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Gumbo Soil (Medina?)
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Posted by sycha 9 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 5, 07 at 6:18
| We have GUMBO soil. : ( Sooo hard to work with... Curious what others do to improve theirs... I just got Medina Soil Activator - heard it's good stuff!! Anyone try this?
Would love to hear your comments/tips!!
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Gumbo Soil (Medina?)
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| I always used Gypsum on the clay soils. I could grow anything in it. It held nutrients and water. For a garden area I mixed in Sandy loam in a raised bed. Worked like a charm. I am seriously thinking of adding clay to my sandy soil. I just did a search on Medina Soil Activator. I have seen it before but have never used it. Let us know how it works. Jim |
RE: Gumbo Soil (Medina?)
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I have heard Gypsum works good to break up clay soil.
A few neighbors have gardens & they use Mortar sand (or a fine sand) so... I started one side just mixing in organic stuff & sandy topsoil. Everytime I go back there, it's not much better. I guess it takes time & patience too! & probably whining & comparing it to my old 'perfect' soil doesn't help *lol!! Hey Jim, thanks so much for your time! |
RE: Gumbo Soil (Medina?)
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| I don't know what they call our heavy greasy clay, but lots of organic matter and what someone called 'tincture of t.i.m.e.' will work. We tried sand and it didn't help much--did a little--and someone said you mix sand with clay and get concrete. With the organic stuff and time, the worms and other soil-builders get in there and do all the tilling too--we try to disturb them as little as possible. My achin' back is glad to have a good excuse, and it really does seem to work. But with the heat and humidity it's really important to keep pilin' it on. Where I've gotten lax it's gettin' stickier. |
RE: Gumbo Soil (Medina?)
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| I did some caliche (sp?) when I lived in San Antonio. I takes a bit but it is cheap and you will not break you back using a tiller once it is in for a while. It makes the clay bind together into larger particles. I also did a baseball field that was on black gumbo. It took a bit but the results were great. It is still the greenest field in South Texas for little league, 5 years later. Without my help. The grass would only put down roots 3 inches and after the gypsum, the roots were 12" + deep, past the depth of a core sample.
Jim |
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