Can I improve my soil, or is that just the way it is? (Inherent vs dynamic soil properties)

Sometimes we’re optimistic and think all our soil issues can be solved through know-how and elbow grease; other times, we’re pessimistic and figure we should just throw in the towel rather than fight against mother nature. How can you know whether your soil, lawn, or garden problems are a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty kind of situation?

Soil scientists use the term inherent soil properties to refer the aspects of soil that do not easily change. These include texture, mineral types, depth, and drainage class. You can also consider climate as an inherent property affecting a particular area of soil that is outside of human control. Since inherent properties generally cannot be changed, you need to be aware of them when choosing plants to grow and adapt your management strategies accordingly. For example, you’ll have great difficulty growing deep-rooted trees in a shallow or rocky soil, growing a tropical plant in an area with cold winters, or a dessert plant in a wetland soil (or a wetland plant in a sandy, dry soil!). Inherent soil properties are sometimes altered through dramatic human-caused or natural disturbances, such as dumping sand, draining a wetland, or digging for mining or construction. Recovering soil quality after such disturbances can prove quite difficult. Thus, past usage and current status of a piece of land can both be important in determining the suitability of the soil for a lawn or garden.

On the other hand, soils also have dynamic properties, also called management-dependent properties, have more to do with how you treat your soil and less with its inherent nature. Examples of dynamic properties include nutrient content, organic matter, soil structure, water-holding capacity, and bulk density (compaction level). This is why it’s useful to test your soil nutrients each year, since every growing season nutrient levels are being depleted and every time you add fertilizer you boost them up again. Adding organic matter is one of the best ways to boost your soil health, since it can improve many dynamic properties such as soil structure, water-holding capacity, and nutrient content all together. If your plants are showing signs of nutrient deficiency, this is a clear example of when you can improve your soil and your garden through proper treatment. Another example of managing a dynamic soil property is aerating your lawn when needed to reduce compaction and improve structure.

To sum up, your soil’s inherent properties are the ones you need to perpetually accommodate for in terms of management strategies or even crop selection in extreme cases. They’re your soil’s personality and quirks that you’ll need to get to know and accept for what they are. By contrast, your soil’s dynamic properties are the ones you have to keep checking up on each year to see what your soil needs, like a human’s need for food or sleep that might change depending on the season and their activities. Considering whether the challenges associated with your soil are more related to its inherent or dynamic properties is the first step toward knowing if your yard just needs some TLC or if you need to rethink your approach.