What do I need to do to or add to my soil?
Question:Flower bed surrounding home is very rocky & hard; with clay. I planted flowers & water them, but what can I do to the soil to make it more plant conducive?
Thanx.
Answers:
You can buy a bale of peat moss which will keep the moisture around your plants and give the roots a loose material in which to spread until they are strong enough to go through the clay. When you get the bale home put a hole in the top large enough for the water hose to go in and then fill it with water. Let it stand at least over night to absorb the water. After that you can take it and work it into your soil under and around your new plantings along with some well rotted manure. I keep weed mat and three inches of bark on top of my plants, I have clay too, and that keeps the water in the soil and keeps it loose for a couple of weeks.
Add lots of organic matter to it such as compost or green manures. This will give your soil some structure and lots of nourishment and encourage the earthworms to come and feast on it.
try to add some sand to your soil.this will help the soil not to hold so much water.clay soil,like you described,will let water stand killing the roots.what type of plants are you planting?what part of the country are you in?if i knew this i could make some suggestions.send me this info and a pic of your bed and i will try to help.
the easiest thing to do to help is to add commercial potting soil and spade or rototill it into your clay. Buy a good quality potting soil.. they have lots of organic matter and typically have a fertilizer charge and pH buffers that help make your soil more plant freindly.
Don't forget to mulch after you plant. Mulch helps retain moisture in the soil and will help keep your soil from getting as hard. Beds look better after mulching, too.
add about a cup and a half per sq. yard of super phosphate, til into soil and a touch of vermiculite, water regularly. use Miracle Grow to feed q three months.
take a sample of your soil to the Agricultural Extension Office in teh county and they will analyze it and tell you what to do.
Used coffee grounds; starbucks usually gives bags of their used coffee grounds away. I had the same problem at my old house, and this seemed to work pretty well. I do live in southern California, though, so there's a difference in climate and soil.
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