Poor Soil Conditions
Poor soil conditions is the biggest contributor to poor plant/tree health. The problem is how do you know if your soil is poor and what do you do to correct the problem? The biggest issue in North Georgia and Western Carolina’s is the red clay. We are famous for it and it is everywhere.
What are the problems with this type of soil? The first is that clay soils are typically too acidic. Some obvious signs are moss growing on the ground. What do you do if you don’t know and there is no moss? The first thing to do is to take a soil sample from around your tree(s) or plant(s) separate the samples from each plant and take them to your local agricultural extension agent or contact me to come out and take the samples for you. If you are going to do it yourself, be sure to specify your plant species some plants thrive in acidic soil. While others do not do as well. When you get your results back it will show you the ph balance of your soil and a nutrient breakdown to analyze for nutrient deficiencies for your plant species. Recommendations for amounts of soil amendments can be made to help adjust your soil.
This is not an immediate fix. You, or I, will need to continue to monitor your soil by sending in samples periodically to see how it is adjusting and if it has remained. The problem with most soil amendments are that they are temporary and need to be applied over again periodically. There are however, some soil amendments that are more permanent. BioChar is one. It is an ancient process developed by ancient Amazonian Indians that I have seen great success in soil conditions while using on client issues. It turns poor, acidic, low nutrient soils into vibrant productive nutrient rich soils through this process. What is captivating to me is that they developed this process approximately 5,000 years ago and the BioChar is still in the soil today in the areas where it was applied!
The next and bigger problem with our red clay soils is the tendency to compact. Compacted soils have a reduced amount of oxygen. This is a huge problem because plant roots need a certain amount of oxygen to survive. Roots can not grow in heavily compacted soils. It reduces root production. This causes a plant to become stressed due to the reduced ability to uptake the nutrients necessary for the plant to survive. It also can cause plants such as trees to become unstable and more likely to fail. How do you counter this problem? There are long term solutions as well as not as long term solutions.
A do it yourself approach is to mulch underneath the trees canopy 2”-4” thick can provide a long term solution by it’s breaking down and changing the soil type. It also can raise the ph balance of the soil to more optimal levels for your plants. Caution is warranted when using this method as to not apply the mulch all the way to the trunk of the tree or plant. Keep it 6” or more away from the root flare. This can cause problems such as providing homes for unnecessary pests as well as cause rotting in the plant. Also be careful that your mulch has gone through the heating process so that it doesn’t burn your plants.
Another method that has quicker results is called vertical mulching. This is a process similar to aerating but we replace the soil nutrient rich compounds to reach the soil faster. We see good results from this method. It’s effective and doesn’t change the appeal of your green grass landscape beneath the tree.
How do you know if your soil is compacted? If you have a Penetrometer, which is an instrument used in measuring soil compaction, that would do it. Of course, the most simple way of knowing is give me a call for a consultation. I can determine if your soil is in need of amending from start to finish in the process above and can provide you with solutions.