- Author: Chris M. Webb
Looking for an environmentally safe way to control soilborne pests? Solarization is a nonchemical method that can be successfully used to kill weeds, pathogens, nematodes and insects.
This process heats the soil to temperatures that are too high for the undesirable organisms to live. It also has the potential to improve soil structure, increasing the potential for healthy plants. Faster growing plants as well as higher and better quality yields are associated with solarized soil.
Another benefit of this method of soil preparation is that it can be used by home gardeners, landscape professionals, natural resource restoration projects and in production agriculture.
More information can be found in UC ANR’s Soil Solarization for Gardens and Landscapes pest note or for a more in-depth view and closely related subjects, please visit UC’s Solarization Informational Website.
Illustration by W. Suckow showing solarization steps.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
A useful application, available for free on iPhone and Android OS platforms, SoilWeb provides on-demand access to solid survey information anywhere with cell phone coverage in the lower 48 states.
Developed by UC Davis Ph.D. candidate Dylan Beaudette and his advisor Toby O’Geen, SoilWeb uses GPS or cell tower triangulation capabilities of modern smartphones to determine the location of the user. Once the location is determined results from UC Davis Soil Resource Laboratory soil survey information is sent to the user.
Many resources are available through the SoilWeb app and include: soil profile sketches; soil horizons; series names; landscape position; taxonomic classification; depth profiles of soil chemical and physical properties; land classification indices; land-use interpretations and links to a variety of other environmental databases.
An abstract of the project can be found here.
Graphical User Guide to SoilWeb phone application found on UC Davis Soil Resource Laboratory website.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Today, Maren Mochizuki shares with us preliminary findings from a local research project.
Soil pH along most of the California coast north of Los Angeles ranges between 7.3 and 8, which is generally higher than many edible and ornamental plants prefer. In some cases, availability of micronutrients such as iron is severely limited in soils above pH 8, leading to deficiency symptoms in plants. Other plants such as blueberries, rhododendrons, azaleas, and hydrangeas prefer acidic soil conditions (pH 6 and below).
To investigate potential soil pH reduction over time, UCCE Farm Advisors Jim Downer and Ben Faber and UCCE Staff Research Associate Maren Mochizuki applied coffee grounds, lemon waste, peat moss, pine needles, oak leaves, and municipal yardwaste in addition to elemental sulfur to soil with an unadultered pH of 7.8.
The project is on-going and is in its third year. Preliminary findings indicate that the combination of organic material plus elemental sulfur reduces pH to a greater degree and more quickly than either the amendment or sulfur alone. We have seen the greatest effect thus far with elemental sulfur plus coffee grounds, chipped lemon waste, or peat moss.
Lemon waste from Ventura County packinghouses.
Lemon waste was chipped before application and
incorporation into soil.
Coffee grounds (top) and peat moss applied
to soil prior to incorporation with a rototiller.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Join expert composter Lorraine Walters on Saturday, September 4 and learn about composting, vermicompost and mulch to improve the health of your soil. Healthy soil can increase production, reduce the likelihood of insects and disease, reduce water needs and more.
This class will be held at Community Roots Garden. Scheduled topics include:
- How to make compost from common materials such as food scraps, grass clippings, and leaves.
- Faster composting methods that take more attention as well as the slower, easier methods.
- How to make extra high-grade compost using redworms (called vermicomposting).
- How to use compost to build your soil.
- How to use mulch to build your soil, and the difference between compost and mulch.
For further information please contact Community Roots Garden at 805/616-2326, info@communityrootsgarden.org or www.communityrootsgarden.org.
Composting expert, Lorraine Walters
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Many problems of poor plant growth can be found in the soil. UC ANR has recently turned the previously priced publication, Diagnosing Soil Physical Problems, into a free download.
Topics covered include:
- Investigating plant growth problems
- Restricted root systems
- Diagnosing soil physical conditions
- Soil characteristics
- Outline for making a diagnosis
More free UC ANR publications can be found here and here. If purchasing publications, please use the Ventura County Cooperative Extension promotion code PRVEN56 to receive 10% off your order. A portion of your purchase will benefit our local programs.