Every landscape has its own unique properties that must be considered in creating a sustainable, organic lawn and garden, and the main component is the soil. The first step in working on your landscape is to test the soil for levels of vital minerals, nutrients, organic matter and other components so that any imbalances can be corrected before planting.
By providing your lawn with robust, healthy soil packed with nutrients, you support not only your lawn but also the elements that make up a hearty environment for nature’s aerators and decomposers: earthworms, fungi, bacteria, insects and other beneficial organisms. These vital members make up a “soil food web,” and a healthy web supports your lawn and garden by protecting its roots, providing nutrients extracted from the soil and preventing disease. Healthy living soil not only benefits your turf, but also the trees and shrubs throughout your landscape.
Dana Designs will keep your soil food web strong by developing a thriving microbial community. Instead of using harsh, harmful chemicals and fertilizers, our organic landscaping practices support healthy plants by monitoring your soil and checking for a balance of nutrients, pH, and organic matter. We will take samples of your lawn for analysis to provide us with a benchmark for soil treatment. Healthy soil, unlike chemical-laden fertilizer, is beneficial for the plants’ health not to artificially stimulate growth. Unnecessary treatment can be just as harmful as undertreating. With this extensive research, we ensure that your lawn, shrubs, trees and plants get just want they need—not too much or too little.
Dana Designs takes your soil’s characters, as well as your plant needs, into consideration when designing your luscious lawn and garden. The most sustainable, environmentally-friendly practices incorporate native plants that thrive in your home’s unique habitat, which is comprised of soil type, sun exposure, moisture accumulation, and temperature fluctuations.
