If your plant is still pot shaped you need to tease out the roots and then prod lots of holes around the planting space, with a bar or something, if you don’t and you just put the plant in the ground still pot shaped the roots will continue to just go around in that pot shape, so, to cut a long story short, pull out the roots so theyre free then plant.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
I stopped by the garden centre yesterday and they've confirmed you are right and it is in fact clay soil with a possible good mix of 75 year old builder's rubble that's never been touched. I've managed to get horse manure which should be delivered for the weekend and I picked up a bucket of chicken manure yesterday which I can scatter about in the meantime if that would help? Hopefully if I can add a good layer of manure, compost and mulch this autumn then the soil will improve with time and it'll be much easier to plant in that area. I'll tease out the roots and fill the holes with water before planting in the spring and hopefully that along with the prep work this autumn will give the shrubs a good start.
Hopefully I can get most if not all of the prep work done this weekend and will report back with good news. Do I water well inbetween the manure, compost and mulch layering? From what I've read, water will help the 'good stuff' to work it's way down which will help break up the compacted soil below. Once I get this area sorted then I'll start working on the grass and trying to get that area sorted. Looks like a busy autumn ahead and I'm happy for an excuse to be in the garden!
I noticed fallen leaves have started to congregate around the garden now, so I'll start raking those up soon. I guess I could save those to mulch around the area as well instead of putting them in the council green waste bins? I read somewhere about putting leaves in a black bin bag over winter and they mulch down quite well that way, so I might try it.
Glad you've got to the bottom of the problem @SwanLake, even if you haven't quite got to the bottom of the ground Just make sure the manure is thoroughly rotted down before planting, if you intend planting anything soon. Ideally, if it's fresh stuff, put it down and leave it over winter, and it will ready to go in spring. Fresh manure will tend to 'burn' roots of newly planted shrubs and plants.
Putting leaves in black bags works very well - make sure they're moist, and make a few holes in the bags. If you can shred them first, or mow them, they'll break down more quickly. They'll not be ready by spring though - probably this time next year or thereabouts. It's great stuff for mulching and generally helping soil structure. I think I'd keep the chicken manure for planting in spring too. You don't want lots of fresh new growth at this time of year if you can avoid it. If you're not using the manure, and you're putting in a few robust plants that will be fine though
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thanks Fairygirl! I do have two plants I planted this past summer. The ground was rock hard, but I had assumed it was due to the lack of rain (rather than compacted soil). I have been watering them, but I noticed they didn't put on much growth this summer. This is why I waited until Autumn when it has been pouring for weeks to start digging again thinking the heavy rain would have softened the soil. I wonder if it's worth spreading some manure around those two plants (forcythia and a red cornus) now to help break down the soil over the winter? Hopefully that would help them to put on better growth next year? I've been told the manure is 'well rotted' but I haven't actually seen it yet. I do plan to mix the manure with compost, mulch and lots of water. The remaing plants I'm planning to put into the space are my attempt at creating a 'wild patch' for the local wildlife. I've got a blackberry, a field maple, two guelder roses, two cottoneasters and a hazel.
Ah, the dreaded combination of heavy, compacted clay and building rubble, I know it well and sympathise!
To add to Fairygirl’s good advice..
The manure, compost and eventual leafmould will all help but with my soil it takes years, not a season to help break down the compaction and it can’t penetrate builders rubble or large boulders.
When your ground is more workable, either late autumn or early spring, I would recommend digging over a much wider circle and breaking up the clay hardpan with a fork, removing any large rocks/rubble you come across and digging in the material you spread this year to give the young tree roots more chance to spread out from a future, even generous-sized planting hole. You can allow the grass to creep back a bit, keeping just the usual mulched circle around the tree, but the extra loosening beneath the surface of the grass helps, I find.
For the ones already planted, a circle of well-rotted (not fresh) manure or compost around will help, keeping it clear of direct contact the trunk. But if they are not too big and not really thriving, again, I would be tempted to dig them up, pot them up, work the ground more, wait for it to settle and replant next spring. Some would find the latter pretty drastic and unnecessary, but if your soil is anything like as bad as mine it may be worth considering.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
I'd agree with @Nollie. That's a difficult process, and you may need to be prepared for some shrubs not making it. It will take a long time for any improvements you make to have a really positive effect. I hope you have plenty of room for the maples and the hazel too!
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Oh dear! Years you say?? Thank you Nollie I shall try to dig in the material later this autumn when hopefully the soil will be at least a little more loose. I have been digging up lots of what I've been calling pebbles. Not sure if those are natural or part of the builder's rubble. I've been saving them to create a path.
Regarding the tree sizes, the space is about 15m by 10m or so. The hazel and field maple have been coppiced (sp?). I was told that would keep them smaller than if they had been left to grow as a tree. I was also told I could prune both the hazel and field maple 'as required' if they were to get too large. I don't mind about the height as they are not near to any buildings (I was told they would both get no taller than about 12m.) In terms of width, there is space for them to spread out. I've never planted either of these before, so it's a bit of a risk I guess but hopefully with a good outcome for both me and the wildlife.
There are lots of other native trees in neighbouring gardens, but my road seems to be lacking in hazels and field maples so it's why I chose those two (with advice from the garden centre). I was the only garden with no trees or shrubs, just boring grass. I wanted something for wildlife, a bit of shade but not too much and also autumn colour which I felt I missed out on last year. Hopefully I've made good choices, or perhaps I'll find there is a reason why no one else has hazels and field maples?
I don’t know about field maple, SwanLake, but hazel is easy enough to control. I inherited three. They grow hazelnuts as a commercial crop not far from here and every year, after harvesting, they cut them back hard. A very large one of mine is going to be coppiced to near the ground soon and provide lots of lovely garden supports. We rarely get many nuts from them, because they get eaten by furry and feathered visitors more often than not, but as you are planting for wildlife thats a positive! The other two have never got very large, I bet because they are planted over large boulders
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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Just make sure the manure is thoroughly rotted down before planting, if you intend planting anything soon. Ideally, if it's fresh stuff, put it down and leave it over winter, and it will ready to go in spring. Fresh manure will tend to 'burn' roots of newly planted shrubs and plants.
Putting leaves in black bags works very well - make sure they're moist, and make a few holes in the bags. If you can shred them first, or mow them, they'll break down more quickly. They'll not be ready by spring though - probably this time next year or thereabouts. It's great stuff for mulching and generally helping soil structure.
I think I'd keep the chicken manure for planting in spring too. You don't want lots of fresh new growth at this time of year if you can avoid it. If you're not using the manure, and you're putting in a few robust plants that will be fine though
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
To add to Fairygirl’s good advice..
The manure, compost and eventual leafmould will all help but with my soil it takes years, not a season to help break down the compaction and it can’t penetrate builders rubble or large boulders.
When your ground is more workable, either late autumn or early spring, I would recommend digging over a much wider circle and breaking up the clay hardpan with a fork, removing any large rocks/rubble you come across and digging in the material you spread this year to give the young tree roots more chance to spread out from a future, even generous-sized planting hole. You can allow the grass to creep back a bit, keeping just the usual mulched circle around the tree, but the extra loosening beneath the surface of the grass helps, I find.
For the ones already planted, a circle of well-rotted (not fresh) manure or compost around will help, keeping it clear of direct contact the trunk. But if they are not too big and not really thriving, again, I would be tempted to dig them up, pot them up, work the ground more, wait for it to settle and replant next spring. Some would find the latter pretty drastic and unnecessary, but if your soil is anything like as bad as mine it may be worth considering.
I hope you have plenty of room for the maples and the hazel too!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...