Knowing the health and pH of your soil is vital to achieve successful planting schemes. You can contact a horticultural and arboricultural specialist like ourselves for a soil test today.
Below is our step-by-step guide to maintaining the best soil for your garden:
STEP 1: Determine which soil test you require?
Agricultural or Horticultural Soil Tests.
In an agricultural or horticultural setting, a soil test is used to estimate the concentration of the nutrients in the ground. The composition and characteristics of the soil (such as its pH) and the fertility of the soil – which is the expected potential for growth.
Construction Related Soil Tests.
A soil test can be used on a construction site to determine whether the soil can accommodate the construction project being undertaken.
Waste Removal Soil Tests
Before waste soil can be taken to a landfill site, a number of tests must be carried out. These include the Waste Classification test, which identifies whether the soil is hazardous or non-hazardous. Following the completion of the Waste Classification test, the Waste Acceptance Criteria test must also be completed.
STEP 2: Perform a Soil Test
Here at ProHort, we can provide a range of soil tests that analyse the organic compounds found within the soil. These include:
Benzene, Toluene, Ethyl, Benzene and Xylene (BTEX.)
Soil requires a major source of nutrients.Once your soil test has been complete and you have received your report, you will be able to identify which nutrients your soil needs. Three of the most important nutrients for soil are Phosphorus, Nitrogen and Potassium. A healthy soil will have all the essential and balanced nutrients to support healthy tree growth.
Whilst prepping and pruning your garden, it is important to take into consideration the other residents who reside there. Making a safe and inviting habitat for local wildlife, birds and insects can significantly improve the local ecosystem of your surroundings. All gardens, despite the size, can offer up a huge variety of different habitats for wildlife. There are a range of simple and accessible things that you can do to help make your outdoor space habitat safe.
Below are a collection of helpful ideas to help you make your outdoor space habitat safe this season:
An easy and accessible way to accommodate wildlife without having to alter your current garden, is to add the addition of a bird house or water feature, so wildlife such as birds and squirrels can attend, eat, and breed in safety. By having a designated spot such as a house or place to feed, the wildlife is protected when residing in your garden, whilst still protecting your current shrubs and foliage from being eaten or destroyed.
Another easy way to make your outdoor space habitat friendly, is to specifically add nutrient and nectar filled plants to your garden. Doing this, will help to facilitate wildlife in their journey to forage and feed for themselves. It is important to note that the plants and flowers that you plant will be dependent according to the season. An example of this would be planting Ivy in the Autumn, as this is a reliable source of nectar for autumnal wildlife. Furthermore, ensuring that you have a wide range of colourful nectar-rich flowers in Spring and Summer will help to attract bees, wasps, butterflies and other wildlife.
Let’s think sustainable!
A sustainable way of accommodating wildlife is to create a habitat zone. These can be built using twigs and branches from your garden. This allows insects such as butterflies to set up camp and complete their transition from caterpillar to butterfly in a safe environment. Strategically creating these habitats under direct sunlight or in direct shade (depending on your local wildlife), can help to encourage the arrival of certain insects and animals seeking respite.
Another simple way to be sustainable is by collecting rainwater. This can be easily achieved by reusing a bucket or water butt. The acidity levels of rainwater are naturally ideal to quench the thirsts of your plants and local wildlife. By having a rainwater bucket, it not only allows birds and wildlife to drink clean water, but it also ensures that your plants are receiving chemical and toxin free water.
When making ecological improvements to your outdoor space, it is important to utilise the natural and organic environment. If you would like to know how we can help you to achieve this, visit our services page on our website to see the range of services we offer to help improve the horticulture in your own garden. Services Archive – ProHort
Contact Us:
For more information on how to turn your garden into a habitat that wildlife can thrive in, get in touch. Our friendly office team will answer your call in just two rings or get back to your email within the hour.
As the spring season approaches, it is the best time to start thinking about spring plant protection for your garden.
It is important when planning your garden that you take into consideration environmental risks surrounding your plants such as pests and harmful substances.
Also, it is important that prior to planting your flowers, shrubs, and herbs that you consider the placement of them in your garden as well as the timing that you plant them. Spring can be deceiving and although the lighter sunnier mornings make us think that it is time to start planting, they can be deceptive. Spring frost can ruin your plants whilst they are still infants, making their growth and potential limited. Some strong flowers we suggest for this period of the year are M. soulangeana ‘Lennei or Camelia ‘Black Lace.’ For more recommendations click here.
With the frequent arrival of storms recently in the UK you may think of investing in shelterbelts and windbreaks. They are semi-permeable barriers that help to provide shelter for your plants from the force of the wind by reducing the velocity of the wind.
The windbreaks can also support you in protecting your soil in these weathers. It is vital that you ensure you are usually top-quality soil when planting in the early spring season as the plants need as much nutritious support to thrive successfully. The windbreakers can also support by minimising soil erosion, in turn protecting the plants and their rhizomes.
If you are unsure if the soil you are using is of excellent quality or is adequate to assist your garden in bloom, contact our team and we can help you by completing a Soil Analysis. Click here to learn more about our Soil Testing Services.
Why not stay up to date with our latest news on Facebook or Instagram.
Storm Damage – How can we help here at ProHort?
With the severity of this winter’s storms continuing to affect the stability of many of our trees, it is becoming ever more prevalent that the changing climate is having an effect on the UK’s weather, causing post storm damage. With storms becoming more severe and erratic, the management and planting strategies for our woodlands will require adaptation to cope with these events. It is therefore essential that trees are strategically placed in the right places, to ensure our forests’ resilience to climate change.
Increasing climate change means that storms normally only seen in North-East Scotland have now spread across the UK. Woodlands that were considered safe are now suffering from damages and in some cases have been completely destroyed by storm damage.
Infact, after the most recent storms, it has been reported that 4,000 hectares of woodland were affected, this equates to an estimated 8 million trees. Many species of trees anchor roots, and woodlands shape themselves in a way to help them withstand the British weather, however it appears that further action is required to compensate for these worsening storms.
The 4,000 hectares that were reported to be effected, also included trees that are still standing adjacent to windblown areas. However, these will need to be felled, as they are now vulnerable due to their weakened root systems. With the more recently reported storms including storm Eunice and Franklin, this is an urgent point to be considered.
