Preparing Soil

Designing a landscape that will stop people in their tracks with its breathtaking color, textures, and visual interest begins before any flowers are planted. The success of the finished product begins with thorough preparation. Follow these tips for making the most of your landscape design.

• During bed preparation, add organic matter at a rate of about 25 to 30 percent by volume of soil. This translates to adding about 3 to 4 inches of organic matter on top of the bed and working it in to about 10 to 12 inches of soil.
• Remember that organic matter improves the structure and aeration of clay soil and improves moisture and nutrient retention in sandy soil.
• Never till wet soil. Tilling, forking, or digging holes in wet soil does damage by squeezing the soil particles together, causing glazing, and eliminating the air spaces needed for good soil condition and soil life.
• Moisten beds before planting. Do not plant in dry soil because the young roots will dehydrate quickly as they try to grow.
• Make sure the plants are moist before planting. This will ensure plant strength and transplanting success.
• Set the plants so that the top of the root ball is even or slightly higher than the surrounding soil. Setting the plant too low can cause drowning. Planting too high can cause the upper roots to dry out.
• Mulch beds after planting: A 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch should be placed on the soil after planting. Mulching provides a variety of advantages including suppressing weeds, regulating soil temperature, and holding in moisture.
• The ideal soil pH for bedding plants is 6.5-7. If your soil is outside that range, you can add amendments to adjust the pH.