When installing plants in a new construction home, one of the important things to consider (and something we talk about often) is the soil quality. Typically in the north central Florida area, new homes are constructed in "archer fill dirt" or builder's sand. It provides almost no nutrients, has a very high pH, and also has no water retention capacity.
This leaves the new landscape plants and sod starving for nutrients and water, and completely reliant on extra irrigation and added fertilization to maintain it's curb appeal. Also, due to the high pH and poor water retention, it leaves the landscape more susceptible to pests and disease.
This is where the "ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" comes in.
The best way to avoid this is to have the landscaping installed with an organic soil (compost, potting soil, or garden soil) surrounding the new plant's hole to allow it's roots to spread into healthy soil. We do recommend to mix together some of the builder's sand with the organic soil (Comand Soil in this video) to help the plant's roots adjust slowly to the conditions of your specific property.
Although this is not addressed in this video, before sod is installed we would also recommend spreading organic compost or soil over the entire lawn before the sod is installed to give it some healthy soil to root into.
This soil amendment around the roots of the plants or turfgrass will help reduce your watering needs, reduce the needs of fertilization, and reduce the need for pesticide inputs as well. We hope the video is helpful and appreciate any comments or questions!
To learn more about our Gainesville, Fl landscaping service, visit our website at http://www.themasterslawncare.com or call (352) 378-LAWN