractors, trucks, farming equipment, construction equipment, combines, trucks, or backhoes will typically have compacted soil. Even areas that get plenty of foot traffic from animals or humans could have compacted soil. Knowing the area’s history can assist when verifying soil compaction.

Is my soil too Compacted for Gardening?

Some compacted soil signs:

• Shallow rooting of trees
• Puddling or pooling of water in low areas
• Water flowing directly off the soil in high areas
• Places too hard to push a trowel or shovel in the soil
• Stunted growth of trees
• Bare spaces where grass or weeds won’t grow
  

In the early spring, you can test for soil compaction when moisture in the soil is at its peak. While there are pricey tools you can buy to check for compacted soil, these aren’t always worth the price. A strong, lengthy metal rod is what you truly need to determine if you have compacted soil.  

With a steady hand, push the rod into the space in question. The rod must go in a couple of feet in healthy, ordinary soil. If the rod won’t penetrate or only penetrates just little but then suddenly stops and can’t be pushed down anymore, you have soil compaction.

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