Hi folks.

I just planted a star magnolia here in the Hudson Valley of New York. I bought it rather than other magnolias because it seemed the hardiest. But that's not my question. Because it was so darn heavy, I opened the root ball and discarded a lot

of the earth so I could carry it to the hole I'd prepared.

I was shocked to see that the color of the earth was very light brown, almost orange. It was well screened, not a rock in it. It was very fine, just a little bit clayey.

But the color; I just couldn't get over it.

I filled up the hole with just the earth immediately around the roots, supplemented by my own compost mixed with the back-fill that I'd taken out of the hole. Now the earth is very dark brown, almost black.

Does anyone know what is with the color. I'm afraid that I don't know what tree farm my local nursery got it from. Is is nutrient rich? Obviously it has sustained the magnolia for its first few years. What do you know about this light-brown, almost yellow-orange earth?

David Tillyer

Orange (ack!) County, New York