Test before you spray

When creating a landscape plan, soil testing is crucial, not only for maintenance but irrigation as well. Steve Hohl, principal at Water Concern in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. does an analysis on a new site and zones the areas on the master plan so that the water application can be adjusted.

According to Stephen Smith of Regenesis Management and past president of the American Society of Irrigation Consultants, amended soils are one of the biggest issues in landscapes. “It’s so common that the top soil gets removed and stock piled and unfortunately it has happened where the stock pile gets sold. So the top soil never sees the project again and then you have construction equipment driving around on what used to be subsoil,” he says.

Since the soil is often brought back into good condition with organics and fertilizers, it’s hard to know what the real condition of the soil is, he adds. “If you haven’t been involved in the spec-ing and the soil amendments and soil prep before irrigation is brought in, then you’re really making a guess at what the soil condition is.”