Water repelled by soil/dirt
noobgardener2010
13 years ago
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taz6122
13 years agonoobgardener2010
13 years agoRelated Discussions
Fixing water-repellent soil?
Comments (12)greetings from Australia, home of the water repellent soil. Wetting agents (detergents and other surfactants), such as you've tried, will only increase infiltration for a few months or until the soil fully dries out again. The water repellence will return with a vengeance. Addition of organic matter, especially eucalyptus mulch or potting mixes/soils will only increase the water repellence over time as the water repellence is due to the sand particles being coated with waxy/fatty materials produced by the natural breakdown of organic matter. best longer term solutions are: 1. always create a basin of soil (like a small well) around plants, especially on slopes, to hold the water you apply. If water is held over water repellent soils for long enough the water repellency reverts and the water runs in(can take from a few minutes up to several hours in the worst cases) 2. addition of clay to the soil when you plant can also provide long term benefits (e.g. builders clay) as clay, having much smaller particles, has a much greater surface area and so is a lot less prone to becoming fully coated and water repellent. Addition rates need to be about 10kg (22lb) per square metre (or sq. yd) dug into the top 100mm (4") of soil 3. consider pebble mulches over organic ones, as they help retain a moister environment at the soil surface and help retard runoff without adding extra organic matter. Remember the soils where these plants naturally occur contain almost no organic matter. 4. The main force acting on water in and out of the soil is gravity. Water applied to slopes will almost always runoff unless you create areas that can hold it until it can infiltrate. This may include pockets, depressions, mounds along contours, even shallow depressions above plants, larger rocks placed below plants, etc. This will in turn waste a lot less water too. good luck steve...See Moresoil vs. media vs. dirt -- in potted plants
Comments (31)Wow, it's a small world (or internet in this case). I don't keep up with the conifer forum as well as I do some of the other forums, so I didn't realize this thread was a spin off of another one, but it's still a good idea to have the link to the above article as a reference for any future searches. I agree with Ken, that frequent replanting would go a long way towards solving the issues relating to soil decomposition, except for four things. First, even if you change your soil every other year, most soils will still have some drainage deterioration towards the end of the two year period. Second, if you use your old soil and mix it back in as many people do, that has the potential to cause problems. Third, it's good for everyone to understand how drainage works so that they are better able to decide what ingredients are best for particular plants or circumstances. Different species have different moisture and drainage requirements, and different circumstances (climate, amount of supplemental watering available, etc) require adjustment. Fourth, and maybe most importantly, many people (we know who we are) won't replant frequently enough even though this would be best. As for drainage, as it applies to container culture, being vastly different from drainage, as it applies to in-ground plantings, I'm not so sure. The physics is the same! Only the variable, or circumstances, change. A true understanding of one is a true understanding of both....See Moresoil, medium and dirt
Comments (3)Loam is the portion that has been broken down or digested making humus for one but the loam is more complicated than just humus. Humus has a high cation exchange capacity or it holds the nutrients plants need. Most fertilizer used is not in a form plants can use, nitrogen usually must be changed to a different formula before the plants can access it. For example the best source of nitrogen for plants is produced by nitrogen fixing bacteria in the soil then the loam holds the nitrogen ready for plant use. There are simple ways to measure the loam fraction in your soil but it doesn't matter because the soil must be fed organic matter to increase the loam....See MoreDo I need to water seeds from top, or will water soak dirt from bottom
Comments (1)Wait till you see the top of the soil beginning to look wet and then remove the water from the tray. If the soil is good and absorbent, it shouldn't take more than a few minutes. I never water seeds from the top. Did you work water into the potting mix with your hands first before putting it into pots and planting the seeds?...See Morekqcrna
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