Better Landscaping Today Newsletter

Volume 1, Issue 3                                                                                                                                 October 1998

ARE YOU AN EXPERT IN TRANSPLANTING SPECIFICATIONS?

The most elementary job in landscaping is the act of transplanting.  One would think that with the millions of transplants going in each month that this simple job would have been perfected to the point of having no failures.  With the correct knowledge of the six basic considerations for establishing new plantings, the success rate can indeed be near 100 percent.

The six basic considerations are:

(1)           What should the pit size be?

(2)           Should native or imported soil be used?

(3)           What fertilizers should be added?

(4)           How should the soil be amended?

(5)           Should a berm be used?

(6)           Should drain lines, augered holes or other techniques be used to control a high water table possibility?  Does irrigation need to be judiciously controlled?  Will a poor water quality require more exacting control of the workmanship of this job?

ANALYSIS OF THE BASIC CONSIDERATIONS

(1) Pit Size-

For excellent soils, the pit size only needs to be large enough to accommodate the root ball.  Soils which will limit the growth of the roots need to be modified otherwise the roots will be confined to the amended soil and the plant size will be stunted.  The factors which must, be considered for the determination of the pit size are:

(a)           soil compaction which prohibits root growth such as around 85 percent or more

(b)           very poor fertility in nonmobile nutrients such as phosphorus

(c)           high salt content if not preleached

(d)           soil pH below 5.1

(2) Import Soil-

Cost factor aside, native soils if reclaimable are the better choice because of the interface between two dissimilar soil textures.  The corollary is to use a similar soil texture as that being removed.  Besides the interfacing problem, salts can be moved into a lighter soil from a heavier soil because of the high moisture evaporation rate in light sandy soils.

(3) Fertilizer-

This item will be discussed in a future issue.  An advance copy can be requested.

(4) Soil Amendment-

The goal in soil amending is to enhance the soil porosity and to decrease the compaction percentage.  Humus is more effective than wood products both for adding fertility and for adding to the physical soil improvement.  Synthetic, soil polymers such as SOIL DRAIN™ excel in allowing for porosity.  Typically soil can be treated with the result of soil compaction being 50-60 percent.  Because, the polymer is so effective in amending soil, the organic matter component can be reduced in half from current practices resulting in a lower net materials expense while having better soil preparation.  The polymer can be applied in the water used for backfilling.

(5) Berm-

The use of a berm for a new transplant can either be beneficial or detrimental depending upon the method of irrigation, the slope and the planting.

If plantings are being hand watered, a berm would be very helpful.  On the other hand, if runoff water from a slope collects in a berm and if the irrigation or rain fall is excessive, the planting may die from water logging conditions.  Other conditions can cause the same effect such as by a sprinkler in close proximity whose spray is impeded with the water filling up the berm.  A related problem is the case of plants being located in depressions and the site is irrigated to the point of runoff too frequently

(6) Drainage and Irrigation-

In order to avoid an accumulation of salt in the soil, more water needs to be applied than that which is used by the plantings and that which is lost due to evaporation (evapotranspiration).  If the site does not drain faster than rate of surplus water application, the water table either in the plantings pits or in the soil will increase.  A high water table needs to be avoided at all cost.  Poor water quality and reclaimed water necessitates a greater quantity of irrigation for additional leaching.

SOLUTIONS FOR POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

Soil testing needs to be done for degree of soil compaction, fertility recommendations, drainage and determination of the best method for maintaining an open structured soil. It is better to have all the procedures for soil preparation and drainage specified prior to the issuance of a contract in order to keep the total landscaping expense to a competitive price.

Advanced technological methods ought to be used to guard against failures.  Current methods of using water to help compact the backfill turns soil into mud which compacts and reverts to the pre-existing state of being highly compacted.  SOIL DRAIN™ prevents this occurrence.  Much can be done to eliminate most causes of failures.

If you would like helpful information, e-mail completegreen@hotmail.com indicating your needs:

O             How to use SOIL DRAIN™ in backfill.

O             Fertility considerations for landscaping.

O             Costs comparison between SOIL DRAIN™ treated backfill and older methods.                     

O             More information on how Soil Drain™ works.