Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ in a Minute
Episode Archive

Episode #18 | Original Air Date: March 25, 2020

 Related Resources

• Ask IFAS: The Importance of Soil Health for Residential Landscapes
• Ask IFAS: Soil Characteristics and Management Practices for Urban Residential Landscapes
• Ask IFAS: Managing Landscape Irrigation to Avoid Soil and Nutrient Losses
• Ask IFAS: Tools for Evaluating Soil Health
• Improve compacted soils

Transcript

Soil health is a key factor to the health of your plants. Healthy soil is alive, full of essential microorganisms that help plants thrive.

Healthy soil is loose, holds moisture, and has an adequate supply of plant nutrients. But the typical Florida landscape has sandy soils that are low in nutrients and dry out quickly. Plus, many homes are built on compacted fill soil.

Loosen compacted soil with a pitchfork, tiller or an aerator and incorporate organic matter like compost or worm castings into planting beds before you plant.

Soil health is improved over time, so be consistent with your efforts and patient as results may not be apparent right away.

Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ in a Minute is a production of the University of Florida’s Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program, IFAS Extension, and WUFT-FM in cooperation with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.