Mea culpa - now how do I fix this?
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mea culpa, the rabbits got the trees
Comments (7)Thanks for your information and links. Studies from MSU recommended M.7 for free-standing trees on my coarse, sandy soil. I've planted them about 12' apart and expect to do a lot of summer pruning to keep them around 10'. Cultivars: Ashmead's Kernel, Pomme Gris, Pitmaston Pineapple, Rhode Island Greening, and Northern Spy. The espalier trees are 8' apart, with 3 wires spaced to 6' off the ground. All are comspurs on M.26: Red Rome, Stayman Winesap, and Black Twig. I also have a pear espalier with the same layout. Summer 2007 was their second season (3 year old trees); and I had a few blossoms. I had cut them back hard in the first year to encourage low branching. This was good for the espalier, but the free-standing trees didn't all shape up as well. I think that I'll ease up on this technique this time around. In selecting rootstock, tree longevity is one of my major concerns, so I steered away from the most dwarfing types. Geneva 16 and 30 are currently being tested in Michigan, and will probably do well, but they are also harder to come by this late in the season. I will probably try them at some point in the future. I also found a Hudson's Golden Gem on M.111 -- I know this one will get much bigger, so it's going to a different spot in the garden. I love the flavor of heirloom varieties, and the best pie in the world, according to my husband, is from a combo of N. Spy, Red Rome, and Winesap. Anticipation and hope are 9/10 of gardening. Do you have any photos to post? I've had easy to grow cherry trees for a decade, but this is my first foray into other fruit trees, so I truly value the experience of other gardeners. Thanks again, Juliana...See MoreClay soil - how do I fix it? Or do I have to?
Comments (63)In case the link is ever broken, cut and paste the PDF file here: Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D., Extension Horticulturist and Associate Professor, Puyallup Research and Extension Center, Washington State University The Myth of Gypsum Magic âAdding gypsum to your yard or garden will improve soil tilth and plant healthâ The Myth Upon continued prodding from one of my university extension colleagues, I recently watched several episodes of a well-known gardening program on television. My kids joined me, alerted by my animated responses to the hostâs non-stop torrent of advice. Among many amazing discoveries I learned that by adding gypsum to my yard or garden I would improve my problem soils by changing the particle size and loosening compaction. Further searching on the web revealed that gypsum would also improve drainage, decrease acidity, and eliminate soil salts. Previously, I had heard of gypsum for use in soil reclamation projects, but not for a typical urban landscape. Since gypsum is simply calcium sulfate, could this chemical truly transform soil structure and serve as a fertilizer for yards and gardens? The Reality This myth falls into the category of agricultural practices misapplied to ornamental landscapes. Gypsum effectively changes the structure and fertility of heavy clay soils, especially those that are heavily weathered or subject to intensive crop production. Gypsum also improves sodic (saline) soils by removing sodium from the soil and replacing it with calcium. Therefore, one can see improvement in clay soil structure and fertility, and desalinization of sodium-rich soils, by using gypsum. What other effects will gypsum have on soil and plant health? There are a number of scientific studies on gypsum usage both in the literature and on websites. Briefly, researchers have found: ⢠Gypsum does not usually change soil acidity, though occasional reports of both increasing and decreasing pH exist; ⢠Gypsum can increase leaching of aluminum, which can detoxify soils but also contaminates nearby watersheds; ⢠Gypsum can increase leaching of iron and manganese, leading to deficiencies of these nutrients; ⢠Gypsum applied to acid soils can induce magnesium deficiency in plants on site; ⢠Gypsum applied to sandy soils can depress phosphorus, copper and zinc transport; ⢠Gypsum can have negative effects on mycorrhizal inoculation of roots, which may account for several reports of negative effects of gypsum on tree seedling establishment and survival; ⢠Gypsum is variable in its effects on mature trees; ⢠Gypsum will not improve fertility of acid or sandy soils; ⢠Gypsum will not improve water holding capacity of sandy soils; and ⢠Gypsumâs effects are short-lived (often a matter of months) With the exception of arid and coastal regions (where soil salts are high) and the southeastern United States (where heavy clay soils are common), gypsum amendment is just not necessary in non-agricultural areas. Urban soils are generally amalgamations of subsoils, native and non-native topsoils, and - in home landscapes - high levels of organic and non-organic chemical additives. They are also heavily compacted and layered (and gypsum does not work well on layered soils). In such landscapes, it is pointless to add yet more chemicals in the form of gypsum unless you need to increase soil calcium levels. This nutrient deficiency can be quickly identified by any soil testing laboratory for less than a bag of gypsum costs. (If you need to improve sulfur nutrition, itâs wiser to use ammonium sulfate). To reduce compaction and improve aeration in nearly any landscape, application of an organic mulch is more economically and environmentally sustainable. The Bottom Line ⢠Gypsum can improve heavy clay soil structure and remove sodium from saline soils ⢠Gypsum has no effect on soil fertility, structure, or pH of any other soil type ⢠Most urban soils are not improved by additional gypsum ⢠Before adding gypsum or any chemical to a landscape, have soil analysis performed to identify mineral deficiencies, toxicities, and soil character ⢠Adding gypsum to sandy or non-sodic soils is a waste of money, natural resources, and can have negative impacts on plant, soil, and ecosystem health For more information, please visit Dr. Chalker-Scottâs web page at http://www.theinformedgardener.com....See MoreMea Culpa- recovering from use of chemicals
Comments (2)You can relax since one application of one of those poisons is not going to do great harm to your Soil Food Web. This article, on Natural Lawn Care from Ohio State may be of some help. Here is a link that might be useful: Natural Lawn Care...See MoreHow do I fix this dying leaf problem?
Comments (4)Thanks. The boxes are 2x10 feet. Yes, the plants are packed in there, If you read the second paragraph in my original post, I explain why :) Soil is moist in between watering, but not wet or muddy. We changed it to 2 12 min waterings, because a friend suggested that the short waterings didn't give the water much time to soak into the root area. We will see. IT is a drip system. By a drip system I mean that a hose runs down the middle of the box, and there are little hoses coming off of the main hose that were poked into the hose. They don't so much drip, as dribble. It's a constant small dribbling stream of water on each plant. Behlgarden, thanks I don't know what BT is, but I will read around. That issue has me more concerned than the splitting tomatoes at this point. Jean, this is the problem...half the people I talk to say it's clearly too much watering, some say it's fine, I am just a bad tomato grower (lol) and some say it's not enough watering. Splitting seems like it could mean too much watering. I am hoping that by cutting to twice a day, with a deep soak and extra that runs off, it will be better. IDK. Trial and error. Thanks again....See MoreRelated Professionals
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