Due to both the floods from Helene and the high amounts of rain experienced, the Buncombe County Extension Service is recommending that people get high quality soil tests and adjust for any changes to their soils. During a recent talk, Buncombe County Extension Agent Michael Rayburn mentioned that a lot of people are seeing a temporary lowering of soil pH. Some people are also seeing increased amounts of Copper, Magnesium, and Zinc in their soil.
A soil test will help ensure that you’re adding in the appropriate amount of materials and amendments to address any issues, such as using the appropriate amounts of lime to raise the soil pH to a more hospitable level for particular plants.
“Your soil is always responding to the environment” – Michael Rayburn, Buncombe Co. Extension Agent.
If you have flooded soils, there are a variety plants you can plant to improve and help hold everything together, including our native Panicum grasses (which we will have as the season progresses in our Perennial Dept.) and also our native Sambucus or Elderberry, which as of this writing, we currently have in stock.
Mr. Rayburn mentioned that if you suddenly find yourself with new sand or silt along a waterway, to know that this has likely happened before – just not necessarily in our lifetimes. Rivers and streams are always changing and adapting, with fresh nutrients and materials coming from upstream to replenish areas downstream. While this is perfectly natural, it can still be incredibly disruptive, particularly for anyone living and growing along waterways.
This includes our local farms! He highly encourages everyone to go out of their way to buy from local farmers, as right now a lot of our local farms are REALLY struggling and could use the support. It is such a severe and widespread issue for our Western North Carolina region that this was recently in the national news.