in need of some serious help

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by alexizorbas, Jul 20, 2013.

  1. alexizorbas

    alexizorbas Junior Member

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    i just moved into my new home on 1 acre in the hill country of central texas, and i am confused on what to do. please help:)

    my soil is mostly clay, and after about 6 inches it turns into rocky clay. i was trying to clear out an area for my annual beds, and attempting a double dig. i ran into rocks the size of golf balls all the way up to football size. i know the wisdom is to lasagna garden to improve my clay soil, but dont i first need to remove all the enormous rocks that will eventually interfere with root growth? i mean, 6 inches isnt very far down until the roots will meet some large rocks.

    i also want to establish multiple fruit trees (maybe 20) in different parts of my yard using a good amount of biodiversity in my planting around the trees. but if the soil is full of rocks, how are my plants and trees going to survive? will the roots find their ways around the larger rocks and be okay?

    so my questions are...

    1. for my annual beds, should i double dig and remove the larger rocks first, then sheet mulch? if so, how deep should i remove rocks?

    2. for my fruit trees, do i need to roto-till the ground and remove the large rocks now and lay tons of organic matter down so that come winter the soils a bit better? im just worried about the huge rocks interfering with growth... maybe some how just adding organic matter will do the trick over a longer period of time?

    i appreciate any help, i need it. thank you
     
  2. Grahame

    Grahame Senior Member

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    If it's just rocks and not bedrock, you probably don't need to worry too much - the roots of larger plants will find their way around them.

    I would consider just using raised beds for your annual beds.

    Organic matter is the key.
     
  3. ecodharmamark

    ecodharmamark Junior Member

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  4. alexizorbas

    alexizorbas Junior Member

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    so if i were to do raised beds for my annual, how high do you think would be safe. i figure ive got a good 3 inches of nice top soil, then it turns into a couple inches of clay, and then clay/rock. do you think 24 inches on top of current soil would be adequate? if im doing raised beds, i want to design them on contour, swale and berm style. thanks all
     
  5. ecodharmamark

    ecodharmamark Junior Member

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    Rooting crops: 9" on top of your 3" should be ample. Flowering/fruiting crops: You might get away with only 3" on top of the existing 3". At the end of the day, it will all depend on the individual root (plant) requirements of your chosen crops, the ability of the growing medium (how much OM?) to hold water/nutrients, and your micro-climate (sun/heat/wind/frost/rain exposure), etc. Growing on contour is fine, if you have a fair degree of slope, and the room to do it. Otherwise rotating, intensive beds work well, too (in conjunction with a composting system).
     
  6. alexizorbas

    alexizorbas Junior Member

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    i have a decent amount of room. i can raise up pretty good size beds about 100 ft in length on contour. that is pretty awesome that rooting crops only need 9''. i thought annuals need a lot more room, like up to 36 inches. looks like raised beds it is. thank you so much.
     
  7. ecodharmamark

    ecodharmamark Junior Member

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    Depends on how long you anticipate your 'roots' will be. Our carrots/parsnips do very well in 9" (with up to 3" of mulch) on top of hard-packed clay/shale. If you have room for 100' on-contour beds on your 1-acre, go for it! You might even be able to partly feed a whole community (if you can keep water and nutrients up to the plants).
     
  8. pippimac

    pippimac Junior Member

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    I'll just add another angle on raised beds in dry/sandy environments: it can make it extremely challenging keeping plants irrigated!
    I know there's ways though, but I'd want to make sure I designed it in.
     
  9. Terra

    Terra Moderator

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    I would go with raised beds also , try a couple and see how they go you will find they will hold moisture a lot better than the gravel and rock ( i have a similiar problem ) my clay is 500 to 700mm down the rocks get bigger the deeper i get so i get great drainage not much help in the hot dry season though .

    With fruit trees and Mrs Terras natives and roses and the like i have learnt the hard way its well worth the effort to take out the rock down to the clay 500mm across or there abouts , break the clay surface up a bit and refill with decent soil and organic matter you will save yourself a ton of watering and the trees will bear fruit a year sooner . You Dont needs tons of organic matter to start just keep adding as you go i have my fruit trees fenced so i can run poultry in there as needed and i can net over the top they do most of the work for me .
    Rob
     
  10. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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  11. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    hope this works?

    len
     

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