(11/4/89) Host Sue Gray shares a few tips for establishing trees and shrubs in clay soils and poorly drained soils. For more information: Fact Sheet HLA-6414 Planting Trees and Shrubs pods.dasnr.okst...
It’s ideal to have a hole twice the width of the rootball as she described but then she buried the top of the tree in 3 inches of topsoil. You never want to bury the top of a tree with dirt. The roots can’t breathe and the tree slowly dies from it. Keep in mind this tree was grown in a container for its entire life. She then proceeded to add another 2 inches of mulch on top of the topsoil. Please don’t follow this woman’s planting guide. There are plenty of resources online from arboretums across the country that will be much more beneficial.
I live halfway between an abandoned clay mine and an aggregate mine where they take rocks out of the soil and use it for making roads and concrete. Once I wet the soil, and pull the rocks out, I can sculpt figures out of it. A shovel will go in about 2" if I (250lb) jump on it. I live in a hot climate that gets well into the 110s. I've had great luck with roses, geraniums, artichokes, plums, cherries, figs, and the California fan palms that will grow anywhere in sidewalk cracks here, but not much else.
hey how's that temp doing lately? 120? more? i must live in the same area. no matter how hard i try to get more than 6 or 8" of nice topsoil by adding to that top about 12 inches of finely mulched leaves, 3 times from fall to spring and it feels like walkin on pillows, until the garden is planted. by watering it, even exactly perfectly, the clay consumes all of the top again by way of osmosis, then it's like a brick before june. this year the aphids hit my kale and like an idiot i listened to environmentalist by trying to wash them off over and over and insecticidal soap, neem oil, nothing phased them, that and my peppers and tomatoes, were lunch to aphids. so i thought i'd beat the heat and the insects by putting fine meshed row covers over the plants and above that was the shade netting. only one watermelon plant came up on it's own outside of the garden zone, one more and a cantelope came up inside the carefully covered area. the aphids still dominated everything. and the row covers were to avoid the flies. but all it did was made a sanctuary for the flies. they were coming out of the ground so they'd be in the zone. the cabbage loopers weren't just looping they were competing the cycle inside the cover, it was then i decided i'll just use the cover to keep them trapped so i can torment them and send them off to insect hell. only the watermelon outside of the complete disaster made it nearly insect free. and it was only 9 inched from the garden. it has now since march or april 1 watemelon the size of a cantelope and a half. i pulled the covers off and let it go. clay goes hand in hand with this complete nightmare of a desert clay. alfalfa grows without any watering or anything. no bugs. next year (if there is one) i'm gonna plant 6 or 8 watermelons in pots, large pots to spread out.
I just put Varigated Pink Lemon, in a hard White Clay.. Ive got some Red Stained clay in clumps about 2 foots down (considering i just got 5 foot of water from hurricane harvey i can understand how the clay was deposited). Its high on the property, relatively.. and the clay didbreak easier in my hand.. than when i was trying to shovel it out. The neighbor has a citrus, an orange i think.. with a pale skinned fruit.. however his citrus tree is only 5-7 foot tall.. and supposedly a decade or 2 old. I dug down two feet.. and put the top of the root ball ground level as the tag recommended, with a cardboard spacer at the bottom of the ball.. and my home made black mulch (pine and oak and stems and seeds) at the bottom with the cardboard, then a mix of mulch with light pine straw.. and then the moat wall, and remainder filler mulch mixed with the white/grey clay. Do adult citrus trees.. still keep roots at a foot deep, circumference wise? Could i use a tiller and loosen the soil a few extra feet out? Would fluffing the earth.. help.. a year down the road? Is moved earth still soft a year later? The clay.. doesnt have a nice scent.. not earthy i mean.. its null. Its exposed to direct sunlight.. and unlike other places in the yard.. the grass is growing fine.. and there are ironwood saplings coming up, or sweet gum (i believe) This was the reason i chose the specific spot.. with also consideration for citrus and "drainage" What can i do.. to whip this soil into the best shape.. im stuck with the clay.. and before anyone recommends a shade tree, or another pine or oak, my objective is vegetation i can partake in.. and not just visually. I could go the rest of my life without seeing another pine What other types of fruit could be planted in that? What other things could i do TO make it work for fruiting trees? Thanks Bart
Agreed. In heavily clay soil like mine, water does not penetrate at all. I've learned the hard way to bring in good soil from elsewhere and to add a lot of organic matter to the whole. A good test is to pour water into where you're planting. I did that with one. I filled it with water and went to lunch. When I came back 45 minutes later, the water had dropped about an inch. A tree planted in such soil without amendments will die of thirst.
My Apple trees couldn't grow faster but the is too much hard and clay, pebbles, will u please tell me what I need to do? Another question is how much Depth plant from crust of earth, second question is how to make organic soil and which fertilizer to use for them, thanks
From my experience, mixing organic matter in with clay is a successful, yet temporary solution. And do not know permanent one yet. At least for large trees, Horticulturists no longer suggest or promote replacement of native soil with an improved mix of goodies to produce better root growth. Some even suggest if native soil surrounding planting hole is horrible, trees lateral root growth may instead stay inside of improved soil, and possibly circle around tree. Also, building temporary soil berm shunts atmospheric Oxygen exchange from reaching deeper ground levels. Causing lateral roots to temporarily grow higher or even above grade to get more air. Then later when soil berm levels out or is removed, one might find roots growing at grade. If installed correctly, higher grass line surrounding planting site should work just like berm helping to temporarily retain pooling water. As top of rootball should be flat and even with grade where blades of grass transition into underground roots. Whole idea is to prevent planting tree back into pot! Always perform "Root flare excavation" for potted or B&B trees, since most arrive already too deep in rootball from Nursery! Suggest installing trees "Tickle spot" level or just below surrounding grade. Which is same level of soil tree originally born at, and where trunk tissue transitions into root tissue. After planted, radially outbound roots from root ball will seek their own level in soil. Even if planted too deeply. Excavating out wider hole allows those outbound roots to get running start before encountering surrounding native soil.
sometime next week I'm about to plant a row of pineapple guavas in clay soil.my plan is to mix in mulch into the soil.i might add compost from the landfill into the mix.i will be using a tractor disc plus plow to grind mulch and compost into the soil.is this a good plan or what is reccomended?
This will all depend on the content/structure of your soil. We encourage a soil test to see what nutrients might be needed in the soil to ensure a healthy plant. Happy Gardening! osufacts.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-4839/L-249.pdf
i have clay soil and broke it up like in your video but as soon as i water it, it becomes compact again. i dont think the water us getting to the roots of my tree
Do what I have learned to do through bitter experience. I dig out that gosh-awful clay and use it to fill abandoned animal holes in a nearby wood. Then I fill that hole with good soil from a low-lying area in that same wood, including a lot of compost. Make the renovated area big enough to support the tree because it ain't a gonna get any water from that clay.
The picture she is showing shows the hole is 3 times the diameter of the root ball and not two times like she says is minimum. Clay soil is too compact and restrict water penetration and root growth. Back filling with the clay soil dug out will lead to small, under nourish tree. I would suggest mixing good compost into clay soil to get a more loamy soil. Tree has a better chance with a rich soil than just clay.
don't forget about the depth of the hole. i don't actually see a depth there. but for that sandy soil, might be ok. although that diameter is huge and in vane
"No scientific studies to date show any measurable benefit of soil amendment except in containerized plant production. Plants grown in native soil consistently showed better root establishment and more vigorous growth"- puyallup.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/soil-amendments.pdf
B Lee Tell that to my fruit tree's I have an Apple a pear and plumb all in clay all growing like mad, every year they produce twice as much as last year!
All clay is not the same. Some have more sand, some have rocks. My clay holds water for 3 days & doesn't move but maybe 1” at tops. Dig a hole, fill it with water & see what it does before you use it might have helped me. I was new at this stuff & I was so thrilled to get right to it & in the end it rotted all the roots. Now my trees on the clay, with clay & compost mixture on the hard clay has worked best for my area. Good luck everyone & hope things grow great.
@@mrssandy9170 I have the exact same problem. Have the worst clay soil that I had planted two small crape myrtle two years ago and they are the same size. I try to dig them up and place amended soil around the hole but the water just stands for days. Now I have placed inches of leaves to try to help absorb that water.
My daughter planted an apple seed and it sprouted its in a pot in my house. I don't know what to do with it now and not sure when is a good time to put it I dirt. I live in South Dakota
WARNING; I have red clay, & this is what I did to fix why my FRUIT TREES DIED. 1st. The water doesn't drain fast enough in a clay hole for my trees. 2nd. Notice the type of trees she is planting. 3rd. My trees here in middle Georgia do much better if I plant on top of the clay. 4th. I can mix together whatever each tree needs in-order for them to grow well 5th.. I can use a mound on the clay, & edge the soil with wood or stones depending on the area & the desired look. 6th. I can use a hugel bed. My 1st hugel has worked great for the past 2 yrs. What works 4 u?
Mrs Sandy hi I live in Tennessee so we have very similar clay soil and I found this video when researching how to amend clay soil for fruit trees. I have two semi dwarf sweet cherries and two gala apples do you have any experience with these trees growing in our area? Also what is a hugel?
I did amend the clay soil, but it still was sitting in a bowl of water during our winter rain it cause the roots to rot & kill my trees. Now I amend my soil on top of the clay so it will never sit in a bowl of hard clay that will not drain for sometimes 2-3 days, after 2-3 days of rain. In the end it will become a muck bowl but it rotted everything. Maybe her clay has more sand, I don't know. I do know, it didn't work for me. • I don't have cherries, I do have apple trees, I have Anna & Einshimer apple trees, they are now 6ft tall. The first trees died in a drowning in an extra wet winter. LOL I haven’t had apples yet. I have the low chill apples. I have pecan trees & they are now about 20 ft tall, & It worked great on the clay, & I love how it worked out for my problem. HOWI DID MY HUGEL • 1st.digging a hole, (u can do it by placing it on the ground or in a garden bed.) • 2nd I used wood, sticks & woodchips in the hole, I filled in every space I could with all sizes of wood & sticks & filling in-between with the woodchips, • 3rd on top of that u can put grass, straw, anything u have. • 4th next layer was; clay & compost mixture. • 5th layer; compost • 6th layer, pine needles & leaves mixed • HOW IT WORKS; The water fills the hole, the wood & woodchips soak up the water like a sponge. The soil uses that moisture from the sponge/wood (u can google it & find it on utube.) • Here is a site on hugelkulture; The Many Benefits of Hugelkultur www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/many-benefits-hugelkultur
Mrs Sandy Excellent! Thank you so much for all of the helpful advice and tips. I will check out the hugel website today. Do you know if its true that you have to plant 2 of each fruit tree to bear fruit? Why would they not tell me that at home depot when purchasing 1 apple and 1 cherry tree? Do they need to be planted within a certain area?I have found varying and conflicting results on google. Have a great day! Love from East Tennessee
1. FRUIT TREE; Most apple trees need 2. of a different variety of the same fruit. The only type I know of that you don't will be a tree with 2 or more apples grafted onto one tree. I haven't found any that are low chill yet, but I know they are around. 2. FRUIT TREE; even if a fruit tree is self-pollinating it’s always better with a pollinator because you get way more fruit. 3. FRUIT TREE; All the fruit trees I have bought at Lowes/HomeDepot have a tag & the name of their pollinator to match was on the tag. They need to be in bloom at the same time. 4. Not all the people working in the stores are trained about the plants, some water them, & know nothing. If you have a question ask & if they don’t know they will find someone to help you. 5. They usually have one person working over everyone that’s highly educated about the plants they have & can help 6. Spacing matters, that was on my tags also, my trees need to be within 50ft. of each other. 7. A cherry will not help an apple tree. Cherry to cherry. Apple to apple, but not all apples go with an apple & same with cherry. Look up what you have as if you will buy it & most sites that sell it will have the pollinators listed with it. 8. EXAMPLE; I HAVE THE ANNA APPLE, POLLINATORS ARE Ein Shemer & Dorsett Golden you will see it on this site. Get you info from people that sell what you have & you will be fine. www.willisorchards.com/product/anna-apple-tree?gclid=Cj0KCQjw2pXXBRD5ARIsAIYoEbc-LxOSEOh2XKxsBkk5E6V6GiI2Rm4uBRYTyvcztdGy5vuLu9qghZIaAoFnEALw_wcB#.WuYGLYgvyUk
Have you tried garden gypsum? The calcium and sulfur break the bonds of heavy clay without altering PH. When planting in heavy clay I add compost and gypsum.
Yes, but what if the soil is solid clay four inches down and for yards around? For a bush or small tree, it's better for it to have a container in which it can live than to be sending out roots into soil that provides no water or nutrients. I have clay in my yard I could make pottery from.
I dug out a large hole and replaced it with compost and fresh soil. Now whenever we get a good rain it pretty much fills up with water from the surrounding soil..... Its kinda like a water wick lolol
Hi there +Jasmine Clemmons! Thanks for tuning in! Here is a link that should help you out a bit more! Happy Gardening! shadetreeexpert.com/sidewalks-and-tree-roots/
digging a bowl shaped hole or just digging into clay and adding mulch, only serves as a reservoir to get root rot. if you are on a slight slope, leave the clay alone and it'll act like a subdrain, whatever you're using as grow mix, and how deep, is all you can do. i dug a post hole 6 ft deep thinking maybe i'd break through it. nope didn't do that. even if i trucked in about 10 loads of high grade forest mulch, within a 5 month period... it'd be clay again. how you plant in clay is by not moving there. it's funny all the youtube channels of how to anything, usually their in prime growing areas. how do they know what works.
Dans cette video tout est faux!!... inclus le shema de plantation!!!.... Il faut un trou de 1,20 deep, un fond drainant, avec bcp de matière organique etc, by les tarés!!..
L'argile est le meilleur sol qui puisse exister... ans argile il n'y aurait pas de vie sur la planète!!!... les arbres croissent très bien et très longtemps dans ce type de sol!!... mieux de les semer en place, ils auront une racine pivotante et profonde ainsi ils deviendront centenaires!!!... un arbre transplanté est un arbre '''provisoire'''... la plantation montrée est à mourir de rire!!... by les nuls..
I’ll save everyone time. Just add one inch stones under and around the root giving it more room and time to settle and restricting the clay from squeezing the roots when it drys
