Monday, October 22, 2007 started off like any other Monday following weekend football at Qualcomm Stadium. I arrived to work at 5:30 a.m., and reviewed the day’s work schedules for repairing the playing field and cleaning the stadium in preparation for next weekend’s football double-header with San Diego State and the Chargers.
The practice field at Qualcomm Stadium was turned into a housing areas for horses, dogs, and other animals. Photo courtesy: Steve Wightman.
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But when driving to work down Interstate 15, the sky looked different than usual at this time of year. I realized that it reminded me of the skies that covered San Diego five years earlier. And this particular Monday was soon to be like no other.
While most of us slept Sunday night the entire eastern edge of San Diego County was being engulfed by wildfires … wildfires that were being fanned by the seasonably common Santa Ana winds.
Optimal plant growth derives equally from favorable physical and chemical properties. Soil with good physical structure and good tilth can hold and provide adequate quantities of nutrients, water, and air to plant roots. It will also drain well when large quantities of water are applied and will be easy to work without becoming sticky when wet and crusted when dry.
Soil with acceptable levels of pH, plant essential nutrients, and soluble salts can provide adequate nutrition and chemical properties for plant growth and development. No amount or type of soil amendment will overcome poor initial site design or improper horticultural management.
Sometimes the soil to be landscaped has been graded, layered, compacted or otherwise modified to construct a suitable lot for a building foundation, a landscape berm, or other feature. Unfortunately, such soil alterations are performed to engineering or architectural standards, not horticultural standards. The discrepancy in the two standards often presents considerable problems in establishing and maintaining landscape and garden plant materials.
