A Study or Guerilla Soil and Moisture Content

[sativa92]

hey DS!! its a reddish clay!

 

[:-(]

I read on an NC State University Study that amending red clay soil with peat moss is not recommend

http://durham.ces.ncsu.edu/files/library/32/UNH 3.PDF

NOT Recommended: Peat, Moss
Peat moss is acceptable for houseplants, for starting seeds, and for amending sand', soils: these
applications put peat's water-retention characteristics to good use. Peat moss does not perform
well as a soil amendment in clay; it first turn; the bed into a soggy bog, and then decays rapidly,
leaving
,,
the soil as sticky as when you started.

They only recommend amending red clay with organic, composted materials.

D.S.Toker, Do you have an opinion on this one?

 

[D.S. Toker. MD]

I agree on the peat moss but i would take it further to say that any ingredient that retains moisture is a negative in clay, which already holds too much water. Perlite and course sand/ pea gravel -- all 3 will loosen the soil. Most clay soils are really nutritious but because of their consistency, plants cant utilize the nutes. Open up the texture with particulate matter, add some lime(sometimes) and you have good dirt.

I live in an area that is mostly Crider soil with some Baxter soil. These soils are primarily dark red clay,silt and particulate(sand). Even though they have considerable clay content, they are considered to be some of the finest agriculturall soils. Its in part due to the nutritious red clay.

 

[bigwity]

seaweed extract is good for soil attention

 

[DuskrayTroubador]

So is it safe to say that sand could be a potential substitute for perlite? If that's the case, in a midwest state with fertile clay soil where corn is grown would native soil mixed in with a bag of garden soil and a bag of sand (with a winter application of ferts and some lime in april) be a recipe for monsters?

Also in terms of advanced nutes, I've heard WONDERFUL things about Jack's Classic line of ferts.

 

[TLoft13]

He's DS toker, he's the fucking guerrilla guru....

Only after he killed Julian in unarmed combat. I'm looking forward to it! The looser gets a hero's burial from me, spread out in many, many parts as organic fertilizer in my guerilla spots.

@ DS Toker: No offense intended, i appreciate your knowledge and this thread of yours. While i didn't notice this watering issue with amended soil, i switched to low maintenance/ no earth exchange over the years.
What helped me immensly with this was using indicator plants. Not just using them for spot location, but as an indicator how well the individual spot is. Stinging nettles 1 metres high in late summer vs another spot where they are 2 metres high. It's rather obvious which is the better spot, but i never see guerillas talk about it this way, only "Locate your spot by indicator plant, then exchange all earth with soilmix xy".
There's no need to do this if the natural soil allows 2-3m plants.
The obvious limitation in this technique is the size of the "premium" spots. I seldom have more than 10 trees in a single location, if you want to have big fields full of plants like you americans do this would be a problem.

About the mulching, it helps. But after weeks of drought, the surrounding soil is so dry that it leaches any moisture from your hole into the surrounding soil. Its no longer just a question of evaporation then.

I thought about using natural mulch next year, which could be a better solution. Basically throw out a few handfull of a cheap mix of suitable plantseeds(the organic heads here on ICMAG are already experimenting with good results indoors). Pro's as i see it: Practically no weight, minimal work, cheap, won't be washed away and you can mulch a far bigger spot and still be stealthy!