Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Jan 22, 2010 12:05 pm hi, 1. When working on the garden bed, we dug and remove the top soil ( dirt ) and also the weed. We tried to pull the weed out and also used a shovel to cut them horizontally. However, in most cases, the root /lower stems of the weed would still be left in the clay soil and they were very hard to be picked out & cleared. Will those roots/ stems complete nutrients and water from the plants in the garden bed later ? Another method to clear the weed? 2. I read that the new good soil should be mixed with the existing. However, i found the existing ( top soil) really contained many rubbish- such as bricks, tiles chips, concrete, treated pines leftover from fence, stones... Cos after construction. Could i just remove the top soil and add the new good soil in ? Thanks. Re: Questions when working on the garden bed 2Jan 22, 2010 12:36 pm It is for those reasons you really need to dig in "certified" organic soil. If you layer soil on the top, all you have is a shallow zone for roots to grow. That means poor plant health, small root systems that will not cope with heat very well, will have a higher water need to supply foliage. They will also be very prone to just dropping dead and to disease. The soil it self will not hold much water and dry very quickly. Mix it through, do some hard work and if needed hire equipment to do it like a small jackhammer or even just a small rotary tiller. A mattock is the tool you need to do it by hand The deeper the soil prep, the better the growth on your plants. Add zeolite and or spongolite if you can to reduce nutrient run off and improve soil health. No fertilisers. no blood and bone. no sheep and cow poo. Just get good soil in there. Mulch heavily and use green mulches where ever possible. Straws as a second in your area and then pine bark and pebbles and then way way down the list is black composted mulches. Re: Questions when working on the garden bed 3Jan 23, 2010 9:21 pm Thanks Fu for your answers again. However, I always have this q in mind. " Why it is necessary to mix the existing soil (clay ) with the new soil for the garden bed? Is that because the new soil ( may be certified organic soil or just normal garden mix) is too rich in a particular nutrient? Thanks v much. Re: Questions when working on the garden bed 4Jan 23, 2010 10:05 pm I just thought I'd share a newbie mistake of mine. In a previous home one of my plants was obviously struggling and I had just started to hear about the importance of improving the soil, so I dug the poor plant out and filled up the hole with "good" soil. A while later I was walking around checking the garden beds after rain and my foot sank into the mud surrounding the plant. Moral of the story, don't just "improve" individual planting holes, you'll create a little bog and most plants won't be any happier sitting in that than they would be if you'd just left it alone. Put in the effort to prepare the area properly (so much better than trying to do things after the plants are in). Which leads me to a question, how wide an area should you improve to avoid the muddy hole phenomenon and should you build it up at the same time? Re: Questions when working on the garden bed 5Jan 24, 2010 12:14 am shallow and wide is the go. best practice when starting a new bed is preping the whole lot. Do any less and expect average results compared with what could have been. Mixing deeper and building up is ideal. 400-500mm raised beds will do a sensational job What you discovered was that plant roots need to grow outside the area we as a population tend to treat them. The amount of times I'll see a plant and know it is a root development problem is huge. "But I used good soil" = potting mix or rubbish soil improver. "I prepared the beds" = I put a hand full of good soil in the bottom of the hole. These just are not enough of of the right things. Rich certified organic soils, mixed right through to 300-400mm with zeolite and spongolite added. It will ensure the roots have some other than a few mill of rich soil to grow out into. That means after the job "looks" done, it actually is done. Every year add more organic composts to replenish the soil and mulch heavily with green mulches or straws in winter if you want, followed by green mulches later as it warms up. That will mean far less fluffing around with the beds and plants all through the year and far less water Re: Questions when working on the garden bed 6Jan 24, 2010 6:37 am thanks macy v much for ur tips when u were a newbie. At the moment, i am a newbie Fu, thanks too for the very detailed explanation. I searched and yes, found u've answered different qs about garden bed, soil preparation. So u probably have helped created many beautiful garden around different corners of Au. H1 is great to have u::celeb:: Re: Questions when working on the garden bed 7Jan 29, 2010 11:17 pm Fu Manchu, do I understand what you are saying is that all the soil should be prepared, not just the soil under the raised garden beds? Pfiff Finally making progress again, with a clothesline (yippee) and some much needed little things being attended to over the holidays. 40 C on New Year's eve? We love our a/c! Re: Questions when working on the garden bed 8Jan 30, 2010 12:45 pm yep, you are dead right If you have a raised bed, (which by the way is a fantastic way to get a garden going and be more environmentally friendly ) , you don't want a defined barrier between beautiful soft rich soil and the layer of clay or native soil directly under it. This will do nothing for the future of healthy root growth. Problems won't become evident for about 5 years and when they do, there is very little you can do So do it now Zeolite (from pond places or ag suppliers) spongolite, and certified organic soils if they are available. For heavy soils add sand as well. Perlite and vermiculite will also be worth while to add but are more expensive. Lots of those things and you'll thank me in years to come Then back fill with the soil you are bringing in (preferably a certified organic soil) and away you go thanks chippy! here is the back of the wall which has not been backfilled yet. Here is the same back of the wall taken from the other end, behind the steps. As you… 5 2188 I had a similar issue with my fridge not too long ago. It wasn't the same model, but the symptoms were pretty much the same: the compressor would start and then stop… 3 9352 Okay sorry silly me, my wife has solves the mystery for me. It’s because the labels on the ports are all wrongly positioned by the builder hence it confuses me. 2 1596 |