If you're about to relandscape a yard or lot, you'll want to clear out the existing plants, or at least most of them. Leaving plants in place is not always a good idea as the older plants can both adversely affect new plants and provide places for pests to live. Clearing out a lot is the best way to start a new garden or landscape on the right foot.

Existing Plants Take up Soil Nutrition

Why would you clear out plants instead of just trimming them back and using them in the landscape? Aside from obvious issues like clearing lots that are about to undergo building construction, you want those older plants out because they take up much of the nutrition in the soil. They aren't going to leave a lot of water and nutrients for new plants you add, leading to sickly plants and a terrible-looking landscape. While you can amend soil to add more nutrition, this can upset the pH balance and also create imbalances of certain nutrients. It's better to clear out unwanted plants completely.

Natural Isn't Always Nice

Many times, the land that needs to be cleared is covered with old trees, shrubs, and grasses that all look very natural. But natural isn't necessarily good. Those plants may be invasive, or they may be dying and rotting, attracting pests in the process. Clearing them off the land halts the downward spiral of pests and plant litter. When the land is finally cleared, you can begin the process of relandscaping and revitalizing the area.

Land Clearing Promotes Long-Term Changes

Land clearing produces a very sudden change in the landscape, but it's not just a short-term tactic. When you clear land, you're creating increasingly nutritious soil that doesn't have older plants grabbing nutrients and water and depleting the soil. You stop invasives from marching across the surface, you uncover rocky areas that need additional clearing, and you expose areas where pests may have been hiding. Overall, land clearing starts a cycle of repair for the soil that leads to the land becoming a great place to plant more native plants or create the garden that you've always wanted.

If you're clearing because you're going to develop the land, soil nutrition might not mean much to you. But clearing the land allows landscapers to locate patches of weed seeds as the seeds start germinating quickly in sunlight. The landscapers can then clear out those remaining weeds once and for all.

Land clearing can be used for everything from clearing a backyard in need of relandscaping to removing everything in sight on a lot where developers plan to build office parks. If you have brush, rocks, trees, and other natural features on land that you need cleared, one call and a consultation with a landscaping clearing company start you off in the right direction. Reach out to a local service, such as 5K Land Management, to learn more.