Return to the New to Gardening Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
Newbie looking for answers...
| | |
Posted by JCIFJR USDA 7 NJ (My Page) on Tue, Jun 28, 05 at 22:25
| This may be a stupid question, but can you plant Annuals directly in hard wood mulch? I'm not talking about planting in the soil and then covering with mulch. I'm talking about actually planting the roots in the mulch itself.
This is the second year my wife and I have attempted this and our results have been less then satisfactory.
I read something about 'sour mulch', could this be the problem?
Last year we thought we simply weren't wartering enough so at the advice of a frined, this year we used a soaker hose under the mulch. Again the plants don't seem to be doing very well (not much growth).
One of the beds is around a row of Boxwood shrubs and another is in front of Rhodedendrums (if that helps).
Please help!
thanks |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Newbie looking for answers...
| | |
- Posted by tapla z5b-6a MI (My Page) on
Tue, Jun 28, 05 at 22:48
| Probably not with good results unless it's very well composted (finished). Hardwood mulch has greater than 1000:1 carbon:nitrogen ratio & will tie up all the nitrogen you can give it. Conifer bark, on the other hand, has a C:N ratio closer to 300:1 and because of the goodly amounts of suberin it contains (suberin is a lipid that inhibits micro-organisms from cleaving hydrocarbon chains in woody material) breaks down much more slowly, making N depletion much less a problem. Al |
RE: Newbie looking for answers...
| | |
- Posted by Lindac Iowa Z 5/4 (My Page) on
Tue, Jun 28, 05 at 22:51
It depends on the mulch, the size of the particles and consequently the water holding propertys of the mulch.
I know people who plant directly in finely ground ( or chipped) pine bark with OK results...but a little dilute fertilizer is a good idea. But.....why not plant in the soil beneath? Or make a "planting pocket" of soil in the mulch?
Linda C |
RE: Newbie looking for answers...
| | |
| I'm with Linda - need a little soil around the plant itself. As it grows it will get stronger and be able to handle more - then it can spread into the mulch. |
RE: Newbie looking for answers...
| | |
My two cents...
plants need dirt. |
RE: Newbie looking for answers...
| | |
| Plants need soil with available nutrients. People who have success planting in mulch are using a thin layer of mulch, I suspect, with the plants sending roots down into the soil. |
RE: Newbie looking for answers...
| | |
- Posted by tapla z5b-6a MI (My Page) on
Thu, Jun 30, 05 at 7:25
| A little soil won't cure this person's planting's ills. Even if he waters adequately, he's actually talking about planting in hardwood mulch, not in the soil. Linda was right about particulate size making a difference when mulch is incorporated into soil. The worst case/scenario for N tie-up, or depletion if you prefer, is planting directly into a hardwood mulch. E.g I make all my own soils for everything I grow and for other people. I usually use pine bark as the highest % of material that goes into the soils. This year, I was unable to get the composted pine bark I usually use & had to settle for a product called 50-50 mix. It is bark & other woody products, and includes some peanut shells. Using it in the same formula that has yielded spectacular results in past years has left me with symptoms of moderate to heavy N depletion. I normally use a 2-3-1 fish emulsion to water my flowering stuff, but this year, to correct the N problem, I've had to go to 5-1-1 fish mix AND supplement with a high N slow release. Some research into the suitability of various soil components will confirm that hardwood mulch, unless it's finished compost, is a poor choice as a grow medium. Al |
RE: Newbie looking for answers...
| | |
| When is the best time to plant rhodendrums? |
RE: Newbie looking for answers...
| | |
| Can Rhodendrums survive in Southern Alabama? Is weather a factor? No one seems to grow them there. |
|
|
|
|
