Workshop to focus on soil issues

It’s a dark morning, with rain in the distance. Retired soil science professor William Lindemann, Ph.D., is stopping by New Mexico State University’s Fabian Garcia Research Center, a garden area similar to what many residents might find in their yards.

Lindemann said, that in Las Cruces, knowing what type of soil is important when it comes to planting.

“Some areas have low nutrients that you have to amend with organic matter, and some areas drain excessively, so even if you water your plants and haven’t accounted for the drainage or say drip-irrigation system, it won’t be healthy for your plants or for water conservation,” Lindemann said. “Productive planting and harvesting come from knowing your soil before you plant and before you water.”

To learn more about what soil you might be working with – and how to make it better –Lindemann will be speaking Thursday, March 12, at Thomas Branigan Memorial Library as part of the Las Cruces Utilities (LCU) Lush and Lean workshop series.

“When you stack soil in a pile for years at a time, it loses the microorganisms that help plants establish themselves during reclamation,” he said. “When the stored topsoil is seeded, the plants have a difficult time in establishment. Instead, it is better to store soil spread out and irrigated, so that the microbes can stay alive.”

All Lush and Lean Workshops are free and open to the public. They are held Thursday evenings at Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, 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 http://www.las-cruces.org/1288/Lush-Lean-Workshops.

You can reach Las Cruces Utilities at 575-528-3500 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Las Cruces Utilities provides services to approximately 100,000 Las Cruces residents and businesses.