Should I mix soil to make it dry faster?
L Lake
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years agoRelated Discussions
soil mix to help dry woodland
Comments (6)No matter what you amend the soil in the planting holes with, the tree's roots are going to invade and choke out the new smaller plant. You dig the hole, fill it with perfect soil, put in your plant, water, and the tree's roots are going to invade. The better you amend the soil, the faster the tree's roots are going to invade. It is hard to get very many plants to grow in these conditions. For light, an good arborist can thin out some of the upper branches to get more light down to the ground. If you go this route, be careful who you hire. Some tree services are experts at how to cut down trees and keep them from hitting homes and power lines, but they can butcher a tree that you want pruned carefully. The problem with dry soil at the base of the trees is a much harder problem to solve. The roots from the large trees will soak up every drop of water that hits the ground so that under-story plantings struggle to survive. I've seen two solutions that work well. You can try to simulate a natural woodland floor using mosses and ferns, which can be really pretty once they are established. I saw an episode of "Gardening by The Yard" where a person had a large tree next to the street where nothing would grow due to dry conditions caused by the tree. The brought in several really pretty pots and placed them around the base of the tree and filled them with shade loving plants. The plants in pots did not have to compete with the tree for water. They had a variety of pot and plant heights that made a really beautiful planting around the base of the tree. Natural looking containers like whiskey barrel halves or hypertufa pots made to look like large hollow stones could both look good under trees. The mix of trees, poplar vs maple, will make a big difference in what you can get to grow under them. The poplar should not create as big a problem since they are taller with fewer low level limbs, and have deep root systems. The sugar maples will cause more problems since they have a shallow dense root system that will suck all water from the surface soil. They have lots more branches at lower levels to shade out other plants. The roots of sugar maple are somewhat alleopathic. They are not nearly as bad as black walnut at killing competing plants, but their roots do secret a sap that discourages other plants from growing. If you have some areas that get good sunlight for at least half a day, blueberry plants might work. Blueberries have very shallow root systems, with most of their roots in the top 9 inches of soil. Their roots rarely go further down than 16 inches ever. Since blueberries like really acid soil with a pH of about 5, the other tree's roots won't be as aggressive into these plantings. You could dig a hole 1 foot deep and 2 feet wide, line it with landscape fabric, fill it with peat moss and pine mulch, scatter soil sulfur to acidify the soil, and plant your blueberries. They would need to be irrigated regularly, so a drip system would be needed. Good luck, Greg...See MoreHow can I make best soil mix for new raised beds?
Comments (7)Contact your counties office of your state Agricultural Universities Cooperative Extension Service about having a good soil test done (usually in the $6.00 to $15.00 range). These simple soil tests, 1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains� too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. may be of some help in determining what you have. A good soil for plant growth will have between 5 and 8 percent organic matter....See MoreWhat can I add to cactus mix to help it dry out faster?
Comments (14)You know, just a side thought for those of us living up here in the north.. Years ago when our parents and grandparents were using MG mix and other bagged stuff, they basically grew native houseplants that they rarely if ever put outside for the whole summer.NO root rot, no knats... Therefore, they had complete control over watering for these plants. Most houseplants, native to our area if you call them, were only kept indoors. In this case, Mg might work for some. This acoording to my mother.lol Now a days, look at how many of us grow plants not native to our areas, especially tropical,such as plumies, citrus, gardenias, and ect..., that we must put outdoors at the mercie of the weather elments. They thrive there after a long winter indoors.. Now they are also at our mercy to provide the right type of soiless mix to compliment the extremes in weather, especially ours which can be long cool and rainy days, even in summer. NOW, MG is not a good compliment to our now outdoors plants that must do not like constant wet feet. If we insist on keeping them outdoors all summer, we must then think of soiless mixes that allow these poor babies to be rained on consistanly, and even dry out without killing them. If I have anything in MG, it is plants kept indoors such as pothos, peace lilies, spiderplants,preyer plants, and so on. You know the kind I mean.. These never go outside. I keep all plain ole native ones inside while all my non native ones go outdoors, ones that you typical grow in the deep south..These non-native ones are never in MG..No way Hose.... Please, take a gander to the container forum, and you will learn of mixes that allow you to make the best of the outdoors,without scarificing your plants vitality and then eventual death. MG is no longer the choice for most of us, unless you are planning on sticking with just the plain ole indoor houseplant able to even take wet feet...:-) Al's mixes are perfect for plumies... Who of us likes to be bored with with regular houseplants anymore, you know, the ones I mean..lol Mike:-)...See MoreShould I replace all sandy soil with triple mix?
Comments (8)I do the same as NHBabs - lots of compost when planning a bed, more any time I'm planting, top dressing with more yet every year. I can't make as much as I need. We have a place near here who sells beautiful hot composted stuff for just $20 a load - picked up not delivered at that price but we have access to a trailer. No debris, no rocks, and no live seeds at all - none. I don't have sand, I have clay, but the answer is the same - it will improve the texture of sand just as it improves the texture of clay. The more organic matter you can get into the soil, the happier the plants....See More
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
5 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years agoL Lake
5 years agoL Lake
5 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years ago
wantonamara Z8 CenTex
5 years ago
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