In the desert, we value our limited resource of water. Yet there is another resource right underneath our feet that needs our care - the plentiful soil. When you learn more about the type of soil you are planting in, how to prepare and enrich it with nutrients, and protect it with mulches, you will use less water in your garden and produce stronger plants with more prolific harvests.
Join Dr. Bill Lindemann, Ph.D., Soil Microbiology/Plant Physiology, at the Las Cruces Utilities (LCU) Lush and Lean workshop on Thursday, March 8th. Dr. Lindemann, a retired soil microbiology professor, explains, “Soil is not just the stuff that holds a plant in the ground. Soil controls the nutrients, water, and oxygen available to the roots of plants.” He believes a dive into the basics of your garden’s particular composition will result in better harvests. Although soil is a complex environment, some simple actions can improve productivity,” said Lindemann.
“In our area, the soil is low in nutrients and particularly low in plant-available iron and zinc,” he says. Lindemann recommends working nutrients into your soil and always keeping your soil covered with organic material. A good and free source of Class A+ organic biosolid compost – also known as “black gold,” – is available for pickup from the Jacob A. Hands Wastewater Treatment Facility on W. Amador Avenue. This compost is an excellent source of iron as well as other nutrients.
A common mistake that Las Cruces gardeners make is watering incorrectly for the type of soil they have. “Sandy soils in the uplands quickly transmit water down… but not laterally,” said Lindemann. “It’s better not to water every day, but rather to water every two or three days and for a longer time.”
Lindemann will also explain how garden management changes in respect to water. He will show how soil can be used as a water reservoir to enable water conservation. “Soil is a natural resource and can be ruined just like water and air with improper management,” said Lindemann. “It’s important to know what you’re walking on and on what you want your soil to grow.”
All Lush and Lean workshops are hosted by the LCU Water Conservation Program, and are free and open to the public. They are held Thursday evenings at the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, at 200 E. Picacho Ave, in the Roadrunner Room from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. See the complete list of speakers and Lush and Lean dates at www.las-cruces.org/WaterConservation or www.facebook.com/cityoflascruces.
Submitted by Las Cruces Utilities
You can reach Las Cruces Utilities at 528-3500 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Las Cruces Utilities provides GAS – WATER – WASTEWATER – SOLID WASTE services to approximately 100,000 Las Cruces residents and businesses.