Soil Conditioners 101
A soil conditioner is a product which is added to soil to improve the soil’s physical qualities, usually its fertility (ability to provide nutrition for plants) and sometimes its mechanics.
A soil conditioner is a product which is added to soil to improve the soil’s physical qualities, usually its fertility (ability to provide nutrition for plants) and sometimes its mechanics. In general usage, the term "soil conditioner" is often thought of as a subset of the category soil amendments (or soil improvement, soil condition), which more often is understood to include a wide range of fertilizers and non-organic materials.
Purpose
Soil structure
The most common use of soil conditioners is to improve soil structure. Soils tend to become compacted over time. Soil compaction impedes root growth, decreasing the ability of plants to take up nutrients and water. Soil conditioners can add more loft and texture to keep the soil loose.[10]
Soil Nutrients
For centuries people have been adding things to poor soils to improve their ability to support healthy plant growth. Some of these materials, such as compost, clay and peat, are still used extensively today. Many soil amendments also add nutrients such as carbon and nitrogen, as well as beneficial bacteria. Additional nutrients, such as calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, may be augmented by amendments as well. This enriches the soil, allowing plants to grow bigger and stronger.
Cation exchange
Soil amendments can also greatly increase the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soils. Soils act as the storehouses of plant nutrients. The relative ability of soils to store one particular group of nutrients, the cations. The most common soil cations are calcium, magnesium, potassium, ammonium, hydrogen, and sodium. The total number of cations a soil can hold, its total negative charge, is the soil's cation exchange capacity. The higher the CEC, the higher the negative charge and the more cations that can be held and exchanged with plant roots, providing them with the nutrition they require.
Water retention
Soil conditioners may be used to improve water retention in dry, coarse soils which are not holding water well. The addition of organic material for instance can greatly improve the water retention abilities of sandy soils and they can be added to adjust the pH of the soil to meet the needs of specific plants or to make highly acidic or alkaline soils more usable.[14]
The possibility of using other materials to assume the role of composts and clays in improving the soil was investigated on a scientific basis earlier in the 20th century, and the term soil conditioning was coined. The criteria by which such materials are judged most often remains their cost-effectiveness, their ability to increase soil moisture for longer periods, stimulate microbiological activity, increase nutrient levels and improve plant survival rates.
The first synthetic soil conditioners were introduced in the 1950s, when the chemical hydrolysed polyacrylonitrile was the most used. Because of their ability to absorb several hundred times their own weight in water, polyacrylamides and polymethacrylates (also known as hydroabsorbent polymers, superabsorbent polymers or hydrogels) were tested in agriculture, horticulture and landscaping beginning in the 1960s.
Interest disappeared when experiments proved them to be phytotoxic due to their high acrylamide monomer residue. Although manufacturing advances later brought the monomer concentration down below the toxic level, scientific literature shows few successes in utilizing these polymers for increasing plant quality or survival.
The appearance of a new generation of potentially effective tools in the early 1980s, including hydroabsorbent polymers and copolymers from the propenamide and propenamide-propenoate families, opened new perspectives.
Application
Cation exchangeSoil conditioners may be applied in a number of ways. Some are worked into the soil with a tiller before planting. Others are applied after planting, or periodically during the growing season. Soil testing should be performed prior to applying a soil conditioner to learn more about the composition and structure of the soil. This testing will determine which conditioners will be more appropriate for the available conditions.
What is BountiGel
Using patented chemistry, we manufacture BountiGel® an eco-friendly, super-absorbent soil amendment that absorbs up to 150 times its weight in water while maintaining its mechanical strength. BountiGel will repeatedly absorb and release water to the root system, utilizing its unique double cross-linked structure. Due to its superior mechanical strength, BountiGel remains effective for up to three years until it safely biodegrades.
Without BountiGel, irrigation can cause soil nutrients and fertilizer to migrate away from the root zone as water moves deeper into the soil. Crops can become stressed in between irrigations. BountiGel is added with traditional equipment, and remains in the root zone, holding water, fertilizer and soil nutrients in place, and keeping the root zone moist in between irrigations. Extensive testing shows water savings, size and yield increases, and fertilizer savings.
Why is BountiGel better than all other Soil Conditioners?
Superior mechanical strength, BountiGel is effective up to 3 years from the first application, whereas other solutions lose their effectiveness, in as little as one year.
BountiGel doesn’t contain polyacrylamide like our competitors, which can break down into acrylamide, which is a carcinogen, which causes reproductive and developmental toxicity.
Looking to try BountiGel
If you would like to see for yourself the benefits of BountiGel, we can do several things, including setting up an inquiry call with one of our team, or if you would like to do some hands on, we can provide you with a commercial sample (200 grams) at no cost. Please call or email us, or file out our inquiry form, and we will reach out to you. We look forward to hearing from you.