Garden help, soil tests, South Jordan water rebates and apprenticeships: four Utah services and their fine print

Four ordinary questions, four official answers: what is wrong with my tree, what does my soil need, will my city pay me to change my yard, and how do I get into a skilled trade. Each page below says what the service offers and, in places, what it does not.

A plant problem in Utah County

Utah State University's Utah County Extension runs a horticulture diagnostics lab that looks at problems with plants, fruit, vegetables, shrubs and trees, and identifies garden pests. You can email pictures of the problem, along with your name and contact details, to the Horticulture Help Desk at gardenhelp@usu.edu, or drop off a sample on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. The page gives no drop-off address, so ask when you write. Because of high volume, replies can take five to seven business days. ^[1]

One change catches people out: the office says it no longer accepts lawn samples. For a lawn, it suggests sending photos, or mailing a sample to the diagnostics lab at USU's Logan campus. ^[1]

Testing your soil

USU's Analytical Laboratories in Logan test soil for the public, along with feed, manure, plant tissue and irrigation or livestock water. You choose a form on the lab's site and send it with payment; the page lists no prices, so check the form. ^[2]

The extension page gives sampling steps. For ordinary topsoil, dig 6 to 12 inches down (for turf, 6 inches), take samples from several spots, mix them in a clean bucket and break up any clumps. Put two cups in a quart-size heavy-duty resealable bag, place it in a small mailing box with your completed order form, and ship it to USU Analytical Labs, 9400 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-9400. ^[2]

South Jordan water rebates

South Jordan's city rebates apply only to homes inside city limits. The yard programs are Flip Your Strip, for park strips, and three rebates for the rest of the yard: up to $250 for removing at least 150 square feet of turf and adding curbing or metal edging, up to $500 a year for replacing turf with concrete, pavers, a deck or a patio, and up to $300 for removing at least 200 square feet and planting water-wise plants. The three yard rebates require a home built before 2021 and a city inspection before any grass comes out; work done first is not eligible. You can use each once a year, and receipts must reach the city within 30 days of installation. The city says payment typically takes four to six weeks once the paperwork is complete. ^[3]

Flip Your Strip offers free landscaping rock, weed barrier and a drip-conversion kit, plus up to $300 toward water-wise plants. Rock is delivered from April 15 to October 15, Monday through Thursday, and only after the plants and drip kit are in. October 15 has passed, so that offer is closed until spring. The drip kit has to be installed within 90 days of applying, or the resident returns its $100 cost. ^[3]

Indoors, the city pays up to $200 to replace a toilet installed in 1992 or earlier with a 1.28-gallon-per-flush model, and up to $200 for swapping old showerheads or faucets for WaterSense fixtures, limited to two fixtures per home. You photograph the old fixture before removing it. Utah Water Savers is a separate program with its own application and its own inspection, and residents can use both. ^[3]

Finding an apprenticeship

The state's apprenticeship page says to create or sign in to a job-seeker account at jobs.utah.gov, search for apprenticeship openings, and apply directly to the employer. If nothing matches your location or trade, it points to a list of training providers whose sponsors can say when they are accepting applications. People not ready for a program can try a pre-apprenticeship, and the Talent Ready Apprenticeship Connection lets students ages 16 to 24 begin in high school. Funding help for training costs goes through the Department of Workforce Services for "eligible individuals," a term the page does not define. ^[4]

The page promises no openings, and it carries a 2021 copyright line, so some links and listings may be out of date. A sponsor appearing on the list does not mean it is hiring.