There's nothing wrong with having the brugs in pots. I have more in containers then the yard though that's more because of space problems. It sounds like you need to ammend your soil quite a bit if you want them in the ground. If you want to look on the bright side, even though your soil is dry that's better then having soil that retains too much moisture.
Karyn

I am so sorry Daniella. I can feel with you about trying to make the soil work for you and having to use pots. I hope the brugs will grow twice as nice for you now! And reward you for the love you give them.
Smile because YOU are not letting this get to you!
Luzia

Sorry Daniella, thats crappy. I wonder what you could use to make it hold more moisture? Maybe peat?

WAIT! What is wrong with your soil? If it is too sandy (my guess) you have a great opportunity. In allot of the country well drained soil is not available, just too much clay. I am guessing you need to add is compost, next year perhaps. Peat moss is ok but you will have to add allot of lime (hydrated for quick action) because peat moss is acid.

I made a raised bed for Pam's mother, over pure sand soil. The soil I put in there; 12 inches of it, was 50% sand and 50% compost.
What a great vegetable garden she has!

I have soil that dries out fast too and its nearly pure compost. I was going to add some peat to mine next year.

I am not sure but if you have a constant oven going outside, is there ANY soil that does not dry out? Looking outside, seeing the overcast, the clouds. HOping for rain all day. ONly watered my brugs in the morning today. All else is bone dry even though it got a LONG watering yesterday. I am so frustrated. Not about the soil. That is fixable. But WHEN is the rain coming??????

daniellalell, I feel your pain. Some times you just need to pot them up and grow them that way. I'm so sorry, just don't give up!

thanks everyone.

Karyn, you're right..I dont want a swamp, lol.

Yes, Karma..at least for the rest of this year that is the way it will have to be. I had planned on doing raised brug beds next year, so hopefully they will do better in those. I will not give up! :) That def isn't an option!

Another way to look on the bright side, is that now that they are in pots, I wont have to dig them up when it's time to bring them in, and they will have gotten over any shock from being transplanted, and their roots will be settled as well. So coming in won't be too big a shock.

Barry, I have ammended, and ammended..it doesnt matter here. I just wasted precious money. Compost, manure, humus, leaf litter. All just a waste. Even my cannas in those beds seem to be suffering. My soil is pure crap.
I think the main problem is tooooo many trees. All the roots suck up the water too fast. I had to dig up a few small beds this year & transplant because the soil there was sooo dry all the time this year, and the plants were suffering..turns out fibrous tree roots were strangling my plants.

GG, I hope you get rain soon.

Daniella, I knew you would find a bright side!!! You're ahead of the game now!! :)

Theresa

Thanks Theresa :)

ahhhhhhh tree roots! that explains it. No way heavy composted soil dries out to fast!

Whew! I was afraid we were going to have to talk you out of trashing all your brugs. Glad you're just moving them around. I think you will be happier with raised beds. You can put in whatever kind of good soil you like.

Linda

You have never seen Texas soil, lol. Only potting soil will hold any moisture and I didn't add nearly enough to the new beds. I will work in more next year though. You are so right Daniella you are ahead of the game for winter now aren't you, lol.

Daniella I heard about this lining on the hosta forum that you put down before you plant in the hole to keep the tree roots out but I'm not sure what it is called, if I come across it again I'll let you know. Maybe you could also just try ammending the soil in the hole around your brugs and not the whole bed next year if you want to try them in the ground again. Most of my brugs are in pots this year, I want to try more in the ground next year.
Shawn

I feel your pain. I just got tired of one brug patch not doing well and mowed down about 30 plants today. Too hot for pots here and to dry in the soil for 90%+ of the brugs. I have killed a bunch but dearly love my survivors. I only propagate from the healthiest survivors. One day I will have all plants that can take the heat.

Well I am glad you have a lot of energy!!!! I only put one brug in the ground this year and I am having the same problem, I need to do a lot of work on my yard to ammend the soil. It is always something to keep ya busy.

Mary

Shawn, I have never heard of any kind of lining like that..wouldnt it keep the plants roots in and not let them spread as much? Next year I may re-do those fibrous root infested areas, & put raised beds on top there too with landscaping material on the bottom.

Every time I plant something, I do add stuff to the soil around it, usually I dig the hole bigger than I need..add compost, manure, and potting soil. I think maybe the combo of the goodies I put in the holes, and the fact that those spots get water more often, it just attracts the fibrous tree roots to those areas..like flies to $h!t.

Jim, I am sorry you lost a bunch..that sux. Wait a minute..you mowed them down? I thought that said you moved them. You mowed them?!?! Were you the one saying you had probs with nematodes in the soil? I just read in one of my books yesterday that if you plant marigolds as a trap crop
the nematodes will be attracted to them, go into the roots and then aren't able to reproduce anymore. They also release a substance that controls nematode populations. I'm plantin alot of marigolds next year, just in case.

Linda, lol..NO WAY!! They're here, and here they'll stay!
I didnt realize when I used that title, that it does indeed sound like that was my intention, but it's not.

Mary..raised beds!!! LOL!

Daniella, Glad your frustration with your soil has subsided. Start cutting down some of those trees, LOL!

El, ya know whats funny is DH always wanted a wooded lot. We moved here and there were sooo many trees. He learned a lesson I think..I hope, lol. We cut down alot of trees since we have been here.
We have 2 more that are main priority, a giant maple, and the wild cherry tree in the middle of the yard. The cherry tree is messy, which I dont mind, but it has termites. The maple is infested with carpenter ants and has some disease I cant think of right now, heart rot or something like that? Major brain fart right now, lol.
I hate that tree, and I tell it so every time I go outside. I am so scared its gonna fall on the house.
I would love for him to cut down all the mulberries as well..lord knows I hate them with a passion, and they are the main problem as far as the fibrous roots go. But he likes the sides of the yard being lined with the trees as they provide privacy.

Susie Q is the only one so far that is pouting that I dug her up. Pouting baaad. Wonder how long she'll take till she perks up?

I didn't think of the root thing while I was posting, yeah I guess it would keep the brug roots in and keep them from spreading. So that wouldn't help much would it? Well, I don't know what else you cold do. Were the brugs in sunken pots or just in the ground? Maybe it would help if they were sunken pots. Or if they were already in pots and the trees were still getting to them, you could try to sink the pots without cutting holes in the sides, if you liked the look of them in ground but they would just need watered like a pot.
Shawn

Shawn, do you remember a month or so ago I dug up one of my brugs that was in a pot sunken inthe ground? It wasnt doing anything, and the pot was full of roots? Turns out that pot was full of fibrous mulberry tree roots. They invaded the pot. So I cant even do that.

I did learn my lesson about raised beds and these roots as well. I had to dig everything out of one of my raised beds because the fibrous roots took that over as well. Next time I KNOW to put down landscaping fabric or something to block them from invading.

Daniella, bless your heart you are having a time of it!
At least you are ahead of the game before winter.
You could get one of those hand trucks like Karyn mentioned
to move large pots with, I need to get one too would make
moving the large ones alot easier.
Karen

Karen, we have a couple hand trucks, it just sux that wherever I were to take these plants I'd either have to go up or down stairs..I could just see me tethering the pots to the hand truck, making sure it's all secure, and then tipping it on the stairs, lol. OK so smashed brug wouldn't be funny, but..ya know! I still am waiting for the right time to tell DH he has to give up half his gym in the basement for me to keep all the brugs there this year...thats NOT going to go over well, lol.

Daniella, I know what you mean about trees, when I bought my house in 02 it had one Pin Oak in the front yard. Now you have to know if my yard was any smaller they would probably call it a zero lot line. So anyway I knew that treee was taking my entire front yard. So we had some 100 mph strait line winds one year (refered to as hurricane Elvis by local folks) I was so p.o.ed my tree and my neighbors tree was the only ones left standing. So when everyone was cleaning up debris I found someone to cut down my tree. My neighbor is cursing his as we speak, told me the other day he should have cut his down when I did mine!!! I am lucky tho I have one of the bigger back yards in the subdivision and flatest.

Mary

Daniella, tell your hubby to get rid of the mulberries & that a nice double row of brugs would provide plenty of privacy.

Linda

MD Linda, I WISH I could talk him into that!!

lol Mary..glad you were able to get that sucker down!

You'll have to wait until next year but try hanging HIS favorite shirts on a clothes line (under the birds, after they have chowed down on mulberries). He will be ready to cut those trees before the day ends.

Linda

lol Linda, you would think so, but...he hangs them there himself!!! He does his own laundry. Would you believe, every single time I hang something on the line, bird crap and spiders all over it. When he hangs stuff..nothing! He only line dries his stuff and it never gets crapped on. And the crappy cherry tree is there too!
I dont even try anymore, lol. I think I hung one thing this summer..a blanket.
keep throwin ideas at me, lol.

Lol, poor Daniella. Ask him if he will do my laundry too. I throw it all in together and everything looks like crap, lol. I was telling John about this and he said ohhh good idea about the pots and the roots now that winter is coming he is wanting to bring in more of them so he is liking the idea of burying the pots in the ground then lifting the pots for the winter. He forgets before we did all these flower beds and I told him about this he told me I was crazy and why would I want to dig a hole and buy a pot. Just put the dang things in the ground and leave them there he said, lol. How soon he forgets now that he is getting excited that they are going to start blooming, lol. I bet we have sunken pots next year, lol. The one I had last year bloomed in the garage nearly all winter long. I think he is remembering that and realizing all those in the ground are going to have to be cut down and he will miss them blooming. Who wants to make a bet he digs up some of his to bring in the house instead of cutting them, lol.