The Why and How-To of Testing Garden Soil

  

  
The health and quality of your soil has a direct effect on everything you grow in your garden. The key elements affecting our soils are physical structure, including the amount of clay content, the pH and soil fertility. Testing your garden soil on a regular basis is important and can be accomplished at home using soil test kits or soil samples can be sent to a testing lab for analysis.  

 

If you decide to test your soil at home, it’s important to include a test that will measure the acid-alkaline balance, known as soil pH level. Soil pH affects the availability of nutrients to vegetable plants, as well as the microbial activity in your soil.  No matter the quality of the fertilizer or supplements you apply, tomato and vegetable plants can’t use them if the pH is too high.  

 

Soil pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a soil. On the pH scale, 7.0 is neutral, above 7 is alkaline, below 7 is acidic. Bleach for example is very alkaline. Lemon juice is very acidic. Most plants prefer a pH of between 6.5 and 7. Our soil is typically greater than 7.  

 

This soil check kit is an easy and quick way to check the pH levels in your garden.  Home test kits are also available to measure the Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potash levels in your garden beds.  Stop in and let us explain how to use these testers.  

  

Colorado State University also offers soil testing. Follow this link to learn how take and submit a sample for analysis, as well the cost for testing: https://agsci.colostate.edu/soiltestinglab/ 

  

In addition to pH and nutrient levels, the structure, physical makeup, and organic content of your soil has a direct impact on your garden’s productivity. Whether you’re growing in a raised bed or an in-ground one, the quality of the soil affects everything from strong root development to flower and fruit production.  

 

The Jar Test is a quick, easy way to help you determine the structure and physical makeup of your soil.

You’ll need a clean jar with a lid, in this case a peanut butter container. Put 4-5 ounces of soil in the bottom of the jar. Add enough water to fill the jar 2/3 full.  Add a drop or two of dishwasher soap. Put the lid on and shake well, then let the jar sit undisturbed for 24 hours. You’ll see that the soil has settled into layers.  

 

The first layer will be sand. The second layer will be silt, followed by clay, suspended clay, then a small amount of organic material, floating at the top. This is evident in the jar on the left. Typically, you’re going to see a small amount of sand and silt, a large percentage of clay and a small amount of organic material.  

 

As you add more organic material to your garden, your test results will look more like the jar in the middle. The jar on the right illustrates a well-amended garden soil: dark and rich, with more organic material suspended in with the clay.  

 

As a rule, to improve your garden soil and lower the pH, you need to add more organic material in the form of coconut coir, sheep manure and organic compost. We recommend you add two to three inches of locally produced organic material to your garden in the spring and again in the fall.  

  

Whether you test your own soil or use CSU’s lab, bring us the results. We'll recommend the right amendments and fertilizers to make your garden soil healthier and more productive.  

 

 

Now’s the Time for Dormant Tree and Shrub Care

  

Late February to early March is a good time to check fruit and shade trees for any damage that may have occurred over the winter. This is also the right time to control insects that might be trying to winter over on tree trunks, limbs and on ornamental shrubs.   

  

Take advantage of some of these warmer late winter days and walk through your garden, paying particular attention to the crabapple, apple, pear trees and other deciduous trees. At this point, you’re looking for broken branches or limbs, diseased branches, as well as branches and twigs that crisscross or rub against one another.   

  

  

Pruning while trees are still dormant has two distinct advantages over pruning when trees are active during the growing season. First, it’s easy to assess the general health of your trees because the interior of the tree is visible. In addition, at this time of year most of the tree’s energy is held in their root systems. Pruning now allows the tree to direct all that stored energy into the remaining healthy branches and limbs resulting in a more vigorous growth come spring.   

  

  

To accomplish your pruning task safely and effectively, you need a sharp set of pruners, a pair of long handled loppers and for higher limbs, a telescoping tree saw and pruner.  

  

Safety is key in any tree pruning effort which means, if you can’t reach a branch or limb while you’re standing on the ground, you’re better off hiring a professional arborist or garden landscape service. For mature trees, the plan is to remove no more than one-third of the canopy. For trees that have been planted for five years or less, don’t remove more than twenty percent of the canopy.  

  

For large branches that need to be removed, invest in a pruning saw and follow the three-step method. Starting about a foot from the main branch, Make the first cut upwards about halfway through the branch. Finish the cut from the top down to meet the first cut. This will remove most of the weight of the branch and prevent damage to the main trunk. The third cut is made downward just outside the collar, where the branch meets the trunk. Always prune just outside the branch collar. 

  

  

Next look for water sprouts and sucker shoots. These are easy to identify because they tend to grow straight up. Sucker shoots originate from the base of the tree. Water sprouts spring up from a branch. Water sprouts and water suckers are signs of stress. They’re indicators that the tree is not receiving adequate moisture.   

  

With crabapple, apple, pear trees we’re also looking for signs of fire blight. Fire blight gets its name from the burnt appearance of blossoms and branches. The flowers will turn brown and small branches and fruit will shrivel up and blacken.

   

Fire blight is a bacterial disease, spread by wind, rain, snow or insect activity and occurs while the tree is in bloom. Now’s the time to remove these branches, while the bacteria is dormant.   

Once you’re done pruning, it’s time to apply a preventative dormant oil. Dormant oil helps to protect trees from overwintering insects, larvae, and eggs, which improves success with controlling pests during the growing season. The “dormant” part of “dormant oil” refers to the timing of the oil’s application, rather than the type of oil.  

  

A dormant oil spray is a horticultural oil that is mixed with water and then sprayed on trees and shrubs. The dormant oil acts to suffocate the insect by blocking the breathing pores or by penetrating and destroying the cells of insects. Dormant oils dry quickly, have low persistence, and don’t contribute to resistance buildup.  

  

Product choices include concentrated ferti-lome Dormant Spray and ferti-lome Neem. Both products can be applied with a hose-end sprayer or a pump sprayer.  

  

  

Ideal conditions for dormant spraying would be on a day when the temperature will be above 40°F, there’s little or no wind and no rain or snow in the forecast. Wind will carry the oil away from the tree or shrub you’re trying to protect. You’ll want to spray early in the morning so the plant will be dry by evening. Spray enough to cover the tree or shrub thoroughly. 

 

Whenever you decide to spray, it needs to be before the bud starts to show color. Spraying now with dormant oil reduces the impact aphids, scale, and other insects can have later in spring and summer.   

  

Some trees such as blue spruce and others are sensitive to dormant oil sprays. Stop in and talk to us if you have questions about applying dormant oil. It’s important to know how and when to apply dormant oil or any product, to achieve the best results. 

  

Once you’re done pruning and spraying, give the trees, shrubs, and roses in your landscape a good drink of water. Well hydrated trees and shrubs are better able to handle the stress of erratic spring weather.