loamy is about the soil structure. so the more calcium a soil has, then the soil will be easier to dig and is more like sand or feels fluffy, falls through your fingers. color of the dirt also shows fertility and yours is medium colored and has chunky texture. adding compost will help break this up. if theres leafy trees around, you could check below those to find leaf mold. that would be great to add to the soil and as mulch. i am not sure about the wood but i do know that if you buried that below your holes, the wood would act like a sponge. that is what kyg is doing right now. he can tell ya all about what he has learned from jerry111165. i'm sure you could use that as mulch too. that is a pretty good resource to have. you could also collect dynamic accumalators to use as mulch too. i really don't have much experience outdoors but i know adding compost to the holes will definitely help and if you have time to dig, then burying those logs would make your plots excel in the long term over the years.
Loam is a mixture of sand silt and clay in the correct proportions. It's malleable a little like clay and can be rolled into small balls or sausages that break when too large. If you listen very closely you should also hear the particles rubbing together when you press and rub loam soils between your fingers. It's a great medium for growing in as it has excellent water holding capacity as well as many air filled pores. I think pine is most widely used mulch where I am. Some deciduous trees have a tendency to contain toxins harmful to plant growth Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
Okay guys. I've got pine trees all around so I'll use them to be on the safe side. There's also creeks all around so I'll start checking their soil as I've heard it's usually a lot better. The only trees with leaves right now are magnolia I believe? Big single leaf thick and dark green in the middle of winter. Gonna do some price hunting today and see what I come up with then see what everyone says. Forgot to mention that my spots are at the bottom of a 10mile mountain range and all face south east so I can get that morning Sun, humidity can get pretty high here. Sent from my LGL22C using Tapatalk
And Any animal that's interested in any ammendment certainly isnt going to be interested in a pot plant. And if they are interested in digging holes out.. That's where the fences come in. ðŸ˜
Pic wasn't working nef. Let me know what y'all think of these. Would this be a good addition for micro nutes? Ingredients seem to be latin haha so I'm not sure if it's good or bad organic kelp meal I found, jobes organic and the bone meal same brand and the only compost available right now. Will either of these work or should I wait til the garden stores start selling there's? and lastly how can I check the ph of my soil to see which one I need?
Ecoscraps is good I believe, the other ones junk, I have some and its crap. And lime should be used since Its neutral at pH of 7, especially in your case since all around is pine trees and pine needles acidic
And that's the same kelp I used so that's good and I can't quite see the first products ingredients but I assume it would be good also All looks good to me
I might Just skip the rock dust. Its a big ass bag and I'm assuming my soil has most of what it has. So the good news is I can get. Plant tone, kelp meal, and compost all for about $20!if one plant makes it to harvest I'll call it a success. I got smart(or maybe dumb) and bought this instead of a shovel Its gonna be more work digging holes but much easier to transport to the spot(a big concern of mine) Also thinking about burying a cloth wal Mart bag to keep other roots out of my roots on one plant to see how it does unless someone's got prior experience with these *and lime Sent from my LGL22C using Tapatalk
Wal mart bag won't keep other plants roots out. I use wal mart bags to transport my outdoor plants. I put them directly in the ground. Sent from my XT1028 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Thanks killset! You're an awesome blade. Were always on the same threads haha. I thought about that after the post, if my roots will grow out then obviously bigger roots will grow in. Do you have soil and plants in the bag or that's just your carrying case? I'm gonna put out some clones (HoG, Super Cheese, and Special Queen #1) and seeds( my own f2 Wonder Woman from Nirvanas f1 seeds...if they're truthing haha) and my plan was get a few leaves or roots on them in solo cups indoors then tape a cup upside down on top and load em up in the back pack and hope they don't get fucked between here and there
Even small roots will grow in. Its not a big deal though. Everyone does it different but I dig a deep hole line it with straw and compost leaving room for the bag. The straw helps retain water in our dry summers. I begin my plants indoors , transplant into wal mart bags when ready. Then outside they go once established. I fill the bags with my organic living soil now but used to fill them w/ just fox farms ocean floor. I reuse most of my holes each year so they keep getting better. Sent from my XT1028 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
I like to wait till about 5 nodes indoors before planting em out, I personally wouldn't use the Walmart bags as I'd just find it unnecessary IMO. But to each there own as killset said, they could be used but I'd defiantly dig a hole to hide the bright blue bag.. And if your already digging the hole mine as well just fill it with soil minus the bag. Just my opinion tho. That shovel.... Man, I'd really advise just getting a normal one and hauling it in 1 time and leaving it out there, that shovels gonna give you a hard time, especially digging 5 gals threw roots and shit.. Again my opinion but I think that's probably the best.
Right on man. I'm about a 5 mile drive mostly through town, then a good 30-45 minute walk to my plots so those would be overkill for me. I do plan on burying some logs at the bottom to act as a sponge like llb suggested and it's my first year so I don't wanna invest too much til I know it works ya know? You must have some beasts by the time they go outside in those bags huh?
That's kinda my thought process too but I still plan on using one in a bag and one straight in the ground close by as a comparison for next year. That shovels been haunting me from the time you said to bring it and leave it haha. I know it's gonna be more work but I'm my location/situation it's the safest bet. It may sound wierd but if I could dig holes as a job I would love it haha I used to dig holes when I was younger just for fun. I'm 22 and in good shape so I'll survive even if I'm out there all day. I'm bringing some snips too for the roots.
That'll be a good experiment I'd be interested in seeing, lol man ur crazy using that shovel but hell, go to town and you'll be all good. How many you planning on doing? I did almost 30 last yr and would have died using that shovel lol, I understand a few but anymore you'll be wishing you got a normal one, even a collapsible! Unless there late plant minimal work that shovel would never work for me haha. And and! This yr I don't need to bring one in unless mines been stolen which I doubt, or more likely I'll brake it digging holes, I broke 2 last year lol Sent from my SCH-S968C using Tapatalk
I saw you talking about the rotted logs. Last year got super dry. The glaciers left super fertile ground around here but its almost pure clay on top so it gets really dry. I'm giving the logs a shot this year. I can get my hands on really rotted logs. Most of the places I grow outside are assessable by our gator or quads and a trailer. I can drive my truck to some I've even used a boat the get plants across our strip mine lakes. The best thing ever is our skidster with an auger, no hand digging. Kind of cheating i guess. So ya those holes are really easy. Those are on our land though. However we lease our land to hunters/ fishermen so I have to still be careful. I grew up on this land . I know where to go after 50 years. The few spots I grow on that isn't ours I usually do just a couple plants so there's not as much to carry, less chance of being spotted. That's where it gets stone age because its all by hand. All that stuff has to be carried in anyways so I still use wal mart bags. Takes a few trips even for only a couple plants. Its alot of work getting things set up but worth it. You'll get it all figured out how you like to go about it. Like I said we all do things a bit different. What works for me might not for you, but might give you some ideas. . Good luck bri Sent from my XT1028 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Okay shovel prices might've played a role in my purchase haha but I did get the all metal one. I know wood and plastic like to break when you need it most. I'm thinking 12-15 plants with 3-4 at each spot but if they start blowing up I'm definately throwing more out later on....with out all the digging and supplementing haha
"only compost available right now. Will either of these work or should I wait" Man, that Earthgro is some god awful stuff. Please wait. J
Couple tips of stuff to carry in case of running into anybody in the field, my favorite if by a river fishing pole and small tackle box but you better have a fishing license too.. next is binoculars and a bird book and camera. next is a basket and mushroom id book. Or if in an old settlement location a metal detector and a map. Best yet.. Don't be seen lol ðŸ˜âœŒ