Know your planting site for your trees and shrubs

Before purchasing plants or planting them, you need to know several things about the planting site. Issues such as sun exposure, soil pH, drainage and location of utilities need to be considered.

Start with the soil. Significant changes to the soil are easy prior to planting the landscape. Testing your soil before planting is easy and will provide useful information that will improve the long-term success of your landscape. Collecting a soil sample is a fairly easy process (see

FSA2121, Test Your Soil for Plant

Food and Lime Needs, at http:// www.uaex.edu). Soil samples can be submitted at the Garland

County Cooperative Extension

Office, 236 Woodbine in Hot

Springs.

One of the most important pieces of information gained from a soil test is the soil pH. The soil test report indicates the current soil pH (acid or alkaline) and makes a recommendation based on the plant type if a change is required. Soil analysis is even more important if other plants in the landscape are having problems.

Check the soil’s drainage with a simple percolation test. The rate at which water drains through the soil affects plants’ survival and growth. Poorly drained soil results in too much water in the root zone and a lack of needed oxygen for healthy roots. To determine percolation rate, dig a hole 1 foot deep, fill with water and see how long it takes to empty. If the water level drops more slowly than 1 inch per hour, drainage is poor. Poorly drained sites can be corrected by proper plant selection, installing a drainage system, elevating plants or planting beds above the affected area.

Before digging, make sure you know the location of buried and above-ground utilities. Before planting any plant, contact Arkansas 811 (http://call811.com/map-page/arkansas; 800-4828998 or call 811) to locate all underground utilities.

Never place any tree growing taller than 15 feet beneath power lines or within 15 feet of them. Under ideal conditions, keep trees away from utility wires a distance equal to the mature spread of the tree being planted. For example, if the branch spread on a mature tree will be 30 feet, plant the tree 30 feet away from overhead utility lines. Do not plant too close to surrounding objects, including houses, barns and other trees. Remember that tree roots spread well beyond the branch area of the tree and roots can interfere with foundations, sidewalks and paved areas.

For more information, call county agent Jimmy Driggers at

623-6841 or email jdriggers@uaex.edu.

Master Gardener

If interested in gardening, the public is welcome to attend the Master Gardener meeting at 1 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the Elk’s Lodge. For information, call the Extension office at 623-6841 or email Allen Bates at abates@uaex.edu.

EHC

Interested in joining an Extension Homemakers Club? How about forming a new club in the community? EHC is the largest volunteer organization in the state. For more information, call Alison Crane at 623-6841 or email acrane@uaex.edu.

4-H

If between the ages of 5 and 19, you can join 4-H. There is a club for you, or you and a group of friends can organize your own club. For information, call Linda Bates at the Extension office or email lbates@uaex.edu.