Any tips for enriching outdoor soil?

[MeNtAlPaTiEnT]

Found a great spot, although the area is very marshy. You can hear the ground squish under you when walking around the area. Digging a foot under the ground, the hole fills up with water. Now, the spot I've chosen to grow is quite a ways away, and hauling soil in (probably 2 bags at a time) will take at least 10 trips to bring in all the potting soil.

The area I've chosen to grow at has a lot of tall grass that grows. You can probably find this grass growing in fields and whatnot. Perhaps if I decided to dig a big hole somewhere and put this soil into 4 gallon buckets, and I know this soil is probably low grade stuff compared to commercial potting soil... how can I go about enriching this soil? Should I add some perlite/vermiculite and ferts to this soil? There's a lot of pine trees around and I've read that the soil there can be quite acidic, so I'll stick to the soil that's already in the area... Any ideas? I really don't want to haul in 10-15 bags of soil.

 

[ozzydiodude]

Hey Mental This is what I have done for years
1) Dig up 2'x2' area per plant break up til it look like atiller has bee run through it.
2)cover area with 2" to 4" of sand work into soil good(The more clay in the soil the more sand you use)
3)cover area with 3" of compost work into the soil and sand
4)cover with 1" of perlite work into the soil,sandand compost mix
5)plant plants
By mixing each thing in 1 at a time you completely break up the soil. This make it easier on the plant to root.
Figure on carrying a 5gal bucket of sand and compost per area. The deeper you dig up the area the better off you will be. the plants can put out deeper roots and be able to withstand harsh weather better.

 

[MeNtAlPaTiEnT]

Thanks for the reply ozzydiodude. You mentioned applying sand to the soil.. This helps to what? I'll take your advice and look into getting some compost and some perlite as well. Sand will be a piece of cake to aquire .

 

[ozzydiodude]

Sand works to keep soils open for air movement adding red worm or any worms you catch helps to keep soils loose for easy water and air to move through. It don't let the clays clump back together.

 

[MeNtAlPaTiEnT]

Thanks a lot for the advice. By doing all this, you don't think deeper down in the soil, it won't be too wet for good growth? But oh yes, the sand allows for air movement, so it wouldn't matter how wet it gets down there?

 

[ozzydiodude]

If there is tomuch water you will have problem with root rot. IMO If water is 16" deep leave 4" of undesturbed soil between the water and the bottom of your hole Mound up the area if the water is to close to the surface of the ground. Too much water is as bad as not enough.

 

[MeNtAlPaTiEnT]

Well, about a foot down and the hole starts filling up with water... I've been thinking about using buckets instead and using the soil from the surrounding area in those. I could use your method for working the soil and then simply put that soil in the buckets. Would I be better off doing it this way?

 

[ozzydiodude]

I would mound the dirt up. then put soil mixture on top just LST the plant to keep them lower and less chance of being spoted

 

[MeNtAlPaTiEnT]

Oh right, that makes sense mounding it up. Great idea! Missed that part on your other post.

 

[MeNtAlPaTiEnT]

A question... Wouldn't mounding the dirt up be visible from the air? Hmmmm it's got me thinking. On the other hand, when the plant gets big enough it will surely cover the base of the plant.

 

[bombbudpuffa]

I just dig a hole, saving some of the soil from the hole. Fill the hill with whatever I grow inside with , plant the plant and cover the indoor soil with a lil of the original dirt from the hole. Get amazing growth with Sunshine in a hole.

 

[The Effen Gee]

would that be mix#4?

 

[cubby]

From the conditions you're describing I'd assume success is very unlikely. I've been reading this thread and trying to figure a way to optimise the situation.About the only thing I could come up with is to plant ontop of the ground.
Get your self some 10-15 gallon trash cans paint them flat green/brown/tan to cammoflage them. Cut off the bottoms. Put them in a 6 inch deep hole. Fill them with equal parts peat moss, composted manuer, sand, and perlite. Add your plants.
By cutting off the bottoms of the trash cans the compost and peatmoss will wick the water from the marsh through the trash can while maintaining a oxygen rich mixture.
Hope these ideas helped in some way. Best of luck.

 

[umbra]

humic acid, bokashi, activated efficient microorganisms, trichoderma, mycorrihiaze. humic acid will help with drainage and aeration. Other ingrediants with nute absorption.

 

[MeNtAlPaTiEnT]

Thanks for the tips fellas. I got my mind on turning over the soil in the area and adding compost, sand, and perlite and mixing it all together and then putting the mix into 4 or 5 gallon buckets. Cubby, your idea is great though and sounds totally plausible. Maybe this would work with buckets instead of trash cans?

 

[ozzydiodude]

IMO the plastic buckets would holed the moisture in and not allow for good air flow in the soil.The soil would pull up water and the bucket or trash can would not allow for good evaporation. A berlap contained would be better. The sun hitting the trash can would heat the root zone up makin it harder for the roots to do their job.

 

[nvthis]

Hey Mental, Have you scouted this spot later in the year? Does the water subside with the summer months? or pretty much stay that wet all year?
Also, don't forget the lime, especially if you have a concern about the soil being too acidic.

 

[ozzydiodude]

Thank nvthis I forgot the hand full of lime I was PUI at the time but then again when am I not PUI of something.
I kinda took for granted he had the area totally scouted

 

[clanchattan]

important fact i've found in outdoor soil preperation. MJ likes a soil preped for corn, if your a gardener/farmer. Wide semi- shallow beds of about 3 'x'3 x 12"-14" deep has allways worked well for me.

 

[MeNtAlPaTiEnT]

Hey Mental, Have you scouted this spot later in the year? Does the water subside with the summer months? or pretty much stay that wet all year?
Also, don't forget the lime, especially if you have a concern about the soil being too acidic.

I havn't been to the spot in late summer before, only this year. I'm pretty sure the place is marshy all summer long, but who knows, maybe it dries up a bit when it starts getting warmer. Thanks for the lime reminder! Maybe I could dig up some soil from the forest and use this as well. There is moss growing in abundance everywhere all over the forest floor, so maybe this soil is very rich? Hmm.