A Soil Discussion II
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
15 years ago
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agogary30mazak
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Heavy Soil II - The sequel
Comments (9)Disclaimer - your milage may vary. In my hardpacked adobe clay, I have the best results with sheet composting on top (gotta keep the moisture level right), then tilling that in to break up the top 6" or so, more composting, then dig it in as much as possible with a digging fork. In areas where I've sheet composted only, the soil will have a definite layered effect with about 3-6" of good stuff on top, then pure clay below. It's much nicer where it's been tilled or dug. Cheers, Michelle...See MoreAmending soil - Part II (Meadow garden)
Comments (5)You have to keep reminding yourself that this won't be a quick project. Since you're starting from scratch on a difficult area, I'd guess this will take several years of trial and error to get a look you're happy with. The stepping areas and feeders/birdbath are great ideas. There isn't much point in adding a lot of mulch to an area that you're not ready to plant yet - certainly add an inch or two, if you think it'll stay there. It will break down and the soil will be better when you get to planting the area, but until you get some rooted plants into that area the new soil and the mulch will erode a bit. I wouldn't pull up the weeds - their roots will help stabilize the area until you're ready to tackle it. You can dump some mulch on them and it'll help kill off the bits growing above ground without removing the roots. If you spray with Round Up (might not be allowed anymore in Halifax area?) that will kill off the weeds without removing the roots, but... Round Up takes a few days to a few weeks to break down, and you've got a slope where the rain will run down and wash that stuff onto your lawn or other plants. Might not be a wise idea :-) I would just dump mulch onto them a couple of times a year and gently pull out what is really loose. It takes longer, but you are solving the poor soil problem that way too. In general I am not a fan of herbicides and pesticides since almost all problems they are used for can be sloved with better cultural practices or gardening techniques. I don't know if this would work for you, but if you want to add a lot of mulch right now, and have it stay put, you could place chicken wire or hardware cloth over the mulch (pin the chicken wire to the ground with stakes). A heavy rain might erode some of it, especially in the steeper parts, but it would help a bit at least. About your seeds you plan to use next spring - a word of caution. Seeds are a great way to fill up the slope quickly and without breaking the bank, but stay away from the generic 'wildflower' mixes you can get in Canadian Tire and places like that. They contain a lot of weedy seeds and very few seeds of plants you actually want to have growing there. Buy a good quality wildflower mix - it won't be that much more expensive and it'll be a major improvement over the cheaper stuff. Seeds can wash away fairly easily, so you might want to consider laying down some thin jute or burlap to sow them in or under (that protective burlap you get to wrap shrubs in the winter would work). Sow then as soon as the snow melts. Or you could wintersow them (or some of them) in containers and plant the resulting seedlings in your nooks and crannies. The Japanese Maple being shallow rooted might be a problem if you were planting it directly on the slope. Shallow rooted plants will have a harder time staying put on a slope, but if you build it a nice sized terrace, then it might be perfect. Select one that is hardier than would normally be necessary for your area because of the cold flowing downhill problem. You have a swampy lawn huh? That's a drainage problem. You have neighbours higher up the hill than you do? That's almost certainly where your water is coming from. Peat moss might mop up a bit of water, but I doubt it'd solve your problem. A permanent fix would be to regrade your lawn, but that's not cheap (or have your neighbour regrade his, but that's a lot to ask from a neighbour). You could also install a French drain type of thing to drain the water to a lower lying area or drain - that's cheaper, and a do-it-yourself project if you want, but still a lot of work. You could decide to grow a bog garden in that spot - irises, cannas, lots of neat grasses... I think your slope provides you with some really neat garden terrain - my 'fantasy garden' always has a nice terraced slope full of plants, but it is going to be more challenging than building 'ye olde generic bed'. BP...See MoreSexless marriage discussion Part II
Comments (10)Being in a relationship such as this one, can strike mortal blows to one's self esteem. There is no respectable outlet to obtain assurance of your desirability. That doesn't mean that you are lacking in that area. You have to make an active choice not to let your mate's lack of interest define you. Every day make the conscious decision to affirm yourself. Don't let their choice not to engage you in a healthy way control how you view yourself. Don't give your personal Power away. We all know what the definition of a healthy marriage is. Once you come to the realization that you are not the blame for, cannot control the situation or change it all by yourself, you can then restore some balance in your life. There is no point in banging your head against a brick wall. The unegaged partner has to not only want to change but have the drive and persistence to work at it thru whatever medium they then choose. Then, together you can set some goals. However, oftentimes in these situations the problems are long standing with mutual particiation in fights and talks about it with negative results. All of the issues work together to create a complicated maze of issues. I read somewhere that in these situations the sexlessness accounts for 90% of the other problems that the couples complain about. Struggling with this issue impacts upon all the other aspects of married life. For me the teachings of Alanon saved my sanity and gave me new tools that helped me to maintain my marriage. The bottom line is about how you finally decide to choose how you want to live by making an inventory of your life goals and needs. Then choose. Explore all the avenues available to make changes that will help your marriage and work at it. When you reach your "rock bottom", then the time comes to decide. Stay in Peace or go .... hopefully with Peace. Good Luck to all who are dealing with this issue....See MoreMeta Discussion ii
Comments (1)Gardenweb needs someone who is keen at editing Wikipedia. This morning under ''houzz'' there was a mention of upscale garden photographs but no mention of Gardenweb....See Moretapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agogary30mazak
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
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13 years agolast modified: 9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
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13 years agolast modified: 9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agojodik_gw
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13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoesoltan
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoesoltan
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoesoltan
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
7 years agolitterbuggy (z7b, Utah)
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a) thanked litterbuggy (z7b, Utah)willzbernard
7 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
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7 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
7 years agoYoly Garcia
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7 years agoYoly Garcia
7 years agojadelab
7 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
7 years agojadelab
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7 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
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7 years agolitterbuggy (z7b, Utah)
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6 years agoAl Farley
6 years ago
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