Why is clay bad for growing plants?
Water doesn't penetrate the soil very well, roots can't breath, and no nutrients. It needs to have lime mixed in with it to have any success at all. I built huge flower boxes on top of the clay and filled them with top soil about 10 years ago and have had very good luck with my plants every year.
Why is sandy soil not good for growing plants?
Sand has disadvantages as a growth medium, like the inability to retain water and nutrients. ... A natural sand that has some silt and a little organic matter is best for growing plants. This type of soil is called either a sandy loam or a loamy sand, depending on the percentage of silt and sand.Do you want to increase the fertility of soil without any hassle? Contact Prime Laboratories, providing the best quality hydrogel for agriculture acting as a controlled water release system by releasing water only upon plant requirement.
Why won't my tomato plants bear fruits?
I am new at growing tomatos. I have two cherry tomato plants in newly potted 12" containers - not ideal, I know but I live in a condo and have only a small balcony. I water them everyday and keep the soil moist but not dripping wet. My balcony is facing west so they get about 4 hours of sun each day. They are flowering like crazy. But for over a hundred of flowers I only saw three tomatos. Most flowers just die out without bearing fruit. Why is that happening. Thank you for your help.
What kind of soil is best to plant banana trees?
"The banana plant will grow and fruit under very poor conditions but will not flourish and be economically productive without deep, well-drained soil—loam, rocky sand, marl, red laterite, volcanic ash, sandy clay, even heavy clay—but not fine sand which holds water. Over head irrigation is said to improve the filth of heavy clay and has made possible the use of clay soils that would never have been considered for banana culture in the past. Alluvial soils of river valleys are ideal for banana growing. Bananas prefer an acid soil but if the pH is below 5.0 lime should be applied the second year. Low pH makes bananas more susceptible to Panama disease. Where waterlogging is likely, bananas and plantains are grown on raised beds. Low, perennially wet soils require draining and dry soils require irrigation." ( cit. ) http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morto... Different sorts of bananas require different types of soil. This site lists a lot of bananas and their requirements http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/search.... For example Musa x paradisiaca > Soil pH requirements: 5.6 to 6.0 (acidic) 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
What type of fruit trees can you plant in sandy soil with little rainfall?
That's not quite enough info. Irrigation and soil ph., winter Temps, etc. determine a lot. That sounds for the most part like USDA zone 11 plants will work there the best. And I'm guessing soil is alkaline, sandy soil is really forgiving and easy to ammend too. Organic soil actually kinda sucks.My list of what could work:Normally, that little rain fail tends to be good for dates as they hate any humidity/liquid. Succulents like prickly pears may do OK (they oddly grow wild more in wetter places around here though) or Dragoon fruit are possible. Pistachios are desert crops. Citrus is a big desert fruit. Olives also are “scrap land” Mediterranean trees. Grapes are actually pretty tolerant. Figs are pretty friendly to heat.Maybes:Avocado's might make it if you don't frost. Pineapple is generally tough as nails. Kiwis have to be far from the house but if they have water they are weedy. Mandarones. Plums and relatives might live. Cherries sometimes. My raspberries absess all leaves yet still fruit.Heck nos:I disagree with almonds though they need bees carted in for pollination and some here in California complain they are a major water waster.Apricots. Peaches. Apples. Papaya. Quava. Custard apples. Blue berries.Those are my known failures.How do I know this?I live in zone 10 (almost desert F. 109 degrees but about 2–5 in. rain. ) full summer sun here kills many “full sun” plants; I knew the guy who owned the farm the town is built on and he grew a lot of cantaloupe so that's one that might work (yet all my summer squash burned to death here)… thing is they attract termites and they have taken a few trees out.In my situation most (except things that need to freeze like many stone fruits, paw paws, etc) still make good partial sun plants. Like I've got a lot of tropical stuff in morning sun that does well. I grow green tea in the shade.
Plants that will grow under a holly tree?
A holly, like most evergreens is an acidic plant. The leaves drop, decompose and lower the pH of the soil. In addition to that, only shade loving plants will flourish underneath them due to their being evergreens.. (low pH, shade loving plants) I'm not much of a gardener, but I have dozens of "burning bush" growing from underneath my holley. ( the burning bush is next to it). I live in Boston, MA, feel free to stop by and take some baby burning bush, or for that matter forthysia, I can't seem to kill them either. lol
Our garden has very poor clay-like soil. Our fruit trees of 3-5 years bear very little or no fruit and their height has not changed over the last 3 or 4 years. We fertilize them 3 times a year but are watered 2 times per week for 5 minutes. What can we do to improve their fruitfulness?
A very hard task. I had the same problem but with clay breaker, plenty of organic compost and suitable fertiliser, it worked well. It also depends on the kind of tree. Some do not mind clayey soils, mangoes, guavas, loquats. The citrus has shallow roots, usually no more than 150 m/m , and I planted those in a mound, not very deep. The same has to be done with avocadoes, always on the mound and about 300m/m above the existing soil. I also worked clay breaker and compost about 100m/m into the soil before I planted them into the mound. I also made these mounds about half metre in diameter and as the trees grow, add compost or garden soil to enlarge the drip line. The clay itself is rich in minerals but needs to be crumbly enough for the roots to help themselves to them. Also, the pH has to be correct, some fruiting bushes, like blueberries, like very acidic soils and will not grow in alkaline ones too well, if ever. The watering in the heavy clay is hard. It will either not penetrate easily or the clay will retain water so well that the roots might rot and the trees will die. That is the reason why mounded my trees. I have about sixty and most do very well.
Which trees grow in sandy soil?
Without going to the internet to check on different tree species (which you can actually do at any time, to get the most complete information, just type in “trees that grow in sandy soil,” and press enter,) I can look out my window where I live in north central Florida - which has sandy soil - and see oaks, sycamores, sweet gum, camphor, Chinese tallow, elm, Florida cedar, long leaf pine, arborvitae, sabal palms, and palmetto. And that’s just what happens to be in our yard - there are many other types of trees that grow well around here; also, not all species of these kinds of tree grow so well in sandy soil, so you need to be aware of the species too.There are many kinds of trees that grow in sandy soil. If you’re interested in the information for your personal use, you need to qualify some things - first, just exactly how sandy is your sandy soil? second, what is your growing zone? e.g., 2 or 300 miles south of me, there are dozens of species of palm that grow everywhere, while here there are only maybe 1/2 a dozen that are reliable. Also, things like the amount of moisture and shade in any particular spot will have a bearing on what kinds of trees will grow there.For more information, in the USA, ask your local Cooperative Extension Service for advice: Gardening Know How. In other places in the world, you might try calling the nearest botanical garden - they will give you advice, or point you toward someone who will.