Soil Science for Gardeners: Working with Nature to Build Soil Health (Garden Science Series, 1)

Robert Pavlis does an excellent job in presenting the scientific basis for what he has as the subtitle for this book: "Working with Nature to Build Soil Health." We don't think too much about what is actually going on in the soil because it is invisible to the eye. We think that feeding our plants is all we need to do. Pavlis builds a compelling line of reasoning that there is an unseen natural world of micro- and macroorganisms that are more that capable of building a soil food system that will feed the plants and hold pathogenic organisms at bay, all the while building a better soil structure that captures carbon (for those concerned with global warming) and benefits plant root growth. He starts with a solid foundation on soil basics with an introduction to the properties of sand, silt, clay and organic material; how they relate and interplay in building soil with good tilth; and presenting ways to determine what problems you may have with your soil and how to overcome them. Informative, understandable, instructive and highly recommended by this gardener of several decades.

Practical advice on improving your soil (just like a building's foundation, it's the unseen yet vitally important aspect of growing plants.) Also explains the scientific "why" of the advice in a way that's easy for laymen to understand. Explains how and why many types of fertilizer are a waste of movey, and how to figure out what fertilizer and soil amendments are or are not necessary. This will save me lots of money and time applying unneeded amendments, far more than the cost of the book.

A good primer on soil, its composition, the impact of organic materials, and fertilizers. Provides info on identification of the types of soils and improving various conditions. Easy to understand.

This book is great if you want to understand more about your soil. Easy enough to understand and a lot of information.

Robert Pavlis shows in Soil Science for Gardeners the complexity of life living in our gardens. Without an understanding of this ecosystem we are pawns for the marketing departments of fertilizer companies. This book motivated me to send off soil samples for testing at our state university's soil lab. The results were very informative. I now have the necessary information to correct the pH imbalance and add only the missing nutrients - nitrogen and a bit of potash. I'm no longer just guessing or blindly following a fertilization routine.I can't praise Robert's books enough. Soil Science and Garden Myths 1 & 2 are full of practical advice based on science and common sense. Simply the best.

Be sure to read it with the author’s book on composting for a full understanding of your soil and how to improve it.

I liked the author's coverage of soil basics, nutrients, and problem solving. The book is well organized and written at a level that most people should be able to comprehend. I am going to implement the soil assessment form and action plan - I believe these will be good tools to use in improving my gardening success. I especially liked the discussion about many different folk/fad practices (that many gardening books promote without evidence). Avoiding these practices alone will save me well over the cost of the book!

Some might fault the occasional lack of editing in this, but if you bought a soil book for that, your priorities are probably off. This is a very practical primer for gardeners who recognize that good soil is the starting point for all success in the garden. I recommend Pavlis for all gardeners.

This book is excellently written, turning a seemingly mundane subject into something really quite interesting. I can whole heartedly recommend it for anyone that is interested in gaining a better understanding of their soil. It’s full of not just useful information, but the science behind it too. This avoids the pit fall of knowledge, instead aiding an understanding making all of the guidance even more useful than just a simple guide.So why is it in an unfortunate circumstance? Well soil science is a constantly developing area, it seems like every day something new is either being discovered or disproven. This isn’t the deepest of dives into the data of the science, which is very beneficial for both the less knowledgable reader and avoiding some pitfalls of potentially outdated information. I read the book before graduating to the “Teeming With” trilogy by Jeff Lowenfels and whilst I haven’t completed those yet, Soil Science for Gardeners has not just set me up beautifully for better understanding the more advanced books, without ruining them in any way. Once again I can happily recommend this book to anyone interested.

Perfect for a deeper understanding of what is happening in the garden. You'll get a much better sense of whether a recommendation (technique, fertilizer, soil amendment, etc.) you come across has merit and why. The information about fertilizers alone is worth the price of the book.Ignore the one-star review stating its not for organic gardners. It absolutely is. He explanis both organic and non-organic approaches to gardening. The reviewer claimed that the book states Roundup breaks down in 3 months. The author made no such claim. Instead, he wrote that Roundup has a half-life of 3 months. Apparently, the reviewer didn't bother to read carefully or doesn't understand what a chemical half-life is.Also ignore the review stating that the author doesn't discuss or understand the role of fungus and bacteria in soil. Nearly half the book is about just that. To illustrate, the book contains the following chapters: 3. Soil Life, 4. Bacteria, 5. Fungi, 6. Other Organisms, 7. Organic Matter, 8. Rhizosphere, 12. Solving Microbe Issues, 13. Increasing Organic Matter. Furthermore, the author states that the most important role of a gardner is to support living organisms in the soil so that they can make plant life possible.The reviewer also says the author makes a false claim that soil is not alive. The reviewer hasnt understood what the author wrote, or, again, simply didn't pay attention. As per the author, most soil contains between 0 to 5 percent organic mattter, and some (ex. peat) may contain up to 90 percent. Of that 0 to 5 percent, only about 15 percent is living organic matter, i.e. fungus, anthropods, bacteria etc. So, soil is almost entirely mineral particles and dead organic matter. It is not itself alive or a single living organism, but rather it contains populations of living organisms. And it is the gardner's main goal to support that network of organisms and let them do what they do best: make all other life possible.I will certainly buy the author's other science-based gardening books.

A very useful book for understanding how the soil in the garden works and the best ways to improve it.

Gave me additional knowledge of how to improve my soil for my grass . I presently use many of the suggestions?;but ,learned a few more !Perhaps my cost of Products may go down a wee bit in the future by following some of the items listed in the book!

soil science for gardeners has help with my college work and job.