This is a type of native soil called muck. Non-augmented Potting Soil has poor drainage and aeration but does hold on to nutrients well. Here are some of the components that are available: No single component has all four of these qualities therefore, a combination of different media components is necessary to obtain a useful mix. Pictured: Builder’s fill.Ī good media mix will have four major functions: it will hold nutrients it will hold water it will provide oxygen to the roots (drainage) and it will support the plant. Media components are best used in container growing. It is not recommended to add superior media components to South Florida soil. Has the soil been amended by better components? No, the key to growing plants in South Florida is the right plant in the right location: one must choose plants that are adapted to growing in our soil. Rock, sand, muck, marl and builder’s fill are not a recipe for good soil and yet looking around South Florida one sees a lush tropical paradise. This is mostly crushed limestone and therefore has all the qualities of limestone such as a high pH, good drainage, and poor nutrient holding capacity. This area of South Florida is prone to flooding and homes are typically built on several inches of builder’s fill. Bryozoan limestone was formed when the lowered seas exposed sea creatures called bryozoans which also hardened under the glare of the sun. The limestone found west of the Miami Rock Ridge, is known as bryozoan limestone. ![]() It is very hard to get it dry once it is wet and very hard to get it wet once it is dry. Muck has very poor aeration and drainage. Its use as a potting soil is not recommended. Muck is half-decomposed organic matter and is often sold as potting-soil or top-soil. Sand is found in large quantities around the Redland as well as other areas in South Florida. The soil found in this area is a combination of sand, muck and limestone. To the west of the Miami Rock Ridge, there is a slight drop in elevation which historically caused shifts in plant habitats. ![]() The soil found in these glades is known as marl, a grey, clay-like substance formed by the erosion of the surrounding limestone. Before South Florida was riddled with canals, there were seasonally wet finger glades intersecting the limestone ridge. Pockets of sand are also sometimes found on the ridge. The natural vegetation that was found on the ridge was hardwood hammocks and pinelands. The ridge’s high elevation caused early settlers to build their homes upon this ridge consequently, at present time the ridge is densely covered in homes and urban sprawl. The ridge comes to an end in the Everglades at Long Pine Key. This ridge varies from four to twelve feet in elevation and extends from the city of Miami, south to the Deering Estate, where it curves westward towards the Everglades. Oolitic limestone is found on the eastern edge of South Florida in what is known as the Miami Rock Ridge. Oolitic limestone was formed when small particles of sand and shells were coated with calcium carbonate making tiny particles, called ooids, which cemented together when the seas receeded. Miami limestone is a general term for the two types of limestone found in South Florida: oolitic limestone is found near the east coast and bryozoan limestone is found further west. It was formed when the shallow seas covering much of South Florida receded exposing the ocean floor to the sub-tropical sun. Our type of limestone is very young geologically and is found only one other place in the world (Bahamas). Miami limestone is high in pH (7.8-8.1), does not retain water or nutrients well and makes growing many plants a challenge. ![]() The rock is known as Miami limestone, which is an alkaline calcium carbonate. South Florida soil consists of rock, sand, marl and muck.
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