Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Rubble gardens and fertility

WaysideWayside Posts: 845
in Problem solving
I've got loads of chalk rock, and was wondering if I could do something like add bark, coir, sand, other minerals to make a bed that would hold a little more moisture.

I've seen rock gardens and rock used as mulch.  But I'm always puzzled as I am with urban planting as to how trees buried in pavements and roads can get any nutrition.

Is the air and rainfall enough?  Is an enriched soil everything?  Do people pull back rock mulches and add organic matter?  Or feed?

Here is a tour of rubble gardens:

https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/pdf/bursaries/Bursary-Reports/rhs-bursary-report-sally-bower.pdf

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    This is something @nutcutlet may be interested in … IIRC her lovely  garden was formerly a small ‘quarry’ that’d been then used as a rubbish tip … 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • WaysideWayside Posts: 845
    I've had piles of chalk rubble just sitting on the top of soil, and when I've gone to move it, it has been totally chock full of roots.  So some plants don't seem that bothered by it.  Whereas solid chalk, not so much root action, as you probably would expect.
  • WaysideWayside Posts: 845
    As for a rubble makeover, just found this link: https://community.rspb.org.uk/nature-on-your-doorstep/b/gardeningforwildlife/posts/mini-makeover-ii-out-of-the-rubble
  • WaysideWayside Posts: 845
    That garden makeover wasn't quite what I was thinking.  But rather utilising rubble in interesting ways.  We had a goat willow blow over in the storm.  Probably as it couldn't get it's feet in the chalk.  Whereas if you can break chalk down to about 75cm!  Which is harder than it sounds.  The roots might have settled in.  I'm thinking something like broken rocks, bark, or other absorbent stuff, a few minerals, perhaps a bag of clay, and other stuff.  Some top soil, then plant into it.

    I remember reading that figs fruit better if you treat the root stock meanly.



Sign In or Register to comment.