Why NOT limestone grit, also cold climate C&S garden

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

Long read, my apologies. Kind of answered my own question: long story short limestone grit will make your mix more alkaline = not desirable.

****read on, if you dare. Lol. Grab a coffee. Questions and musings re: alkaline soil, hard water and a front yard C&S garden.

I bought a bag of limestone grit. Labelled as "top dressing". Breton and ewwMayo (sorry dont know everyone's names yet) said it wouldn't be advisable to use. My searches last night also repeatedly said "not limestone grit".

What I'd like to know is, why not? What does it do to the soil/plants? Changes the PH I assume, makes it more .... Alkaline? Ahhhh. Yes, I see C&S generally prefer acidic soil.

I also have VERY hard water, when I repot I always have to soak the old pots in vinegar to remove mineral crusts (also the faucet aerators and shower heads lol). Using limestone grit will compound the issues, yes?

At least the bag was only $7. What other use could this grit be put to? Are there garden plants that actually like limestone? I have a ginormous bed under/around an old silver spruce to clean out, currently full of river rock that is going to be donated. Pretty sure our soil is alkaline (Also, I live in a river valley - *anywhere* you dig it's solid river rock 1.5-2 feet down. Infuriating). So adding limestone will make it more alkaline....Hm.

I was thinking about making a (frost hardy) C&S garden in my front yard...chickens and hens etc. Wonder if I'll have to amend the soil? My mom seems to think we could replant some wild Opuntia from her acreage in Drumheller, she said she'll bring back some of the "clay" they grow in to amend the bed. I was thinking maybe near the spruce In their own isolated bed so they wouldn't get watered accidentally. Thoughts? Bed on the left there, where nothing grows because it's so dry (except for some sedum ... And the neighbours quack grass.) I water the volunteer Nanking cherry, spireas and wild rose bush, who will all be moved eventually.

And a view from upstairs ... My dry streamed-in-progress (feat. Wild irises from mom's acreage), an old crabapple tree stump and more rocks. I also have a large pile of granite boulders against the house to use up.

My mom keeps insisting that nothing grows under evergreens because of the "acidity of the needles". I say it's because the trees hog all the damn water lol. And the debate rages on.

I am xeriscaping with a lot of native plants (basically if it's fussy and needs a lot of TLC it does not belong in my yard). I have rocks, rocks, rocks and more rocks, and almost all-day full sun. The two big spruces do provide shade through the middle of the day, but this west-facing yard gets scorched, generally, and I'm a lazy waterer (when it comes to the outside plants).

PSA !!! Speaking of native plants NEVER EVER EVER NEVER NEVER EVER PLANT WOLF WILLOW IN A SMALL YARD NO MATTER HOW PRETTY YOU THINK IT IS. It is the bane of my existence, and of the neighbours on both sides. Sigh.

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Why NOT limestone grit, also cold climate C&S garden

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