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Earthing up plants in the ground

gardenman91gardenman91 Posts: 429
in Problem solving
Evening all, so I have an unusual question. Recently when I’ve planted some new plants the soil around them seems to settle too much? At the time it appeared as if I had planted them at the same level as they would have been in the pot but now some of them look as if they weren’t planted quite deep enough, if this makes sense? Could I just ‘earth them up’ around the stem with some multipurpose compost?

Many thanks :smile:

Posts

  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    What sort of plants?  From your post, it reads as the plants and rootball are proud of the surface?  If so, just add some soil around them like mulch to raise the surrounding soil level to match what they were in the original pot.  
    Utah, USA.
  • gardenman91gardenman91 Posts: 429
    Good idea blue onion. If I don’t have much soil could I use manure?

    Also, does anyone know how I can aerate soil if the ground is planted? Some of the ground below seems somewhat compacted by (I think the rain) 
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    You've not said what sort of plants but manure should be kept away from stems of perennials. 
    If they are plants that die down over winter that would  be the best time to add more soil and fork around them to loosen the soil a bit.
  • gardenman91gardenman91 Posts: 429
    Ok so forking is best done in autumn? I’ll list them:
    scabiosa
    salvia (perennial not woody/shrubby)
    alchamilla mollis
    leriope
  • gardenman91gardenman91 Posts: 429
    Bump :smile:
  • parrotfeather*parrotfeather* Posts: 188
    I would use an organic mulch such as leafmould or well-rotted manure round most plants in late winter when the soil is moist to encourage the worms to aerate the soil for you.  Salvias and Scabious prefer well-drained soil and as K67 says keep it away from the stems.  There is no harm in topping up around the plants with a bit more soil or potting compost, though. It sounds as though you may not have planted them deeply enough in the first place; they should be at the level they were when in the pot. T relieve the compaction in the short term I would go over the ground very gently with a hand fork and give it a good water.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    If they were planted recently and not deeply enough, it would be easier to lift and replant them. 
    Unless there's hundreds of them, that's a better way to solve it. You can then just add compost regularly to improve the soil. Starting to use a fork around plant roots is probably asking for trouble, especially at this time of year when they aren't going to be growing. In spring, at least plants are wanting to grow, so any damage might be less severe. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • gardenman91gardenman91 Posts: 429
    Thank you for the advice guys, they’re not overly proud just a few mm, I’m looking at putting some stepping stones in the middle so will see what I can do :smile:
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    That's nothing then. Just scatter soil around, or compost.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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