This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Poor soil after conifers
keng3sdw
Posts: 9
We moved into this bungalow here in North Nottinghamshire in 2012 and prior to 2011 there were conifers along the front of the front garden bordering the pavement.
They were planted in 1969 which means that they were 42 years old, i understand that they were very tall indeed.
Since then we have found that the soil is very dry and powdery and no matter what we have done to it,ie compost,well rotted farm yard manure and chicken pellets, sadly it still remains very dry.
Our back garden is ok although we understand it had some very large trees in it and some over grown shrubs, then treating it in the same way as the front has come on leaps and bounds and is rich and dark and is extremity healthy.
So what are we doing wrong "HELP"
Regards to all
Ken
0
Posts
I will ask again but if that is not forthcoming i will dig the whole lot out and start again.
Regards
Ken
Conifers really rip the life out of the soil so just keep adding as much well-rotted garden compost and manure as you can get your hands on. Take advantage of end of season offers of cheap multi-purpose compost and pile that on too. If your ex conifer bed is in the rain shadow of a wall or fence you'll need to wait for heavy autumn rains to moisten it thoroughly or else get the hose out and give it a good soaking.
In the mean time, plant annuals and succulents and Mediterranean plants that don't need massive resources of food and water. If it's a sunny spot, lavender should thrive and give you perfume as well as being a magnet for bees.
Agree re: lavenders, I use them in the sunny rain shadow of the house & they love it, making them less likely to rot during wet winters. If you have clay soil(?), it'll be virtually impossible at present so definitely wait for the soil to naturally loosen itself.
Agree with the others that eventually the soil will start to come right if you keep adding stuff.
How large an area are we talking about here? To be honest - if it's relatively small - I might be tempted to hire a mini digger and take out the top 10 - 12" and import a load of good topsoil. If you then work on further improving that you should see results quite quickly.
If it's a larger area (or you don't want / can't afford to remove the existing soil) then keep adding stuff - but lots and lots of it. No point in putting down a 4" layer - you want a good 6 - 8" - then dig or rotavate it in - then add more.
You sound as though you've got it right in the back garden. The results may also be more obvious there if it's damper / shadier than the front. Some soil is 'hungry soil' and will need constant improvement - but it does get easier each season.
Good luck - I've been there - still working on it - but 5 years on I'm starting to get there
Thanks guys and off we go to find some well rotted muck and anything else that will do the trick
Regards
Ken
Best of luck Ken. The local stables here bag it up & offer it free from a trailer.
Cheers Mark i can smell it from here lol
We removed a row of conifers, 100' long run, 28 year old trees, the ground looked very parched and bare, we added lots of home made compost, but mainly plenty of chicken manure pellets.
We did that in the winter and planted it up with shrubs and plants the following Spring, perfect.
This is just a small section of it in the September of the same year we planted it up, you'll be surprised how quickly you can get it back good with compost/ manure and chicken pellets I have not fed it since, it's well established now.
Thanks Lyn, that looks grand, one thing my wife Sylvie swears by is Chicken pellets, thats one thing we have fed this piece of ground with in the last 5 years and every where else for that matter.
Regards
Ken
Regards
Dave