Homeowners are often excited to try out new garden ideas each spring, but some projects can have negative long-term health effects for you, your family, pets, and wildlife. To avoid some of these pitfalls, a home inspector can often give great advice or referrals to professionals that will help keep your home safe. Soil inspections are an important step to take when preparing your garden this spring.
Who Offers Soil Inspections?
There are many types of home inspectors, but a company offering general services often has the ability to perform basic soil inspections and water samples. While they may not be liable or responsible for the results, they can help you find the testing services you need as well as the appropriate technicians to perform the tasks. After all, any good flooring installation specialist knows someone that is ideal for re-waxing or buffing the floors. The same is true for home inspectors, and their referrals can point you in the right direction for soil or water inspections.
Herbs and Vegetables Need pH balanced, Hazard-Free Soil
Before you grow your own food, it pays to have the soil checked for hazards. Based on the 2018 garden trends outlined by HGTV, vegetables like purple asparagus will be popular, but these plants will be dangerous to eat if they contain heavy metals like lead. Another soil test that helps you achieve the latest garden trends for 2018 is for alkaline versus acidity. A simple pH test can also help you determine why last year’s garden was not successful.
One of the key times to get a soil inspection is before you start growing your own food in the soil in your yard. Even if you have had these tests done in the past, there are a few events that can unexpectedly compromise the situation. For example, construction debris from a neighboring yard could be contaminating your property after heavy rains. Flooding near a road could cause petroleum products to build up in the soil.
Pesticides and Ice Salt Runoff Could be Toxic to Fish and Water Plants
If your dream of having a koi pond is not working out, there could be issues with chemicals being used on your property. For example, the rock salt used to melt ice is actually a combination of chemicals that could travel through rainwater to your fish ponds. The use of pesticides on or near your property could also be causing issues that affect the ability of fish in garden ponds to thrive.
Water Features Might Contain High Concentrations of Raw Sewage
Another issue with garden trend ideas for 2018 is the focus on the canal pond. This is a good fit for small, urban backyards that are much longer than they are wide. While this pool of water may only be a couple of feet wide but several feet long, this new addition might be extremely toxic. This is especially true if the water collecting in the pool is accumulating naturally from the rain. Unfortunately, a problem with leaking sewer pipes can transmit raw sewage into the canal pool.
Lead Poisoning can be Transmitted from Dirt
Although lead has been banned from children’s toys and household paint for decades, there are still traces of it throughout America. Sadly, the focus on keeping lead out of household items and drinking water did not translate into decontaminating soil. Since Americans of the past had no idea lead was a health hazard, the soil around many historic homes is contaminated. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to lead through soil is extremely toxic to children. Before your children play in the dirt around your home, make sure it is tested by the appropriate inspection team.
Now that you have a better understanding of why soil inspections are necessary, the next step is to contact us. After we have an idea of what you are expecting, we can perform the right services or make a referral to the appropriate inspector. Whether you are a first-time home buyer or want to test the integrity of your current home, we are happy to help. Inspect a Home, Ltd. is Westchester and Fairfield Counties’ premier choice for a wide variety of residential and commercial inspection services.