I have purchased a ukigumo specimen. I am planting in a dappled sun all day area , mainly shady . The area floods yearly for about a day at a time. It is still a area i would like the plant. When i say flood that spot gets 1" of water. I already dug the ground 2' feet under it . I thought i would mound plant. The hole has some ceder mulch and some tuned over grass turf, as well as old rich soil from other areas in the yard. So now I want to plant in a 1' raised bed. So my question ,What soil?
I will need to purchase bags of soil. Should i go with topsoil mixed with the present soil. I have heard i dont want to change the soil to far from the pre existing, If the soil is fine. Or should i improve It with pine bark , grit etc? Thanks,
No flooding of Japanese maples. No amending (bark, peat, sand etc.) of planting holes for any trees or shrubs. If you think you can get by with a mound or berm, the most direct approach is to bring suitable soil onto the planting site, dump it in place and plant in that, without mixing it with the existing soil. Mulch after planting, no mulch against stems. New soil area must be big enough to accommodate entire potential rooting area of new tree.
Well thank you for your advice. I am building a 4 x 4 x 16" raised bed . I have already turned over the turf underneath and amended with some garden compost . I will fill the raised bed area with bags of plain topsoil . So no amending. thank you for your reply.
If this is a damp, heavy soil prone to puddling the 4' wide amended planting hole you are producing may receive and collect water during wet periods, killing your tree. Think of how a sump works. Even if at first perched above the high water mark 'Ukigumo' is not a miniature or even dwarf cultivar with a tiny root system that will always stay only in the high point of the planting mound. Especially after the organic component of the amended planting hole decomposes and the mound sinks. All it takes is for infested water to reach and sit around the outermost feeder roots and pathogenic water molds are given the opportunity to enter your tree and damage or kill it.
Ok , so therefore I will mix the top soil with a potting mix . I do appreciate the suggestions I have been looking and have found info on container mixes. not so much on the inground planting. I got ahead of myself when turning over the existing soil , not knowing i would be going with a raised bed . still any suggestions are appreciated , or websites. thanks ron. Bob,
Have a look at this. http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda chalker-scott/FactSheets/Planting fact sheet.pdf
What i will do is compact the soil that was tilled. Water Then compact several times. It looks like i will be better off finding more soil in my yard to keep it native. Though to fill the raised bed i will add minimal bagged topsoil. I was using 3" timbers to 15" height. I was considering using weed stop fabric on the sides and maybe under the mulch layer. Ron , thanks a lot for your time . Topsoil should be well drained on its own , do you think?
That would be the idea of planting on a mound. Skip the weed fabric. http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda chalker-scott/Horticultural Myths_files/Myths/Landscape cloth.pdf
Boy am i grateful to have your advice. So here is the plan. backfill hole 50 , 50 native soil and bagged top soil. Which was previously tilled down 2' x 4' . Compact well. Place 4 x4 x 15" raised bed made from landscape timbers. Fill with same mix . compact slightly. set rootball in and fill remainder with mix to previous soil line actually a little higher than the soil line ,for settling . Water well and fill with more soil as needed. Mulch with cedar . Any recommendations on soaking root ball or Mycorrhizal fungi ? I saw you in a forum about that . I dont think i heard your stance. Also should i use any transplant solution to strengthen roots ? Boy heres to keeping it simple!
Maybe do some more reading here first. http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda chalker-scott/Horticultural Myths_files/index.html
Is there any chance of your being able to install a drainage pipe (a piece of spouting or the like would do fine) from the bottom of the hole to somewhere lower (it obviously has to be lower)? This would solve your problem completely Otherwise you are simply creating a sump no matter what you fill the hole with If this can't be done then your raised bed should be as large as possible I grow a lot of my maples on beds that have been raised in different ways, and have been relatively successful I also prefer to add a little bone meal to the soil mix (to aid root development) (Ron and Linda Chalker seem to dislike this idea, but other 'experts' have different opinions)
Erroneous horticultural advice abounds in print and electronic media. Chalker-Scott states the reasons for adding bonemeal being a bad idea on her web page about it.
7' with a post hole digger . I hit water and filled with 150 lbs of gravel . So I have a 2' x 6" area of gravel 1' below ground level . WHEW! So about 28" to top of bed. If that works. Iwill rent an auger and go all around my yard to the low spots. I am going to read up on the bone meal. Thanks for the comments. Bob, .
I also considered seeing how moist it stays. Then if need be I could add weep holes. So then i believe 48" x 40 x 16" should be wide enough. Is 16" high enough? I could go 20". I only stopped because that would be five tiers , I like odd numbers "especially five and nine". Bob,
It most certainly does Ron I have found that experience is a much better teacher. We read the differing points of view and practice those with which we tend to agree Then, after some 50 years exsperience in the garden, we cement our opinions :)
Sometimes the cement can be porous . Just keepin it lively. The link to the Japanese garden was moving , inspiring. Words are limiting. Thank you for the contributions .
hehehe If the cement was that porous I would have found out by now There are good arguments for both points of view. I don't deny that. Ron and I have disagreed about this subject for some years now. He is set in his opinion and his blind faith in everything Linda Chalker says and does He isn't going to change his mind Nor am I. :)
Your characterization is false, I have pointed out something in one of Chalker-Scott's pieces I don't buy on the internet. And for the record, I've been gardening here for 45 years. But one can be at it for awhile and still be open to new information. Research findings and new technology are slow to be incorporated into nursery and landscape practices. Tradition is important and has a distinct place in our society, however, blind allegiance to tradition stymies progress --Carl E. Whitcomb, Establishment and Maintenance of Landscape Plants (1987 (1991), Lacebark Inc., Stillwater)
Alright , so i finished the box. Ready to fill it. I need more soil than i have native. So i purchased top soil. alot of the native soil got mixed up with cedar mulch. Say 10% . How important is it to remove cedar mulch from the planting site?
Methinks the pot is calling the kettle black. If you have a lot of chips mixed into the soil you may want to go through and remove some of them, so there is not such a large number.
That is what i did. finished planting today. All looks well .I was surprised, I had never removed so much soil from a root ball and positioned the roots like I did. I thought i would see a lot more stress the next day. Knock on wood>>>.I will post pics soon . I am waiting for the soil to settle. Then mulch.
