Mama Nature likes her wetlands to be wet, so live with it!
Posted: Oct 03, 2009 11:24 am
It's not smart to mess with Mother Nature. We live in a wetland area so we have already p*ssed her off. I know for a fact, water wins. Wetlands are naturally and endlessly wet, that's why they call them wetlands. Homes probably should not have been built here, but here we are. We didn't build it, we just cluelessly bought it.
I am reposting this from the Hosta Forum. Mistake on my part, but I did get some good advice there. I found I should have raised beds and the smell is probaby from carbon. I do have soil issues, I just have to work them out. We had landscapers working; they simply dumped 3" of top soil and an inch or two of mulch on top of rocks and clay. Personally, I wouldn't call that preparing garden beds. In a couple large beds the soil is constantly damp to the point of squish. We have a slate pathway underlined with landscape fabric and mulch between stones that never dries. It's pungent, unpleasant and it stinks too. Portions of the bed have the same odor. I smelled it when they were landscaping so it's not new.
My home remedy for the pathway kind of worked. I dug down about 12" or so and took out the heavy hunks of clay that range in color from gray to orange. (Did you know that smooth stones that are imbedded in clay are the same exact color as the clay?) Fascinating stuff! Anyway, I back filled with top soil mixed with pearlite, heavy grit and stones. I laid cobblestones on top of that. In areas that were on a higher level I just removed the 3" of heavy mulch down to the fabric.
Now, the big question... What, if anything, can I do about the stinky soil? Is that normal? Some is akin to ammonia, but most is just a sickly, pungent, malodorous and unpleasant. The deeper I dig the stinkier it gets. Now I'm thinking carbon based.
Other big question... Is there an additive to help loosen the heavy wet soil? Like Pearlite for instance or crushed volcanic(?) rock ? (the sharp red rock that some use for covering beds) It looks like brick but it's very light and airy.
On the other side of the path, where the large pines are located, it's pretty darn dry. If you tap the surface of the ground with a tool it sounds hollow. That’s an easier issue and I'm working on it. I'm going with the soaker hose next year. But I don’t know how to fight these aggressive pine tree roots. In these dry areas I have been adding the heavy soil taken from the wet beds, added broken-up clay with the wet mulch, then added canadian peat. I dug up and replanted in the same place, a mature Francis Williams that had been existing in that area for 3 years. It has barely grown at all. It's roots were mostly on the surface and incredibly easy to dig up. I'm anxious to see how she does next year!
Food for thought... If I raise the beds under the pines will the tree roots grow up toward the surface?
My beds are fairly high as it is now but not secured by railroad ties. I guess I could go higher but the cost would be an issue. I think a picture is worth a thousand words so I going to find a couple to add. But they won't be pretty.
Boy have I learned a lot in the last couple of years. Experience is a great teacher and so is Mother Nature. If you don't follow her rules, she isn't all that forgiving.
Thanks so much for any advice, sis
I am reposting this from the Hosta Forum. Mistake on my part, but I did get some good advice there. I found I should have raised beds and the smell is probaby from carbon. I do have soil issues, I just have to work them out. We had landscapers working; they simply dumped 3" of top soil and an inch or two of mulch on top of rocks and clay. Personally, I wouldn't call that preparing garden beds. In a couple large beds the soil is constantly damp to the point of squish. We have a slate pathway underlined with landscape fabric and mulch between stones that never dries. It's pungent, unpleasant and it stinks too. Portions of the bed have the same odor. I smelled it when they were landscaping so it's not new.
My home remedy for the pathway kind of worked. I dug down about 12" or so and took out the heavy hunks of clay that range in color from gray to orange. (Did you know that smooth stones that are imbedded in clay are the same exact color as the clay?) Fascinating stuff! Anyway, I back filled with top soil mixed with pearlite, heavy grit and stones. I laid cobblestones on top of that. In areas that were on a higher level I just removed the 3" of heavy mulch down to the fabric.
Now, the big question... What, if anything, can I do about the stinky soil? Is that normal? Some is akin to ammonia, but most is just a sickly, pungent, malodorous and unpleasant. The deeper I dig the stinkier it gets. Now I'm thinking carbon based.
Other big question... Is there an additive to help loosen the heavy wet soil? Like Pearlite for instance or crushed volcanic(?) rock ? (the sharp red rock that some use for covering beds) It looks like brick but it's very light and airy.
On the other side of the path, where the large pines are located, it's pretty darn dry. If you tap the surface of the ground with a tool it sounds hollow. That’s an easier issue and I'm working on it. I'm going with the soaker hose next year. But I don’t know how to fight these aggressive pine tree roots. In these dry areas I have been adding the heavy soil taken from the wet beds, added broken-up clay with the wet mulch, then added canadian peat. I dug up and replanted in the same place, a mature Francis Williams that had been existing in that area for 3 years. It has barely grown at all. It's roots were mostly on the surface and incredibly easy to dig up. I'm anxious to see how she does next year!
Food for thought... If I raise the beds under the pines will the tree roots grow up toward the surface?
My beds are fairly high as it is now but not secured by railroad ties. I guess I could go higher but the cost would be an issue. I think a picture is worth a thousand words so I going to find a couple to add. But they won't be pretty.
Boy have I learned a lot in the last couple of years. Experience is a great teacher and so is Mother Nature. If you don't follow her rules, she isn't all that forgiving.
Thanks so much for any advice, sis