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1. SOIL PREPARATION
FOR AN ARIZONA GARDEN

2. The spring and summer months in
Arizona yield beautiful plants and
flowers.

3. Yet, there comes a point when it is time
to turn your thoughts toward the fall.

4. Soil preparation takes time to carry
out, and some types of treatment must
be done early before the fall planting
season starts.

5. As you begin to notice those first few
cooler days, be sure to check your
current landscaping plans to include
these tips for getting the soil ready for
cool season plants.

6. BREAK UP
COMPACTED SOIL

7. Arizona soil has a tendency to
compact easily. This happens most
often after a period of drought.

8. It can also happen when large amounts
of rain cause the ground to get packed
down when you walk on it.

9. Start by using a shovel or rake to
loosen the soil.
Aeration may be necessary if the soil
is severely compacted or if there
is a large area to cover.

10. GET THE
SOIL TESTED

11. You also need to know what chemicals
and nutrients the soil contains.
This can change from one season to
another.

12. Some plants strip the soil of certain
nutrients if it is not replenished.

13. The soil may also develop a different
pH level than it had before depending
upon the build up of salts in the dirt.

14. In some cases, there may also be
chemicals in the soil that leached
from other types of plant treatments.

15. These need to be identified since they
can interfere with plant growth.

16. AMEND THE SOIL

17. Once you know more about the soil
conditions, you will be ready to use
amendments to prepare it for the
types of plants that you are going to
include in your garden.

18. The amendments you choose will
depend upon the pH levels of the soil.

19. Generally, you may need to add sulfur
to make the earth more acidic, or lime
can be used to increase its alkalinity.

20. In addition to these treatments,
you may also want to add nutrients
to the earth with compost.

21. You can add compost that you create
at home, or we can amend your soil
with our specially prepared
compost materials.

22. ADD FERTILIZER

23. Fertilizer provides nutrients to the soil
that the plants need to grow such as
phosphorus and nitrogen.

24. You can find fertilizer in granular
or liquid forms.

25. For most fruit and vegetable gardens,
granular works best because it slowly
releases the nutrients over time.

26. This prevents plants from being
overloaded with nutrients that they
cannot use.

27. During your first application of the
season, you will add it to the soil and
work it in to a depth of several inches.

28. Later, you can add less fertilizer if the
plants are growing well.

29. WATER
THOROUGHLY

30. After your soil treatments, you want
to water the ground thoroughly.

31. This allows the amendments
to penetrate to the soil where they
can do their work.

32. As you water, be careful to avoid
making the treatments run out
of the garden.

33. A slow soaker hose works great for
making sure that the ground gets
sufficient moisture.

34. A little preparation now goes a long
way toward making this fall’s garden
the best one yet.

35. Make sure that the soil treatments
are based upon the most recent tests
so that the plants in your garden
have the perfect conditions for
optimal growth.

36. Custom Weed & Pest Control has been in business since 1989, serving the
greater Phoenix metro area for both residential and commercial.

37. We offer plant, soil and tree care, with customized service to meet your
specific needs.