Soil cover question

darkzero2

darkzero2

Well-Known Member
Got an interesting question been on and off gardening outside for the last few yrs but rebuilding my greenhouse and run into a problem that I have been having for couple of yrs but since I have expanded looking for a solution. The problem is that the soil in the yard is a clay,silicon rich type of soil that I usually dig holes in and put my own blend of supersoil in. The issue is that when it rains the top becomes very muddy even when my roof is on because of the rainwater runoff from the soil what is the best way to combat this.
 
T macc

T macc

Well-Known Member
Pain in the ads ideas:

Line the sides of your holes with pond liner

Or

Cover the surrounding soil to block rain from over-saturating
 
darkzero2

darkzero2

Well-Known Member
T macc said:
Pain in the ads ideas:

Line the sides of your holes with pond liner

Or

Cover the surrounding soil to block rain from over-saturating
Click to expand...
alright im going to try that. Its just that in the summer it remains relatively dry( it even forms cracks on top of the soil typical clay) until we have a summer storm then muddy.
 
W

Wetdog

Well-Known Member
darkzero2 said:
alright im going to try that. Its just that in the summer it remains relatively dry( it even forms cracks on top of the soil typical clay) until we have a summer storm then muddy.
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I'm also in red clay country (SC), and the same muddy when wet, cracked when dry situation. Two things I do that help are: Sprinkling gypsum over the surface 2-3 times a season (sold as "Soil repair", $10-$12/40lb bag, HD or Lowes), and liberal use of pine BARK (not wood chips), mulch over the same area.

The gypsum helps loosen the clay over time and the bark mulch adds organic matter, also over time. There is really no fast fix and it can literally take years to get clay soil even close to right.

Wet
 
ShLUbY

ShLUbY

Well-Known Member
Wetdog said:
I'm also in red clay country (SC), and the same muddy when wet, cracked when dry situation. Two things I do that help are: Sprinkling gypsum over the surface 2-3 times a season (sold as "Soil repair", $10-$12/40lb bag, HD or Lowes), and liberal use of pine BARK (not wood chips), mulch over the same area.

The gypsum helps loosen the clay over time and the bark mulch adds organic matter, also over time. There is really no fast fix and it can literally take years to get clay soil even close to right.

Wet
Click to expand...
nailed it!
 
K

King_Louie

Member
Hows it going ladies and gents! Sounds like wetdog nailed it for a long time fix so id probably start that. Where i am its a little too wet most of the time if anything but my solution was a 100 gal fabric pot sitting on top of a skid, maby pond liner under the bottom of the pot to preserve some some water if you need to. Or maby buy some cheap 5-7 gal and bury them it would at least hold your soil in places. Just my two cents
 
darkzero2

darkzero2

Well-Known Member
never thought of putting those fabrics in the ground hmm. still gonna either put straw or some sort of mulch or rock down over that soil so wont be so muddy could put buckets in the ground as well
 
M

MidwestGorilla219

Well-Known Member
I would do as wetdog said and condition your soil. Meanwhile I would use large smartpots and just set them on top of your clay soil. I set smartpots in marsh areas where I live with no problem.
 
darkzero2

darkzero2

Well-Known Member
MidwestGorilla219 said:
I would do as wetdog said and condition your soil. Meanwhile I would use large smartpots and just set them on top of your clay soil. I set smartpots in marsh areas where I live with no problem.
Click to expand...
I am, atm I'm just searching around for pine mulch etc I got 40lb bag of gypsum from home depot from 2 seasons ago, still that fabric in the ground put a bug in my ear, and have 35 40 and 7-10 gal smart pots from last season that I let compost over the fall and winter it's just had better results with in ground plants than above ground in those pots the darkzero post i had in my last post shows a big difference from last yr. compared to above ground in the pots the in ground was much more lusher and fuller was like a jungle in their plus expanded the space for this yr. That was a 7 to 7 1/2 foot ceiling make it so bad compared to only being maybe only 5 1/2 feet tall by 4 feet wide in the smart pots while the in ground was 7 to 7 1/2 tall by 5 to 5 and a quarter feet wide in ground. For example the first 2 are outdoor 2017 (not in flower but in ground, when it hit flower went thru the ceiling) the rest are outdoor 2018 (in smart pots in flower) same feeding/tech used in both.

IMAG1012.jpg IMAG1011.jpg 20180910_141228 - Copy.jpg 20181027_161232 - Copy.jpg 20181018_110008 - Copy.jpg
 
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Covetsculitvars

Covetsculitvars

Well-Known Member
darkzero2 said:
did that last yr don't get me wrong it was ok but not as massive as these from 2017 when I first tried to put in ground
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If ya got chit mediums you should plant in monster containers ......150 gallon. You can always reuse it as well! Why not just use monster containers of top shelf soil from a well established place!? One investment that if done right will be the least of your worries years down the road
 
darkzero2

darkzero2

Well-Known Member
Covetsculitvars said:
If ya got chit mediums you should plant in monster containers ......150 gallon. You can always reuse it as well! Why not just use monster containers of top shelf soil from a well established place!? One investment that if done right will be the least of your worries years down the road
Click to expand...
definitely agree with you on that I've been composting and reusing my supersoil since 2015 gets better every yr. So Far have the equivilant of close to 250 gallons of soil
 
Covetsculitvars

Covetsculitvars

Well-Known Member
Such a simple thing to do that def PAYS OFF BROTHER! good on ya! So I'm wondering if u couldn't establish a box drain like they used in oak isLand? I know it sounds whacky but if your planting in preexisting spots u could potentially build the area up in this way for maximum drainage, and with the weather becoming heavier and harder this may be a better solution. Maybe.
 
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W

Wetdog

Well-Known Member
darkzero2 said:
never thought of putting those fabrics in the ground hmm. still gonna either put straw or some sort of mulch or rock down over that soil so wont be so muddy could put buckets in the ground as well
Click to expand...
This is really something to consider and works well for me.

Found out by accident back in SoFl when I had a small rare plant nursery. My ferns kept getting blown over daily from the regular squalls we got in the summer. I buried the pots about 1/2 to 2/3 deep in the sugar sand that passes for soil down there. It worked well for the most part except in the most violent squalls, but what surprised me was the growth explosion. Seems that having the bottom of the pots just a few inches below the soil surface made a world of difference.

I do this now with 5gal buckets for my tomato plants. The buckets are buried ~2/3 deep with plenty of 3/8" holes in the bottom and the sides that will be below the surface (above the surface the water just runs out and is lost). Backfill around the bucket is a mix of the native clay and my soil mix. The plants get well over 8' tall with heavy production. The plants are an old heirloom called "Mortage Lifter" that is nearly seedless and the best tomato sammich tom I've ever seen bar none. Just add some Duke's mayo for perfection.

Wet
 
darkzero2

darkzero2

Well-Known Member
Wetdog said:
This is really something to consider and works well for me.

Found out by accident back in SoFl when I had a small rare plant nursery. My ferns kept getting blown over daily from the regular squalls we got in the summer. I buried the pots about 1/2 to 2/3 deep in the sugar sand that passes for soil down there. It worked well for the most part except in the most violent squalls, but what surprised me was the growth explosion. Seems that having the bottom of the pots just a few inches below the soil surface made a world of difference.

I do this now with 5gal buckets for my tomato plants. The buckets are buried ~2/3 deep with plenty of 3/8" holes in the bottom and the sides that will be below the surface (above the surface the water just runs out and is lost). Backfill around the bucket is a mix of the native clay and my soil mix. The plants get well over 8' tall with heavy production. The plants are an old heirloom called "Mortage Lifter" that is nearly seedless and the best tomato sammich tom I've ever seen bar none. Just add some Duke's mayo for perfection.

Wet
Click to expand...
Well you just confimed that buckets would work as well thx

Covetsculitvars said:
Such a simple thing to do that def PAYS OFF BROTHER! good on ya! So I'm wondering if u couldn't establish a box drain like they used in oak isLand? I know it sounds whacky but if your planting in preexisting spots u could potentially build the area up in this way for maximum drainage, and with the weather becoming heavier and harder this may be a better solution. Maybe.
Click to expand...
It is preexisting spots.
 
P

pollen205

Well-Known Member
darkzero2 said:
I am, atm I'm just searching around for pine mulch etc I got 40lb bag of gypsum from home depot from 2 seasons ago, still that fabric in the ground put a bug in my ear, and have 35 40 and 7-10 gal smart pots from last season that I let compost over the fall and winter it's just had better results with in ground plants than above ground in those pots the darkzero post i had in my last post shows a big difference from last yr. compared to above ground in the pots the in ground was much more lusher and fuller was like a jungle in their plus expanded the space for this yr. That was a 7 to 7 1/2 foot ceiling make it so bad compared to only being maybe only 5 1/2 feet tall by 4 feet wide in the smart pots while the in ground was 7 to 7 1/2 tall by 5 to 5 and a quarter feet wide in ground. For example the first 2 are outdoor 2017 (not in flower but in ground, when it hit flower went thru the ceiling) the rest are outdoor 2018 (in smart pots in flower) same feeding/tech used in both.

View attachment 4299904 View attachment 4299905 View attachment 4299906 View attachment 4299907 View attachment 4299908
Click to expand...
In 1 pic they are praying like crazy...
Do yo know why and is it a good sign ?
 
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