- 1). Dig down into the soil until you find the caliche layer. Caliche is hard and thick and nearly impossible to penetrate. You need to pierce the caliche and fix any drainage issues before you amend the soil. Dig out a 3-foot area down to the caliche and then attack it with the pickax to break it up. Discard the largest chunks of caliche.
- 2). Check for drainage after the caliche has been opened up and at least partially removed. Dig a trench 12 inches farther down and fill with water. Let it drain and then fill it again. If it doesn't drain in 24 hours you need to fix the drainage of the soil.
- 3). Line the excavated area with 3 to 4 inches of sand and work it into the soil.The University of Arizona doesn't recommend any other amendment, especially organic filler like compost. Fill the hole with the removed soil up to the height of the queen palm root ball. Remove the palm from its pot and gently spread out the roots. Rest the palm in the hole and backfill around it.
- 4). Use a half and half mixture of bagged organic garden soil and sand to finish covering the roots of the palm since you may be missing some soil due to the removal of the caliche. Tamp the mixture down firmly to remove air bubbles.
- 5). Water the backfilled soil until it is compressed and level and has fully settled. Add more garden soil and sand if necessary to bring the level to the top of the roots without covering the trunk of the tree.
- 6). Water to a depth of 2 inches for the first two or three weeks and then gradually reduce it to once a week. Watering is the greatest challenge to plants growing in Arizona's caliche soil. The soil is so hard and thick that plants can't bring up water and any extra water in the upper strata can't drain. The sand amendment will help with this problem.
- 7). Spread 2 to 4 inches of organic mulch around the tree, leaving a 1-inch area around the trunk base free of mulch. Watch the drainage on the tree as you water it. If the soil needs more assistance with draining, dig two trenches 6 to 8 inches deep from the drip line out from the plant to draw extra moisture away. Fertilize the palm twice a year as the packaging indicates.
SHARE
