Question: My 4-year-old yard has had its ups and downs. I have lost four trees so far, but our Blue Ghost, live oak, columnar eucalyptus, and three Desert Museum Palo Verdes are doing fine. I found caliche while digging at about 20 inches deep when I planted three of the trees I lost.
Am I relatively safe in buying a few yards of amended soil to add to these trees and shrubs?
Unless the caliche was a solid slab below the plants and prevented drainage, the caliche should not be a problem. You just have to make sure that the soil above the caliche is deep enough for plant roots.
You could add soil around the tree a few inches each year to build up the soil if you want to increase the soil depth, but be careful not to pile new soil around the trunk.
Bob Morris is an associate professor with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.
Archived Editions| Advertising | Contact The Staff
