Most gardeners throw money at the wrong problem. Before you buy another bag of fertilizer, a simple soil test will tell you ...

Wildfire survivors across Los Angeles County are discovering that the most dangerous consequence from a wildfire isn’t always visible. Lead, arsenic, and other toxic metals could be hiding deep in ...

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today. A group of environmental researchers ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Gardener spoons soil into a plastic testing tube - William Edge/Shutterstock Failing to conduct a soil test is one of the biggest ...

How does pH of the soil affect nutrient availability for plants? The pH of the soil is what controls solubility of nutrients, which makes the nutrients available to the plants. Ideal pH for most ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Soil type affects how it retains water and nutrients.Photograph: iStock/Getty Images (Photograph: iStock/Getty Images) I often ...

Angelenos are understandably worried about the toxins deposited by smoke and ash from the Eaton and Palisades urban wildfires in January, but after L.A. Times Plants tested soil around eight burn ...

To be a successful gardener, one needs to have a basic understanding of the soil which you are tending, as well the factors which affect the fertility, pH and quality of the soil. This is the case ...

Even when harvest wraps up and the bins are full, the work isn’t done. The choices you make after harvest can make or break next year’s crop, especially when it comes to soil management. Well-managed ...

Fertilizer can transform your lawn in just a few weeks, but you have to apply it the right way.