PREPARE THE SOIL

No matter what kind of soil you have to start with, it can be improved by following some basic steps.  Refer to the soil type pages for recommended rates of amendments, then follow these steps and you'll be on your way to a beautiful paradise!

• Remove weeds and grass to a depth of about 3" - you might go deeper if we're dealing with Bermuda.  You need to get those wiry roots and rhizomes out of the soil or they'll multiply!  DO NOT TILL BERMUDA!!!  You will create millions of new little plants and you'll be sorry!  A sod cutter works well, or if the area is small you can use a flat shovel and scrape the turf/weeds off the surface.  Compost this waste so it isn't really wasted.  Sometimes it is helpful to spray the area with a vinegar based weed killer and cover it with plastic to "solarize" the weeds for a few weeks.  We do not recommend using synthetic weed killers for various reasons. 

• Turn in compost and amendments.  If the ground is really hard, as black clay can be, spread out your compost over the top of the soil until you've put the recommended 4" and then set up the sprinkler or hand water it till the compost is soaked.  This will start to mellow out the heavy clay underneath.  After a few days, you will be amazed at how much easier the soil will turn.  Spread out your soil amendments; lava sand, greensand, molasses, etc., on the top of the compost at the rates recommended and mix into the existing soil with a garden fork or tiller.  Don't work the clay when it is goopy wet though.  This will ruin the structure of the clay and you'll end up with hard chunks of rock like material. 

• With a hard rake, smooth out the nice lush soil you have just created with a bit of a pitch to it - not flat - so the water will drain and not pool up in the middle.  Look for low spots and be sure to grade it away from your foundation or other surfaces that would not benefit from having drainage washing towards it. 

• Dig rough sided holes that are twice as wide as the container, but not any deeper than the plant currently grows.  In fact, a bit on the shallow side is better than too deep. 

• Pour a solution of liquid seaweed water into each hole, and make sure the hole drains well.  Most plants won't grow in a hole of standing water or with "wet-feet".  (You may have to relocate the hole or provide drainage by raising the bed or adding a French drain system.)  Drop a handful of earthworm castings and a pinch of flower fertilizer such as Buds n Blooms or Rose Glo, into each hole. 

• Gently removing the plant from its pot, check for circling roots and trim as needed.  You want the root system to grow out and away from the plant, not grow in circles and strangle itself.

Soaking plants in liquid seaweed solution prior to planting. 

• Place your plant into the hole, gently backfilling with the soil you removed.  Do not tamp down on the soil.  Leave it loose.  If the soil sinks in after you water it in with a sprinkling can or Dramm watering wand, add a little more soil/compost mixture, but don't pack it down tight or pile soil up around the base of the plant.  Gently lift up plant if it ends up too deep.  A little elevated is better than buried.

• Mulch with 3"-6" of a shredded or ground up material such as native cedar, hardwood, pecan shells or pine needles.  In the sun, use more, in the shade less mulch is needed.  But always mulch.  It not only looks nice, it helps keep weed seeds from hitting the soil and insulates the soil from the scorching sun, helping to maintain even moisture levels below ground. 

• Water entire bed of newly planted items thoroughly and deeply.  We suggest this initial watering be done by hand with a stream like water nozzle such as the Dramm watering wand, that can be directed at the root ball of the plants.  Another option is to put the water on at a trickle and allow it to soak in around each plant one at a time.  This may not be as evenly distributed as actually standing there, but hey, time is money. 

• You will need to check for moisture around each plant regularly over the next several days, especially if you have planted during a hot spell.  Plants need air to grow, too, but newly planted ones can dry out quickly, so keep an eye on the soil - not the mulch, that always dries out - near the root ball of each plant and keep it evenly moist.  The soil should be the consistency of a wrung-out sponge. 

• Each week, spray with a liquid fish/seaweed or compost tea foliar mix.  The seaweed will help with transplant shock and the fish is a great natural fertilizer.  Once a month, during the growing season, we suggest a Buds n Blooms or Rose Glo type dusting fertilizer to provide those hungry microbes what they need to keep your plants happy and healthy!

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