Before you add amendments, it is a good idea to have the soil tested for salts so that you will know what to add. Amendments such as peat moss are acidic and low in salt, which makes them good for marginally salty soil with a high pH. Manures tend to be higher in salts and pH making them suitable for soils lower in salts. Gypsum is used to reclaim sodic soils or soils high in sodium. Gypsum is a salt which tends to dissolve slowly to add calcium and sulfur to the soil. With the addition of good quality water to leach the soil, the calcium in gypsum can replace sodium in the soil and flush sodium from the root zone. Bone meal is a good organic form of phosphorus, however it has to broken down and decompose in the soil to release phosphorus for plant growth. Organic fertilizers can be used for new landscaping, but it is important not to add too much organic material that is high in salt. Check with your local Cooperative Extension office to see if they have any information on local suppliers of soil amendments. Suppliers should have some idea of the pH and salt content of their materials. Salts can range from 2 to 3 mmhos/cm to 15 to 25 or more mmhos/cm. The materials high in salt are not necessarily bad materials, however you would not want to put them on salty soils, so it is beneficial to evaluate your site first before adding amendments.^^^

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