Gypsum to amend clay
melissa668
14 years ago
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the_virginian
14 years agobpgreen
14 years agoRelated Discussions
Can I plant in just-amended clay?
Comments (8)While some people think this totally unnecessary and bordering on parnoia the Center For Disease Control, National Institute of Heatlh and the USDA all recommend that animal manures used in gardens be applied from 90 to 120 days from harvest. If you are growing crops that the abvove ground portion is the edible part the manure should be applied not sooner then 90 days from harvest and for those crops where they edible portion is the root (carrots, beets, etc.) not sooner than 120 days. Potatoes should not be planted in freshly manured soil....See Moreneed help with building a raised bed
Comments (14)Hey Tammy - well we finally (on June 7!!!!) got all our plants in the pots on our deck! We just had to draw a line in the "frost" and take the chances that the weather was going to improve. Overnight lows have been +2C to -3C and my back has been killing me lugging around heavy terracotta pots full of "stuff!" I finally introduced some mini roses, herbs, and gerbera daisies into my greenhouse, as well...I relocated my greenhouse last year to a shadier spot at the bottom of my garden - with the temp now balanced better, I can introduce more things. I had it in full sun in the previous years and it was a struggle to keep the temp below 35C - nothing lived!!! I also started some sweet peas, freesia (I try every year), and evening primrose - so we will see what happens! If we have an Indian Summer, my growing season (in the greenhouse) can be extended into mid-October. While it is a bit late to start some seeds and bulbs, I always remain hopeful (and am occasionally rewarded with success). I will be working on my raised beds this weekend, and will be introducing some perennials (Golden Creeping Jenny, various thymes, etc) to give some colour amongst the roses and ninebarks - all 38 of my roses survived their wintering, but I may have to replace a few that went a little wild near the end of last summer (some stalks had thorns that would have rivalled medieval war clubs!). Now that I am finally getting into the spirit of things this season, I will be updating photos (on my blog and uploading some here) - I will gladly share photos and exploits with you! Your raised bed looks great - and I love hostas, astilbe, coneflowers, clematis...sounds lovely! This weekend I will perhaps be buying a clematis or two - perhaps a honeysuckle and virginia creeper to grow up and over a pergola I built last year - so many things, so little growing season!!! : ) I may even be brave and try some coral bells this year! There are so many beautiful types (see link to a nursery that shows many examples). http://www.daytonnursery.com/Encyclopedia/Perennials/Heuchera.htm You might have more success than I because your zone is a little more forgiving!! More later, Tammy! Take care... Stuart......See MoreArg, red clay soil - overuse of gypsum detrimental to plants?
Comments (5)Hi Dottie (and everyone else), I have two separate issues here. The first one is dying plants in my originally amended soil (rubber, topsoil, and some compost). I lost my Butterfly Blue Scabiosa, part of my Limerock Ruby, a Dahlia (top growth only, it is now sprouting from the tuber), and a Gaura. Right now my Geum Chilean Avens is looking sickly yellow in its leaves and is also probably on its way out. All of the plants (with the exception of the Dahlia) turned yellow and wilted before quickly dying - turning crispy. That Dahlia just wilted and died. I suspect stem rot perhaps due to placing mulch too close to the stem. They thrived after planting. The Butterfly Blue (planted last fall) bloomed almost all winter and was glorious in the early-mid spring before its quick demise. The Limerock Ruby overwintered and was thriving as well as was the Gaura (which was on its way to taking over the bed) and for its short life the Dahlia. The bed gets full sun, southern exposure, for close to 10 hours a day which is why I mulched well (using cocoa shells applied in the spring over a very thin layer of hardwood mulch) and close to the base of the plant. Plants that continue to do well in the "death row" bed are: hardy Hibiscus, Moonbeam and Sweet Dreams Coreopsis, the part of the Limerock that survived, Blue Mirror Delphinium (newly planted in the spring but currently sprouting some new growth), Surise Coneflower, Dianthus, and Joystick Armeria (gets some shade from other plants). The bed is toward the front of the house, not near the foundation. The same plants (with the exception of the Avens, which is showing some yellow in its leaves) are doing well on the other side of the bed which is on the other side of the front walkway. We have a leaky gutter that pours water out on the "dying side" but not on the bed about 6' behind the bed and the yard slopes a little towards the front, so maybe the extra moisture is filtering towards the plants? The "non-dying" side also gets about 2-3 less hours of sun depending on the section of the bed. Beds are hand-watered overhead for the most part as needed depending on the individual plant (established, newly planted etc.) On the other side of each of these front beds is a dramatic slope to the street. So, thinking it might be a drainage/mulch issue, I decided to rework the part of the beds with the dying flowers using the method I originally described mistakenly thinking that gypsum was an aeration agent like coarse sand or perlite. I then added mulch but left a nice open ring around the stem. So I am wondering if I need to offset all of the gypsum with a little lime which probably wouldn't hurt since my soil pH is so low which may have its own contribution to plant demise. I apologize for the long post, but there is all of the information (I think :) ). Many thanks!...See MoreHow to amend clay for bearded irises?
Comments (1)I used Leafgro and some peat moss for my iris beds, and they all seem happy after the first 18 months. I'll actually have to start separating some of them next year. The real trick with clay soil in my area is to amend far enough away from the intended bed that you don't end up with a miniature lake when the rains come. Some iris like wet feet, but not everything does.......See Moreemmers_m
14 years agothe_virginian
14 years agoKimmsr
14 years agothe_virginian
14 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
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14 years agocoffeehaus
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14 years agocowgirl2
14 years agoDan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
14 years agoemmers_m
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13 years agoVicki
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13 years agoemmers_m
13 years agohoodat
13 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
13 years agohoodat
13 years ago
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