hello!!!!!

welcome!!!!

what did you do with the soil you removed????

what can you do elsewhere.. to dig new soil to put back where you want the conifers...???

where are you ..

see link for planting guide ...

more info please

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

You don't want to plant any long-term plants that way, not just conifers. Only short term plants with limited root systems and wanting high humus soils such as annual flowers and vegetables are suitable for such heavily modified situations.

Ken- you are thinking along the same lines as me. The excavated soil is sitting in the backyard in a small berm. Should be alright if I just remove the new and put the old back in? The way I understand it, drainage is key so if I make sure the trees sit on a pedestal of solid substrate surrounded with good drainage things should be ok, yes?

Bboy- I planned on putting some MO natives in there originally but you and my research are showing me this was the wrong line of thought.

Thanks folks!

get some 4 x 4.. and build a box for a veg garden ... load all that foo media into it ... and move on with the conifer project ......

conifers are trees.. trees belong in mother earth ... period ...

i have no clue what you mean by your pedestal theory.. did you read the link i provided ... if you did.. or do ... we can get on the same page ... and the discussion will go much smoother ...

we also need to know.. where you are.. what your native soil is.. does it perk ... etc ... its useless to talk about drainage.. unless we start by figuring out.. if your soils drains.. perks .... dig a hole the size of a gal bucket.. use said bucket to fill with water... time how long it takes..

then compare to my sand.. in which said water will drain is 2 minutes [4 minutes in supreme drought]... sand vs clay.. it the too opposite ends of the equation...

we will get you there... besides.. its not quite time.. to be planting conifers ... just because you buy it.. doesnt mean it proper time... see link above about that also ... keep black pots in full bright shade .. until planting ... they can get real hot.. roots dont like hot ...

ken

Welcome Dave,

Let's make some sense of this and not get carried away. To begin with they are growing in soil from somewhere else either in the pot or in a ball.

A 3x5x2 planting area is not a big deal

I would just plant them..

Within 6 months to year the roots will have already moved past that new prepared growing medium and are now supplying your plants from the natural soil they have reached that was there to begin with.

A waste of time. and I'll guarantee your plants will never know it.

Go have a drink instead.

Dave

This post was edited by Davesconifers on Fri, Sep 5, 14 at 16:45

Thanks For the feedback ken. I will do the drainage test and get back to you. I have specific plans with respect to my site as the gemstones will frame either side of my walkway to the porch while the golden nymphs will frame the garage/ driveway much the same.

I'm in St. Louis area. Zone 5a. Plants are shipping from WA when the weather cools enough. Funny, I read that link yesterday before this post.

Dave- perhaps I'm being anal retentive but I've got $350 in 4 plants coming. I'm the type that tries to do things to a T, and as mentioned above have my options for position somewhat limited. But for now I'll move on to that drink. ;-)

Cheers
Dave

MiracleGro potting soil has a whole lot of peat in it and, from what I understand, so does MiracleGro garden soil. If that is all your top 2 feet consists of, I'd replace it or mix the original soil with it and make a berm. That much peat will become hydrophobic if it ever dries out and will repel water like a duck's back. It will also break down, in time, and your plants will be planted in a trough.

tj

+1 to what bboy and tsugajunkie said. Your approach would only have been warranted if you were trying to grow...oh I dunno...competition-ready melons or Brugmansias or something.

I am sorry but that conifer is not even going to know it was planted in that modified dirt bed in 6 months especially if it's only 2 ft. deep.

Plant it this Fall and by Spring the new roots will have already evolved into the existing soil.

End of story and factual. LOL.

Dave

Yeah, I agree Dave.
The only thing that worries me is that, will there be enough room to accommodate all those plants, albeit, they're dwarf. Plants grow, and I've been surprised numerous times over the years.
Mike

The answer lies in how your soil drains and pitches to that area. It can potentially become a pool.

If you get snowfall and freezing temps, your obtusa will die the first year as clay loam thaws much more slowly than peat. Perfect recipe for winter root rot.

It's quite interesting how many different views there are on this. Based on the replies it seems doing a little extra work can only help and provide some insurance.

I still have a few things to think about.

Best
Dave

Aw, don't listen to Davesconifers and mikebotann. They only have about 60 years experience between them. ;-)

Seriously, I made a similar mistake with that much peat back in the 80s when I first started gardening (and I didn't go down 2 feet) and my experience is it will cause trouble, especially with 3 gal containers or less.

tj