help dealing with clay soil for apple trees
buck_L26
9 years ago
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fireduck
9 years agoRelated Discussions
What fruit trees will grow well in pure clay soil?
Comments (23)First of all a little background. I am a graduate of Cal poly Pomona, I am a licensed irrigator in California and Texas. I also own a tree farm in Texas . White Hall Trees. In texas we do not have gray clay we have black clay that is at least as bad as what we had as a kid in California( I grew up in Orange County) Now with that said. The problem that everyone seems to have is the same. You claim you cant get fruit trees to grow in clay. Being a Civil Engineer, Landscape contractor and LI for 30 years I have some basic recommendations. First Clay is an excellent way to hold water ! and fruit trees need water! But not so much as to be wet all the time. First raise the tree about 3" above existing grade. When planting dig the hole twice as big around as the pot and 3 inches shallower than the pot . When back filling around the pot use a 3/4 to 1/4 ratio of good composted material to the clay and Float the tree back in. Simply put add water to the soil to get out air. Then ad 3" of good hardwood mulch around the tree. The biggest problem that you have is water so call Ewing Irrigation or John Deere landscapes and get some Rainbird .26 Drip tubing on 12" centers and drip the trees! If you circle the tree with lets say 6 drip emitters and water for 10 minutes you water .26 gal of water. Lets say the tree needs 3 Gal of water per week in one hour you will water 1.56 gal of water. So water 2 hours per week ! You may need to water Tuesday and Friday for 1 hour each day and check the tree hole with a moisture probe you can buy at one of the local Home depots for about $ 10.00 The biggest deal is don't guess ! Test and check ! Make sure. If you need more than 3 gal of water per week they have drip tube in .26, .4,.6, and .9 Netafim, Rainbird, Hunter, and Landscape products all make drip tube ! Do the calculations and if you are unsure call an irrigation professional they can help. The guys at Ewing can also help if you ask and by the way if you bring donuts to them they even get nicer !!!!!!!!!!!! Try It !...See MoreWhat Kind of Trees to Plant in Clay Soil?
Comments (14)i am of the opinion .... any tree can survive anywhere .. IF PROPERLY PLANTED ... [and we are talking about planting.. not zone.. etc] and the issue is DRAINAGE... not the soil itself ... most peeps in heavy clay .. plant high.. planting only half the root mass down into the clay ... while creating a berm of proper draining soil above .. roots need air as much as water ... and by digging[and i use the term loosely with clay] ... a clay pot that retains too much water.. forever ... its the trapped or non-drained water.. that causes failure ... the roots drown basically by allowing the top half of the roots to have the air they need ... you allow a recent transplant to survive.. and become 'established' ... and once it gets past that point.. past the transplant shock.. it can and will put its roots down into the clay ... and lead a long and happy life ... its about giving the transplant the ability to live long enough to cope with the situation ... if you stand in your yard.. i cant to believe.. rotating 360 degrees.. that you do not see a multitude of trees that planted themselves.. so the clay itself.. is not the issue ... you do not.. i presume.. live on a moonscape ... so the issue is ... to repeat and conclude .. is how we mess it all up by trying to plant them .... dont you think?? ken...See MorePlanting Tree in Clay Soil
Comments (17)why didnt brandon give his own link .. maybe in the other post?? .. see link below ... i would NOT go with compost .. after all... IT IS COMPOST... and that word means its NOT SOIL ... i would go to a soil depot and get a good top soil-sand mix ... something that when you take a handful ... and try to squeeze it like a snowball ... holds for a moment .. and then falls apart ... that meas its friable ... as compared to say.. your clay ... which mever falls apart ... so air cant get in.. and water out ... if you plan on planting many things ...or building beds.. have them deliver a truck load... and just store it for when you need it ... again... do not confuse soil ... with compost ... and do understand ... the tree will happy grow down into the clay ... the problem with the clay ... is the transplanting ... and water management.. until the tree can get its own roots down into it ... if your lawn is ferted ... or will be.. the tree will never need fert ... and frankly .. i would be of the opinion.. that the little berm you build.. will ever need it.. trees just dont need all that much from us ... the leaves are food making machines.. so if you grow the leaves... and the tree grows the roots.. you should be all set ... i would also suggest.. you go no bigger than a 4 footer ... cost is significantly less... and it will get established.. and probably outgrow the larger plant.. in 5 years ... i like to say.. there is no instant gratification in trees ... you cant buy time ... tree time ... ken https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub...See MoreDo soil amendment products really help our adobe clay soils?
Comments (34)Someone here is having good results with amending clay with 50 percent sand and then topping the area with sandy loam. The nurseryman who runs Laguna Hills Nsy and gave the soils class takes the stock he buys and removes most of the mix around the roots. Then he replaces it in peat moss, perlite, pumice,sand and some charcoal. He would add more sand in the mix he sells bagged but the bags would rip or be too expensive to ship. The charcoal is there because the world's best soils have some charcoal content. A building supply in Costa Mesa sells something called Rick's mix that is sandy loam and decomposed granite for improving clay. I have used the best potting mixes I could buy and watch the plants die off in a year. With the mix from Laguna Hills, it doesn't happen. Now I use a mix of my own soil, sand and the Laguna Hills formula. I have been making charcoal all winter and sifting it to throw out the ash which is alkaline. In the old days the nurseries planted in Sandy loam and sold bareroot. No one amended the holes or they planted high in large mounds or raised beds if drainage was poor. Now the wholesalers who planted in real soil are being edged out by those who plant in composted wood. The plants grow fast and are lighter to ship but eventually the breakdown of the planting material kills the plant. You can slow the process by letting the mix dry out almost completely before watering again, but it stresses the plants, especially in our warm climate. In the old days, a nursery could water every day with no root problems at all. A nursery could keep their stock for years and water every day and feed once a month until it sold. Now it's a race to sell the plant before the mix degrades and the roots die. The nurseries have to move their stock quick before then. Even if you plant it in good soil, the plant might not make it to five years because the mix around the trunk has become poisonous to the plant. Some plants grow fast enough to get roots out beyond into good soil. Arborists use augers to drill out holes around the trunk and backfill with sand to get the oxygen into the toxic area. You can also dig into one side and replace with 100 percent soil and six months later do the other side. The formula is stay away from three times the diameter of the trunk when removing roots. That was the formula for moving plants sold in soil wrapped with burlap. Any plant you fix needs to be shaded for two weeks. You can also help them by spraying the leaves with 1 gallon water 1 oz Karo syrup 1 oz seaweed 1 oz fish fertilizer a little wetting agent I hope this helps anyone trying to save a plant. I think it's rotten that plants are being sold that they know will have problems later on. People think it's their fault. The landscape reflects the trend towards only plants that can overcome the crappy potting mix and we all get taught wrongly to add this stuff to the soil at planting time....See Moremes111
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