Price: ₹2,023 - ₹1,480.00
(as of Jun 21, 2025 17:12:33 UTC – Details)
Build healthy soil and grow better plants
Robert Pavlis, a gardener for over four decades, debunks common soil myths, explores the rhizosphere, and provides a personalized soil fertility improvement program in this three-part popular science guidebook.
Healthy soil means thriving plants. Yet untangling the soil food web and optimizing your soil health is beyond most gardeners, many of whom lack an in-depth knowledge of the soil ecosystem.
Soil Science for Gardeners is an accessible, science-based guide to understanding soil fertility and, in particular, the rhizosphere – the thin layer of liquid and soil surrounding plant roots, so vital to plant health.
Coverage includes:
Soil biology and chemistry and how plants and soil interact Common soil health problems, including analyzing soil’s fertility and plant nutrients The creation of a personalized plan for improving your soil fertility, including setting priorities and goals in a cost-effective, realistic time frame. Creating the optimal conditions for nature to do the heavy lifting of building soil fertility
Written for the home gardener, market gardener, and micro-farmer, Soil Science for Gardeners is packed with information to help you grow thriving plants.
Publisher : New Society Publishers; Illustrated edition (7 April 2020)
Language : English
Paperback : 224 pages
ISBN-10 : 0865719306
ISBN-13 : 978-0865719309
Item Weight : 361 g
Dimensions : 15.24 x 1.14 x 22.86 cm
Country of Origin : Canada
Importer : Bookswagon, 2/13 Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi 110002, Sales@bookswagon.com , 01140159253
Packer : Bookswagon, 2/13 Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi 110002, Sales@bookswagon.com , 01140159253
Amazon Customer –
Another great resource from this author
Rory –
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. Itâs 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 isnât 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 âTeeming Withâ trilogy by Jeff Lowenfels and whilst I havenât 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.
Mark A –
If youâve watched the Big Bang theory then most of what is written in this book is understandable to non science people. Im not the best reader, but I didnât put this book down until I had finished it, I found most interesting the information detailing the chemical reactions within the soil when dealing with acidic or alkaline conditions and the section on the rhizosphere was particularly fascinating. Iâm a qualified time served gardener of 20+ years and I certainly learned a lot from this book. The way I now view my soil has completely changed for the better and armed with this new knowledge Iâm more confident with investigating plant problems at the source!
Abra –
Lot of things to learn from this
MS –
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.