Need your help..What seeds/plants do well in poor soil?
armyyife
15 years ago
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Comments (16)
little_dani
15 years agoNell Jean
15 years agoRelated Discussions
What soil mix do you use to start your seeds?
Comments (15)As Davidinct mentioned the standard ProMix has Mycorise included but you can also order it with Biofungicides for a little extra per bale ($1.45 from my supplier). Both of these additives have research support for reducing pathogen organisms and the biofungicide can even boost production due to the benefit of the root colinizing organisms. These are similar to a whole new line of commercial products like TC-22, Rootshield, etc. Either way this new technology in planting media makes good sense. The opposite, very risky alternative of using any unsterilized material can lead to a complete wipeout of your seedling crop in a few days from soilborn pathogens. I would never,ever attempt to start seeds in soil from the garden. Your time is too valuable to risk the crop loss....See Moresuggested plants for improving poor soil
Comments (5)Thanks to all! I use the wood chips because they are free and we have a very large area that was stripped of any viable soil. Rain would not soak in, and heavy rain tends to wash even the clay down the hill. I am terracing with some of the rocks that are dug out of "garden" areas (using the term garden very loosely!). A layer of the wood chips a couple of inches thick traps the dirt that otherwise would wind up in the creek. I always request the oldest material at the green waste site. It is broken down almost to compost. In the areas where I have scattered the wood chips I am starting to get some native grasses coming up on their own. Lots of coreopsis. Several nice baptisias, both yellow and cream colored, are growing in the worst of the worst. Insects are finding their way into the mulch, and the birds and skunks are digging for grubs, so life is returning. Transplanted native redbud trees are surviving, and the ones that are mulched are doing quite well. The areas that I would like to keep as "natural" areas are slowly reclaiming themselves. The "terraces" are just low strips of sandstone placed perpendicular to the flow of water. I stay on the lookout for invasives like chinese lespedeza. My neighbor used THICK wood chips, a foot thick, left them in place for a couple of years, then used heavy equipment to turn it in, 2 or 3 feet deep. He used a heavy duty trench digger like a rototiller. That thing even ground up the sandstone boulders. Amazing to watch. He planted shrubs and perennial beds and they seem to be doing very well. So it does "work", but I do not want to disturb the soil that much over a large area, nor do I want a "city" landscape out here in the country. I would still like to do a vegetable garden eventually. That was really my question. I would like to plant things now that will break up the clay and add nitrogen without becoming a nuisance....See Moreneed help- cant prepare seedbed in poor soil
Comments (4)If your future prairie is not on a slope I wouldn't worry about erosion, I'd worry about something else...if you break up the soil, you're going to expose countless weed seeds to light, and they will sprout. I learned this the hard way..as the area my prairie was going to be was well-trod hard-pan..I had no choice. I had to rototill. This caused a massive weed explosion. I had a ragweed and Queen Anne's Lace farm! Prairie Nursery has a seed mix called "Clay Buster", and their catalogue has great instructions for starting a prairie. www.prairienursery.com What you can do, instead of rototilling, if you have a smallish area, is rough up the soil surface with a rake. Throw your seed down, then roll it in, to make sure it gets good contact with the soil. This is what the State Parks by me do to start a prairie. If you have a large area, then dragging a weighted piece of chain link fence across the ground before you plant is a good idea. Some people say you don't even have to do that..just throw the seed down, roll the seed in! Also, if i'm not mistaken, prairies in most areas grow on lean soil...there's not much organic matter in it because it's usually burned off. Good luck! April...See MorePlanting in poor sandy soil
Comments (11)I do not buy the theory that fruit trees like poor soil than rich soil. But I believe the theory that, do not amend the native soil and plant with the native soil you already get. A lot of vegetables and fruits are grown in California. Do they have poor soil? no. The soil there is very rich. You get more yield from rich soil and the CA fruits taste great. Then we have the Washington apple. It is a stretch to say that rich soil makes poor fruits. Some fruits do well in poor soil because other plants can't grow and the land would be available. Jujube is a good example. Of course jujube still wants rich soil, but it can grow well in poor soil too. The only fruit I can think of that prefers poor soil is wine grape. For wine grape, you want low water content, thick skin and small berry. Rich soil would make the berry too watery. As to OP's question, do not amend the soil with compost or potting soil. But do loosen the soil if you can, and dig a generously large hole. Put down root starter fertilizer or bone meal, mulch well. Water diligently the first year or two and get root established. Cherry is not that easy to grow IMOP. It is affected by chilling requirement, last frost, various insects and birds, etc... But the fruits are rewarding. Good luck....See MoreEduarda
15 years agoarmyyife
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