An Overview of Soil Types

Soil type is a very important thing to think about as you plan your landscaping for the season. There are certain plants that do not do well in certain soil types, and if there is anything you can do to identify and fix a problem, that could save you a lot of trouble later on down the road. Here are a few different variations of soil types that we have here in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as some other important things dealing with soil.

Soil Types - There are many types of soils and they are distinguished by the amount of certain substances that make up that soil. There are three main components that affect the texture of all soils and those are sand, silt and clay. There are many compositions that can occur, but they are generalized into just a few categories.

1. Silt Loom - The dominant component to silt loom is silt, and it usually feels smooth or floury if rubbed between fingers.

2. Loam - Loam refers to a soil type that has a pretty well rounded mix of sand silt and clay.

3. Silty Clay Loam - Noticeable amounts of clay and silt are felt in this soil, but it is dominantly made up of silt. When moist, it usually becomes sticky or slick.

4. Sandy Loam - Predominantly sand, but there is enough clay and silt to hold the soil together.

5. Clay Loam - Clay is the main component, and is usually hard when dry, and slick and sticky when wet.

Soil pH - Another thing to take into consideration when dealing with soil is the pH it contains. This is basically the measurement of hydrogen ions that are active in the soil. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 14, and tells you how acidic or alkaline the soil is. A pH of 7 means that the soil is pH neutral, and most plants do well pretty close to that. Some plants prefer slightly more or slightly less acid. You can adjust your soils pH by adding substances that add either hydrogen or hydroxyl ions to the soil. Lime is typically used to increase pH, but it is important to make sure to test the soil before and after putting lime down.

Drainage - Too much water and too little water are equally undesirable in your soil. Too much water means that the roots cannot get enough oxygen, and too little water means that plants will wilt and die. Therefore, your soil needs to be able to drain. This is affected by slope, texture and structure. Soil drainage can often be indicated by soil color. Red or yellow-red generally means that the soil is draining well. Dark gray means that the water is not graining well.

Tyler Kaiser
T. J. Landscaping Inc.

Spring Planting

Spring is a time of regeneration and renewal. This is manifested in many different ways, but the most notable are an increase in sunlight from day to day, animals coming out of hibernation and flowers blooming and blossoming. It is a season of new life.

Now is the time to replenish and add new plants to your beds. If there is a specific plant you want planted, or just bare spots in your bed, spring is the time to plant. Here are a few plants that are ideal to plant in the spring.

CALIBRACHOA- Tougher than petunias, calibrachoa has smaller flowers that last longer and fall off cleanly after bloom. They're also abundant with ample water and fertilizer. These flowers should be planted at least 10 to 12 inches apart and should be planted early spring.

NEW GUINEA IMPATIENS- These plants need sun to bloom well. Choose an area that gets morning sun and light afternoon shade. Give them ample water. Feed regularly, starting 3 weeks after planting. They are typically beautiful in beds with colorful foliage plants that thrive in part sun.

ZINNIA ELEGANS- Plant in full sun in a spot that gets good air circulation. Feed regularly and snip off faded flowers to keep new ones coming. Among the easiest plants to grow from seed, zinnias need protection from snails and slugs.

These plants will fill your beds, while adding color and beauty. These should all be planted in the spring, which allows you to fix your beds at the beginning of the year.

Tyler Kaiser

T. J. Landscaping Inc.

Spring Checklist

As the snow is melting, and the beautiful crocus's are blooming, you look in your back yard and perhaps you do not like what you see. Your beds are littered with leaves, your grass is far from green; the lawn in a mess. This is one of those things that comes with spring. The mess from the winter needs to be taken care of, but you don't know where to start. Here is a simple checklist that you can refer to as a general guide for spring landscape cleaning.

1. Cleaning up your landscape is probably the most important thing to do in the spring. There is typically a pretty big mess from the winter, especially if you have a lot of trees. Cleaning out your beds and your lawn is a pretty simple task, and it really should be done to keep your landscape looking good.

2. After you have cleaned your beds, removed all the leaves and weeds, mulching is a great option for keeping things tidy. Mulch has a great aesthetic property, and is also very useful for keeping moisture in the ground and keeping weeds down. You may not need to do this every year, but you should at least assess the situation on a yearly basis.

3. Your lawn may need some additional attention, as it may be brown or dying from the winter. You may consider some lawn treatment or fertilizer, but if you are planning on planting grass this season, be careful what you put down. It will probably also be beneficial to get your lawn aerated and dethatched. Aeration will help provide the roots with nutrients and oxygen, while dethatching helps clear the dead grass from your lawn. Both of these are healthy for you lawn, and should be done if not on a yearly basis, on a regular basis. Overseeding is also a good way to strengthen your grass.

4. It is important for whoever is mowing your lawn to mow it higher than usual. In New England, most grasses should not be cut lower than 2 1/2 inches in the spring. This allows the grass to grow and get healthy.

5. Over the winter months, your shrubs will not grow that much, but come spring, they will probably need to be trimmed. This is an important task that typically makes the entire area look better just from a few simple cuts with some snippers. Having orderly bushes is really important for a pristine landscape.

There you have it, a list of things that should be considered for spring cleanup. This short list is very doable and the net result will be a generally cleaner landscape.

Tyler Kaiser
T. J. Landscaping Inc.

Planning for the 2014 Landscaping Season

Spring 2014 is here! This raises a lot of questions regarding landscaping and what you may need to do to keep your lawn and gardens looking clean and healthy. Here are a few things that you should consider doing, or at least seeing if they need to be done.

General Maintenance-
General Maintenance is always important, because it takes care of all the little things that happen over the winter that make your landscaping sloppy. This might include anything from something as simple as spring cleanup to complete lawn renovation. It is important to keep an eye on these things in the spring, and if you need something done, get it done. Here are a few things to consider for general maintenance:

Plants - Are your plants healthy? Do they need to be replaced due to a harsh winter? Is there some sort of design work that you would like to do to keep things tidy?

Lawn - What is the condition of you lawn? Does it look like there may be some serious problems? Is it dying or brown to the point where you think lawn renovation may be necessary? Does the lawn need to be either rolled or leveled because of unevenness? This last one is an especially important question because the soft soil in the spring, will become much harder as the season progresses. The spring is definitely the time to fix any problems with your lawn.

Shrubs and Trees - Are there any shrubs or trees that either need to be removed or you would like removed? Do you have trees that need to be pruned, or shrubs that need to be cut back?

Drainage-
Another important question to ask yourself at the beginning of the season, are there any drainage problems in your lawn? Drainage affects the health of the lawn, trees and shrubs, so it is important to get this issue solved early in the season. Is there flooding, and if so what is the source? What are some ways that you can repair the damage without compromising the aesthetic features of the property?

Hardscape-
Finally, you may want to be thinking about some hardscape projects that you may want to start this year. This may be the year that you are able to get that new patio designed, or fix your sidewalk. These are important things to be considering over the course of the year so you can jump on an opportunity that may arise. Do you have any plans to install a walkway, patio, retaining wall, outdoor kitchen or fireplace? Start designing and planning those out now. If you get a hardscape project done in the spring, you will be able to enjoy your dream project this summer.

So there are a few things to keep in mind concerning landscaping for the 2014 season. Start thinking about these things now, so when you start a project or need something done, you will have an idea of what you want.

Tyler Kaiser
T. J. Landscaping Inc.