As well as testing the health of the soil, we offer additional tests which may highlight any issues and reasons why your plants are struggling.
Water Testing
If you have a water butt or a pond in your garden, and you use this water on your plants, you may wish to consider having this water tested. This test will highlight the quantities of specific minerals that are present in the water (including Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Iron) as well as the water’s PH.
Fertiliser Testing
We can offer testing for fertilisers, showing you the levels of Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus present so that you can ensure that this is the right balance for your plants.
Soil Biology
This range of tests will show you the total amount of bacteria and fungi that is present in your soil. Having active soil (with active bacteria) is often a good sign that your soil conditions are right for growth. However, if your soil has too many bacteria present, then these may be affecting your plants.
Leaf Analysis
We are also able to test plant leaves directly, although we would only recommend this for larger plants or crops, given the amount of leaves that need to be collected. As well as a general health check, leaves can also be tested for heavy metal contamination as well.
There are many factors that may affect the health of the plants in your garden and by utilising the above information, you should be able to tailor your gardening approach and ensure that your garden flourishes. If you require any further advice, please feel free to contact us today!
Can you Check Whether my Garden Has Been Sprayed With a Specific Substance?
We get many enquiries asking for help identifying whether a garden has been sprayed with specific pesticide or herbicide (whether by a neighbour, commercial vehicle or by a previous owner). Unfortunately, our soil testing cannot confirm the exact chemical composition of what has been sprayed – there are simply too many varieties of common weedkiller, and they may have been mixed. If you would like to test for pesticides or herbicides, we can offer the below solutions:
Testing for groups of pesticides or herbicides
While individual pesticides cannot be identified, we are able to test for groups of pesticides or herbicides. Specifically, we can test for the presence of organochlorine pesticides, organophosphate pesticides, organonitrogen pesticides and acid herbicides. These tests can be completed individually or grouped together, as per your requirements.
Completing a soil health test
If your plants are failing to thrive, and you believe this could be due to pesticides or herbicides used previously, there are a variety of tests on offer which you may wish to consider. These tests will check the soil health generally and allow you to understand which nutrients or chemicals may be causing damage to your plants. The options include:
– Broad Spectrum Soil Health
– Animal Health Soil Test (for soil where grazing animals are present)
– Heavy Metal Contamination for Vegetable Production (testing for minerals that can cause specific issues when growing vegetables)
– Broad Spectrum Leaf (where the leaf of a plant is tested rather than the soil)
We also offer tests to certify that your topsoil meets the requirements of British Standard 3882 (2015) and that your subsoil meets the requirements of British Standard 8601 (2013).
All these options will help you better understand your soil and the damage that pesticides and herbicides may have caused to your growth potential. If you feel you may need one of these tests please do contact us today!
How are my Trees Categorised in a Tree Survey?
Have you wondered how are your trees categorised in a Tree Survey? As part of all our tree surveys (or any survey that is completed to the British Standard 5837:2012), we categorise trees into one of four categories.
Category A
Category A trees are trees of high value. These trees are good examples of their species – they may be particularly visually impressive, be good habitats for birds or other wildlife or have other ecological or conservation value. Category A trees (especially when there is a high concentration of Category A trees in a small geographic area) are most likely to be subject to a Tree Protection Order. Tree Protection Orders can also cover a geographic area instead of being applied to a single tree and a high concentration of high-quality trees is likely to lead to a blanket TPO being applied to that area.
Category B
These are trees that are of moderate value. These trees are generally healthy and have some material or conservation value.
Category C
If a tree is Category C, it is of low value. These trees may offer some landscaping or visual benefits but are trees that have low growth potential or are not suitable for the local environment. These trees may be foreign varieties that have failed to thrive, or trees that are overmature and at the end of their life. All young trees are automatically categorised as category C trees; however, a comment should be made confirming this, so these trees are not accidentally removed.
Category U
Category U trees should be removed straight away – these are trees with irremediable defects, structural weakness, trees with infectious pathogens, trees that are inhabited by pests or trees that are already dead.
These four categories are used to provide a quick, easy way for you to assess the health of your trees. By having an assessment of your trees completed, you can complete a health-check on your trees and ensure that they remain healthy instead!
Why not find out more about ProHort’s Tree Survey service by visiting our services page?
Arboricultural Impact Assessment vs. Arboricultural Method Statement
Arboricultural Impact Assessments (AIAs) and a Arboricultural Method Statement (AMSs) are both documents that you may be required to provide at various stages during your building project. Both have slightly different functions, so read on to see which one you may require.
Arboricultural Impact Assessment
This document is often produced during the early stages of a project. Also, this discusses the planned works and the impact that they could have on the trees. This document is often submitted along with a tree survey before an exact working methodology has been formulated. The council, or any other bodies, are allowed to make an informed decision as to what is required. An AIA may also contain a draft AMS.
Arboricultural Method Statement
This document is a site-specific, project-specific method statement which details the exact measures that any contractors should follow whilst completing construction work on site. It is often issued as work is about to commence and will be issued to a foreman or site manager as is applicable. This document is normally requested by your contractor a couple of weeks before the work begins. AMS documents can be relatively generic, but if you have any protected trees, site specific requirements, or if you were using particular methods of construction then you may need to produce this document.
Which one do I need?
It depends which stage your project is in – if you are in the planning stages, we would recommend an AIA. This would identify any site issues which may lead to you commissioning a more detailed AMS as a result of the AIA. If your work is about to commence, and you are concerned about the health or status of a particular tree, then you may need to investigate an Arboricultural Method Statement.
As well as testing the health of the soil, we offer additional tests which may highlight any issues and reasons why your plants are struggling.
This range of tests will show you the total amount of bacteria and fungi that is present in your soil. Having active soil (with active bacteria) is often a good sign that your soil conditions are right for growth. However, if your soil has too many bacteria present, then these may be affecting your plants.
We get many enquiries asking for help identifying whether a garden has been sprayed with specific pesticide or herbicide (whether by a neighbour, commercial vehicle or by a previous owner). Unfortunately, our soil testing cannot confirm the exact chemical composition of what has been sprayed – there are simply too many varieties of common weedkiller, and they may have been mixed. If you would like to test for pesticides or herbicides, we can offer the below solutions:
If your plants are failing to thrive, and you believe this could be due to pesticides or herbicides used previously, there are a variety of tests on offer which you may wish to consider. These tests will check the soil health generally and allow you to understand which nutrients or chemicals may be causing damage to your plants. The options include:
Have you wondered how are your trees categorised in a Tree Survey? As part of all our tree surveys (or any survey that is completed to the British Standard 5837:2012), we categorise trees into one of four categories.
If a tree is Category C, it is of low value. These trees may offer some landscaping or visual benefits but are trees that have low growth potential or are not suitable for the local environment. These trees may be foreign varieties that have failed to thrive, or trees that are overmature and at the end of their life. All young trees are automatically categorised as category C trees; however, a comment should be made confirming this, so these trees are not accidentally removed.
This document is often produced during the early stages of a project. Also, this discusses the planned works and the impact that they could have on the trees. This document is often submitted along with a tree survey before an exact working methodology has been formulated. The council, or any other bodies, are allowed to make an informed decision as to what is required. An AIA may also contain a draft AMS.