Planting Through Caliche: What Actually Works

February 2, 2026

If a newly planted tree in Las Vegas Country Club Estates struggles or dies in its first year, caliche is the most likely reason — not underwatering, not species choice. Caliche is a hardened layer of calcium carbonate that can sit anywhere from a few inches to a few feet below the surface, and it doesn't drain. A planting hole dug into it without addressing that becomes a bathtub: water pools at the bottom of the hole and the roots sit in it.