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Learning More About Dirt 08-13-15 | News

Learning More About Dirt
Pairing Soil Type to Native Plants

Class participants will conduct an experiment using a sample of resident soil to learn how to determine which native plants are correct for that soil type.

Landscape professionals and the general public in Southern California can attend an intermediate soil class presented by Back to Natives Restoration, a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration and conservation of Orange County and California wild lands.

On August 29 at 10 a.m., French Soil Scientist Elisabeth Leblanc will help participants understand the mechanism that creates soil and the equilibrium that evolves between soil, plants, and water. The class will be at the Back to Natives Nursery at Santiago Park in Santa Ana.

"We all want to save water by planting drought tolerant plants, but what most people do not realize is that we can improve the holding capacity and infiltration rates of our soil by keeping it healthy," said Back to Natives executive director Reginald Durant. "Soils play a critically important role in water conservation during the drought."

Registration is at backtonatives.org. The $10 reservation fee is good for a voucher for $5 off a native plant at the Back to Natives Nursery on the day of the class.