NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 11, 1998

FOURTH LANDSCAPE CARY STYLE FOCUSES ON PREPARING SOIL FOR GROWING SUCCESS

CARY, NC -- The Town of Cary continues its summer water conservation campaign with the distribution of its fourth issue of Landscape Cary Style--a monthly Town publication which discusses different landscaping topics that promote good water practices. Each issue of Landscape Cary Style is posted in its entirety on the Town’s website as well as distributed to the media. Pocket-size versions go to Cary homeowners via utility bills, and displays have also been placed in participating lawn & garden centers, including: Apex Nurseries, Cary Garden Center, Fairview Greenhouses & Garden Center, Garden Supply Company, Family Home and Garden, Ace Hardware, Home Depot, Lowe's Garden Center, Kmart Garden Center, Target Garden Center, WalMart Garden Center, Cloer Nursery Company, and Campbell Road Nursery. The fifth and final issue will be issued in October and will focus on drought-resistant planting.

"We continue to get very positive feedback about Landscape Cary Style," said Jennifer Platt, Cary’s Water Conservation Specialist. "This is a particularly important edition because proper soil preparation is critical to developing a successful landscape."

Landscape Cary Style is part of Cary’s larger "Beat-the-Peak 98", the Town’s most comprehensive water conservation campaign to date. The goal of "Beat-the-Peak 98" is to significantly reduce Cary’s peak water demand by promoting wise water use, especially outdoors. This summer, demand on the Cary-Apex water system has climbed more than one hundred percent over average winter use, peaking on June 26th at 20.6 million gallons of treated water.

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PRIMARY CONTACTS: Jennifer Platt, Water Conservation Specialist, 462-3872
Bill Coleman, Town Manager, 469-4002
Susan Moran, Public Information Officer, 460-4951

MEDIA NOTE: THE 2 PAGE LCS FOLLOWS THIS RELEASE.

Landscape Cary Style

Prepare to Grow!
Getting Your Soil Ready

Preparing your soil is essential to helping anything you plant grow. Fertile, well-drained, "alive" soil is the foundation for all environmentally friendly landscapes. In fact, the key to gardening success is good soil management.

Gardening’s Golden Rule

The better the condition your soil is in, the better the landscape you will have!

Know Your Soil - Before planting anything, take time to get to know your soil and what it needs to help your plants grow. Here are three things to think about:

Add organic matter - This increases the soil’s water and nutrient holding capacity.

Don’t work in the soil when it’s wet - Working in wet clay can ruin your soil’s structure. If you can make a mud ball, don’t spade the soil for several days.

Test your soil periodically - Monitoring the pH levels and the current acidity or alkalinity conditions is important in determining your plant selections.

All soils are comprised of varying amounts of sand, silt, clay, air, and water. Most plant roots prefer a loose soil that has half of its pore space reserved for oxygen and moisture. It’s often said that roots don’t grow in dirt; they grow in air spaces. That’s why it is so important to spade up a wide planting hole when planting trees and shrubs. Most roots will ultimately spread to a diameter equal to two times the height of the plant.

Test Your Soil - A soil test indicates what nutrients are in the soil and what nutrients are needed. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture (NCDA) provides soil testing for free. A soil analysis from the NCDA lists the amount of nutrients in your soil and gives recommendations for improving the soil for landscape plants. After your first soil test, you should continue to test the soil every 3-5 years to make sure your fertilizer/ soil supplement program is on target. In Cary, you can pick up a soil test kit at the Town’s Public Works and Utilities Department or at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve.

Feed Your Soil - Organic matter is your soil’s food of choice. It is what gives soil a dark, earthy appearance. Organic matter also increases both the water and nutrient holding capacity of the soil. It’s found in manure, compost, aged leaves, sawdust, and decomposing mulches. In most North Carolina soils, ground pine bark is a great soil amendment. Tight clay soils can be improved if 15%-25% (by volume) pine-bark soil conditioner is tilled into the landscape area. Fresh hardwood mulch should not be used as a soil conditioner.

Let the Water Flow - Soil drainage is critical to plant growth. Poor drainage can cause serious problems for plants, including root rot. The soil’s ability to hold water must be balanced with its ability to retain enough oxygen for plants to grow. If soil becomes too saturated, oxygen will be depleted and plants won’t be able to retrieve the nutrients they need.

Gotta Get a Bin - Compost is biologically active organic matter that’s made at home by nature. Stir a little compost into the top 3-4 inches of soil, and your plants will flourish. Many gardeners even refer to compost as "black gold". The billions of living creatures found in compost help plant roots absorb water and nutrients.

Recipe for Compost - Making compost is very simple. Just layer "green and brown" organic yard wastes, and in 6 months or so, you’ll have a high-quality organic material that can be used as a soil amendment. The ideal pile size is 3’ high by 3’ wide. To whip up a quick batch of compost, use 2 trash bags of shredded hardwood leaves combined with one bag of grass clippings. You’ll need 2 cubic feet of compost for every 8 square feet of landscape area you plan to amend. For more information about creating compost, visit the Bond Park Compost Education Center.

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Town of Cary Water Conservation Program

Department of Public Works and Utilities

Conserve Because You CAN