Why Is My Garden Soil Turning Bright Orange?

Natural Filtration

• One solution for treating the orange color in your garden soil is to filter the water that goes onto the plants. Most of the time, the orange soil comes from well water used in the garden. City water doesn't have a high concentration of iron in it, but well water frequently does. To correct the problem, install a media filtration system at the water source.

Amend the Soil

• If the water is not introducing the iron into the soil, then it is already present. Iron and clay go hand-in-hand, so this kind of soil requires amendments to promote healthy plant growth. Amend orange soil with compost, manure, topsoil or a "mushroom" mix available at a local nursery or landscaping business.

Stunted Growth

• Orange garden soil stunts the growth of many gardens. A good test before starting a garden is to check the flora growing in the ground first. Most bright orange soil doesn't promote much plant growth of any kind, including weeds. Only the most stalwart plants that have evolved to live in heavy-iron and clay conditions can grow in orange soil.