Should I line my holes with plastic?

JacksonBlue

JacksonBlue

Active Member
A buddy of mine suggest to dig my hole, then line it with plastic with a few drainage holes in the bottom. Basically creating an "underground container" so my water doesnt seep out to the rest of the earth.

Would this be a beneficial technique? If so, would there be any disadvantages in doing this?
 
Grizzdude

Grizzdude

Well-Known Member
This is only benificial if your soil drains too fast too begin with. Kind of like if you were growing in sand. If you soil is dirt like it would be best to let the roots expand to whatever they want and the plant will grow bigger.
 
JacksonBlue

JacksonBlue

Active Member
Balzac89 said:
I think it would be more beneficial to just let it get the biggest root system it can.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the input, that was my initial thinking on the whole idea too, I dont want to restrict my rootball. But then I thought...what if I dug a really generous sized hole with plenty of room for root growth. I'm torn! That's why I came here lol.
 
Grumpy Old Dreamer

Grumpy Old Dreamer

Well-Known Member
If you are going to line the hole with plastic, make plenty of holes down the sides. This way the plant gets the benefit of the "reserved" moisture when young but as it grows it can send the roots out into the surrounding soil.
If you have holes just in the bottom, you may as well just bury a plant pot.


G.O.D.
 
Guerillia Farmer

Guerillia Farmer

Well-Known Member
ya but if he is growing in an area with lots of surrounding vegetation to compete with and that will steal ur nutes and what not, then id say it is better to do the garbage bag lining ripped at the seem on the bottom so its bottomless and u can put holes up the sides but that might let in other vegetations roots into ur soil ............... but im not an expert
 
JacksonBlue

JacksonBlue

Active Member
Guerillia Farmer said:
ya but if he is growing in an area with lots of surrounding vegetation to compete with and that will steal ur nutes and what not, then id say it is better to do the garbage bag lining ripped at the seem on the bottom so its bottomless and u can put holes up the sides but that might let in other vegetations roots into ur soil ............... but im not an expert
Click to expand...
Thanks for the input guys. I think I'm going to take your advice Guerillia Farmer and line the holes. They are going to be 8 miles into the bush, so they will be competing with other vegetation. I like the idea of blocking the sides from intruding roots but leaving the bottom open so the roots can grow deeper if they want.
 
Grizzdude

Grizzdude

Well-Known Member
JacksonBlue said:
Thanks for the input guys. I think I'm going to take your advice Guerillia Farmer and line the holes. They are going to be 8 miles into the bush, so they will be competing with other vegetation. I like the idea of blocking the sides from intruding roots but leaving the bottom open so the roots can grow deeper if they want.
Click to expand...
Not even concrete will keep out intruding roots, lining the ground is solely used for growing in sandy soil where the water will just pass right through and not let the plant drink.
 
veggiegardener

veggiegardener

Well-Known Member
Lining with plastic is asking for rot. It blocks air on one side, from roots growing against it. Pots drain very quickly. A lined hole in the ground will drain far more slowly, allowing moisture to accumulate and foster root rot.

i think you'd be far better off digging a star shaped hole(the sharp corners encourage the roots to grow into the surrounding native soil) and mulch heavily. Mulching will help retain water in an organic environment.

Nice thing about mulch is it is everywhere. Leaves, grass, weeds, or even cardboard will serve. I shred documents, and mix them with grass clippings, sometimes.

Good luck!
 
JacksonBlue

JacksonBlue

Active Member
veggiegardener said:
Lining with plastic is asking for rot. It blocks air on one side, from roots growing against it. Pots drain very quickly. A lined hole in the ground will drain far more slowly, allowing moisture to accumulate and foster root rot.

i think you'd be far better off digging a star shaped hole(the sharp corners encourage the roots to grow into the surrounding native soil) and mulch heavily. Mulching will help retain water in an organic environment.

Nice thing about mulch is it is everywhere. Leaves, grass, weeds, or even cardboard will serve. I shred documents, and mix them with grass clippings, sometimes.

Good luck!
Click to expand...
Ah that does make sense. Never heard the star digging technique before, I'll give that a try. Thanks for the wisdom bro.

:joint:Jackson
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top