plant bed

[SE18]

after reading some books and magazines, I successfully planted all sorts of water plants using soil and some crusher fines (quarter minus, basically, the powdery granite used for subroadbeds and pipe bedding). Everything is fine.

Come spring, I wonder if I will somehow need to clean all that soil or just leave it in place?

Also, I heard mention on this forum someone who uses only pea gravel, which would be much easier to clean. But just pea gravel makes me wonder how the plants would receive nutriments, unless from fish waste. I don't have fish.

thanks in advance

 

[j.w]

Yep w/ just the gravel and no fish waste then no nutrients to grow the plants. You would have to add plant tabs or Osmocote or some kind of fertilizer to the pots. Some including me are now using kitty litter ( the clay only kind w/ no additives) for their plants. I get mine at wal-mart for a couple bucks, and it's called Special Kitty. I have heard of people using decomposed granite also from the rock quarry's.

 

[addy1]

after reading some books and magazines, I successfully planted all sorts of water plants using soil and some crusher fines (quarter minus, basically, the powdery granite used for subroadbeds and pipe bedding). Everything is fine.

Come spring, I wonder if I will somehow need to clean all that soil or just leave it in place?

Also, I heard mention on this forum someone who uses only pea gravel, which would be much easier to clean. But just pea gravel makes me wonder how the plants would receive nutriments, unless from fish waste. I don't have fish.

thanks in advance

You could just leave them in place, if you do dig into the soil be ready for it to stink lol, Add some plant food off and on, tabs, osmocote, tomato sticks etc.

There should be no reason to clean it out, unless you want to purge some plants. My bog plants die back and regrow in the spring, I only "clean" by pulling excess plants. If your plants start looking bad, needy, then you may want to put in new soil.

My entire yard in az is crushed granite, they have some great colors.

 

[j.w]

Oops said pots up there, should have been beds and don't know if kitty litter would work or not for beds?

 

[SE18]

thanks for the feedback! I will leave it in place and not dig into it to avoid the stink, which I assume must be methane.

we get good freezes here in N. Va. so if the plants appear to die, I'm guessing they'll return come spring, as all my pond plants are native.

On another topic, I use crushed granite for succulents which require good drainage like sedum. My soil is very clay so in other spots i mix it in there for drainage as well so I don't get plant rot. There are about 5 quarries near me (Luck stone for those in Virginia). You can basically pull your pickup truck there and get a full load for about $20 or $25. The stuff is great for all sorts of projects like below concrete footer drainage.

Cheers

Dave