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No need to amend soil when planting new trees or perennials
Gardeners who follow conventional wisdom and nursery recommendations to mix organic amendments into the soil when planting new trees or perennials in their landscapes are making a mistake, according to UC Cooperative Extension environmental horticulture experts.
“This is one of the garden myths that I'm trying to dispel,” said Jim Downer, UCCE environmental horticulture advisor in Ventura County. “We recommend residents not amend the soil when they are planting based on outcomes we have observed in research.”
Downer and Ben Faber, UCCE advisor for water, soils and subtropical crops in Ventura County, summarized this and other information about the use of organic amendments in home landscapes in a six-page publication now available for free download from the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources catalog at https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=8711.
The publication says research has not shown that adding amendments to planting holes for perennial plants provides a significant advantage compared to using native backfill.
With perennial plants, the roots do not stay in the planting hole for long, so amendments would only be effective for a short time. The practice of amending the soil further harms the plant by creating an interface where the soil in the planting hole is different from the native soil.
“When that happens, roots and water don't move as well through the soil,” he said.
While there are few reasons to mix organic amendments into the soil, Downer said mulching the soil surface with uncomposted organic matter is almost always beneficial.
“If your goal is to get organic matter into the soil, we recommended topping the soil with fresh, undecomposed wood chips. It will give you microbial stimulation and suppress disease. Arthropods will slowly grab pieces of the mulch and incorporate it into the soil at a gentle rate,” he said.
The publication also provides information about various common organic amendments – such as coconut fiber, coffee grounds, horse manure, peat moss and green waste compost – with details about each product's benefits and detriments.
A Monarch Takes Flight
A monarch butterfly took flight at the third annual Butterfly Summit at Annie's Annuals and...
Pollinator Posse member, Seth Newton Patel of Oakland watches his 4-year-old daughter Saathiya Patel, 4, dressed as a monarch butterfly, take flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A monarch for a day! Pollinator Posse member, Seth Newton Patel of Oakland and his 4-year-old daughter Saathiya Patel, 4, helped out at the third annual Butterfly Summit. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Terry Smith (left), co-founder of the Pollinator Posse, and Jackie Salas, horticulturist at Children's Fairyland, Oakland, staff the Pollinator Posse booth. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Part of the Pollinator Posse's display at the third annual Butterfly Summit. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Colorful flowers greeted the attendees at the third annual Butterfly Summit at Annie's Annuals and Perennials. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
All Flights Lead to the Butterfly Summit
All flights lead to the Butterfly Summit. Road trips, too. Butterfly guru Arthur Shapiro, UC...
A monarch butterfly laying an egg on tropical milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The monarch egg is tiny; compare the size of the egg with the aphid next to it. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A very hungry monarch caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The chrysalis, jade green, is a sight to see. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Hello world! A newly eclosed monarch butterfly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Monarch nectaring on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Butterfly Summit: Are Butterflies Heralds of Apocalypse?
"The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough," wrote the late poet...
A male monarch seeking nectar in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A scene from last year's Butterfly Summit at Annie's Annuals and Perennials. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
How Are Butterflies Faring? Art Shapiro Addresses Butterfly Summit
"It ain't so much the things we don't know that get us into trouble, it's the things we do know...
Tora Rocha, founder of the Pollinator Posse, based in Oakland, introduces UC Davis distinguished professor Art Shapiro. Rocha also delivered a presentation. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Following Art Shapiro's talk, attendees line up to speak to him. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Stevanne Auerbach of Berkeley, a consultant, author and speaker, talks to Art Shapiro following his Butterfly Summit talk at Annie's Annuals and Perennials. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
