Field Growers Ground Prep

[Loretta]

Hi Bretts

I think your area for field growing is brilliant and I have decided to incorporate an area just like it in my bonsai area. I already have garden beds in there which I was going to totally remove...but now I'll just relocate the unwanted shrubs and plant potential bonsais for "field growng." I'm also erecting a lawn locker in the same area so that everything I need for potting-pruning-fertilising is all in the one area. ...Loretta

[Jan]

I mulch both my vegetable garden beds and potensai growing area by laying down a single sheet layer of newspaper (edges overlapping like roof tiles) topped with lawn clippings. Before you all yell at me re lawn clippings striping the nitrogen out of the soil, the lawn clippings are not in direct contact with the soil and are only there to weigh down the paper so it doesn’t blow away and to add a bit of bulk/mulch as they quickly dry out and the paper begins to decay.

This set up lasts up to a year undisturbed and has the advantage of being able to be brushed away from an area if you want to plant or lift a tree and be repaired by adding a newspaper and lawn clipping patch which quickly blends back in. The lawn clippings turn a nice tidy straw colour in a week or so keeping the area very presentable. The pale colour helps keep the bed cooler in a hot summer. At the end of the season I dig both the decaying newspaper and dried out lawn clippings in to enrich the soil. This system has worked well for the 35+ years I’ve been gardening in this patch, is cheap as chips (well they used to be) and makes good use of the lawn clippings you would have to dispose of elsewhere.

Just what works for me,

Jan

[Bretts]

What about Basil I love basil?

Hey if your basil dies, does that mean it is Basil Faulty !

Hay Bretts do you want some variousl Maple seeds?
I have Trident, and Campestre seed I collected this year?

Ken

Thanks Ken for the offer but I think I have enough seeds this year.
Old Basil is a funny Bugger.

[Bretts]

Hi Bretts

I think your area for field growing is brilliant and I have decided to incorporate an area just like it in my bonsai area. I already have garden beds in there which I was going to totally remove...but now I'll just relocate the unwanted shrubs and plant potential bonsais for "field growng." I'm also erecting a lawn locker in the same area so that everything I need for potting-pruning-fertilising is all in the one area. ...Loretta

Great Loretta. It is always like Christmass when you get to pull out the ground grown stock. The better you put in the better you get out but I do get the occasional suprise. I was given a couple of grafted feature trees. Peach and pink flower hawthorn a couple of years ago. Figured I would put them in this area to grow until the graft improved(not bad to start with) Then I was planning on using the hawthorn for cuttings as the pink flower is uncommon on collected material.
Lifted it the other day to move up agiants the fence opening up an area for the saplings and it has a Very good base. Did some diligent root work left the top untouched and in a year or so I will chop it back for a new leader. It could be a very good tree.

[Bretts]

I mulch both my vegetable garden beds and potensai growing area by laying down a single sheet layer of newspaper (edges overlapping like roof tiles) topped with lawn clippings. Before you all yell at me re lawn clippings striping the nitrogen out of the soil, the lawn clippings are not in direct contact with the soil and are only there to weigh down the paper so it doesn’t blow away and to add a bit of bulk/mulch as they quickly dry out and the paper begins to decay.

This set up lasts up to a year undisturbed and has the advantage of being able to be brushed away from an area if you want to plant or lift a tree and be repaired by adding a newspaper and lawn clipping patch which quickly blends back in. The lawn clippings turn a nice tidy straw colour in a week or so keeping the area very presentable. The pale colour helps keep the bed cooler in a hot summer. At the end of the season I dig both the decaying newspaper and dried out lawn clippings in to enrich the soil. This system has worked well for the 35+ years I’ve been gardening in this patch, is cheap as chips (well they used to be) and makes good use of the lawn clippings you would have to dispose of elsewhere.

Just what works for me,

Jan

I have liked the idea of the newspaper to stop the weeds. I usually leave my lawn clippings on the lawn to the disgust of the imidiate family that are always talking about mowing before it rians. I go out and mow it in the rian
I think it is a bit of a myth about it drawing nutrients "Mulched clippings account for up to 1lb of nitrogen returned to the soil over the course of a season" the worst thing is when it gets walked into the house for the next two days
I think what I will be doing with the weed matt is kinda similar. Hmm but maybe your way is better long term!

[Bretts]

Hi Brett, your soil prep is great I like to add lots of spent potting mix to my growing areas to assist drainage, I also think depending on the ph some dolomite is not a bad idea. Remember to bury the nebari a bit as it develops much more quickly below the soil level. I would prefer to use a hard rather than soft mulch, I like woodchip it takes ages to break down and sits nicely, its important to put a bit of B&B down underneath the chip.
Craig

Thanks Craig. Does the Dolomite do any different than the Gypsum. I watched the gardening show the other day explain all the limes and still a little confused but I think I remember that Gypsum does much the same without affecting pH. With all the compost I have been putting on I guess lowering the pH would probably be ok.
I will do the Ph test today and see.
I will plant nice and deep thanks. We removed trailer loads of bark chips years ago when I first started and found the hard red clay underneath. It had been there for years and was just not breaking down so although I know it works for you I just can't bring myself to use them at the moment.

Oh Asus. I did get your idea of digging the legumes back in but I just love basil and a nice crop of basil inbetween the trees would be heaven. Imagine the smell I would get whenever I brush past them checking my trees
Thanks for all the replies you have all been a great help

[craigw60]

Hi Brett I don't use bark its too expensive and as you say it sits for a long time, I get wood chip from the local tree guys so it has a lot of leaf in it and the particle size is very variable, I find it takes a couple of years to break down. My understanding of the gypsum/dolomite question is that gypsum is used for breaking clay and dol. is a very slow release lime. My growing beds are raised just one sleeper high, its easier to work the trees if they are a bit raised.
Craig

[Glenn C]

Craig, doesn't the wood chip strip the nitrogen out of the soil as it rots?
I always lay down some compost on my garden beds then wood chip, this does the same thing as Jan's newspaper between the soil and lawn clippings.

[craigw60]

Hi Glen, I know the theory of mulch stripping nitrogen. I have been using wood chip for years both here and in other gardens and found the benefits outway the negatives by a mile. Its always a good thing to feed your garden regularly and a good dose of organic fertilizer under the chip can only do good buts its not essential I have put the chip down when its very fresh and the plants around it have not suffered at all, in reference to my bonsai growing patch they get heaps of compost and food regardless.
Craig

[Bretts]

Started off today with some what aged horse manure mixed in with straw,sawdust and some leaves from the trotts up the road. Spread that out added Gypsum, Blood and bone. Then turned the lot over with a fork. Then I made three rows covered in weed mat and spread sugar cane in between the rows to give me something to walk on instead of mud and to look a little fancy.

Looks the part as long as I can keep the kids and the dog away from it At the least this should stop me getting carried away planting too much in the area

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I wasn't planning on getting this out until it warmed up more but I saw some fresh growth, it was in the way and I had the shovel in my hand I could not resist.

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Ok back to work the rains coming

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Too late

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Finished

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I just know I am going to have to throttle the dog tomorrow morning. That blood and bone would be irresistible



I moved a nandina bamboo from this area to the front that I put a fine bark on last year. I was digging a hole for it through the fine bark and I noticed it is starting to fungus/decompose well and was thinking about what you have said before about this Craig. The old bark I was thinking of was big chunks on top of hard red clay. No chance there

[Glenn C]

Hi Glen, I know the theory of mulch stripping nitrogen. I have been using wood chip for years both here and in other gardens and found the benefits outway the negatives by a mile. Its always a good thing to feed your garden regularly and a good dose of organic fertilizer under the chip can only do good buts its not essential I have put the chip down when its very fresh and the plants around it have not suffered at all, in reference to my bonsai growing patch they get heaps of compost and food regardless.
Craig

Cool, Ill get back in my box Craig, I should've known better about a guy with your experience

Well Brett I have no idea why you asked us, that looks great.

[Bretts]

It would not have turned out so well without the help I got here. I would have dug the straw in not added anymore horse poo and not applied gypsum. I would have added dolomite too but none on hand and the farmcentre was closed. Maybe I can shovel some on top later Lindsay Farr style.
I think the straw on the walkway was inspired by Jan's suggestion as well.
I do try to sound like I am listening

[Bretts]

The dog did some minor damage over night but I think I can manage that.
Here is a couple of pictures of the area first late last season. This was after about 200 trees where taken out at the beginning of the season

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This was the season before last. Not very often it looked this organised

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[Bretts]

Oops put this in the wrong thread yesterday
Finished planting the grow area out Sunday with about 45 trees. I missed a couple of cherry and a Parrotia that where on my main bench so I guess another year of root work won't hurt them.
Does anyone have any tricks for getting good roots on Elms they are usually ugly fleshy fragile things and I have come to expect little joy when opening elm presents

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I almost got the camera for Dons Parrotia but I was worn out from untangling the dense root pad . Early in development he purposely let the roots wrap around the trunk and fuse at the base. You might spot it some where close to the centre of the picture with wide base and the dead stump on top left over from where I removed the air layer last season. It is going to be interesting to see the trunk develop on this one.
The weed mat is looking a little tatty after the dog and I have had a go at it but once the sun comes out agian I will tart it up agian.

Found some room at the end yesterday afternoon to squeeze a few extra in so got a couple of pics.

A small crab apple "profusion" Very nice red tones in the new Amur maple like foliage and great Autumn colour. Once it is established I think I will take it down to the lowest branch on the base.

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Been wondering what to do with this Cherry for a couple of years now? It has some interesting character but so many issues?

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I plan to air layer the top off and then grow the base out. The base has an ok swell for taper but god the roots go everywhere. I would usually ground layer it but skewers seem like a good option. I haven't had a drill small enough for tooth picks so have been using skewers.

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[Bretts]

Dam I put it in the wrong thread again

Started pottering around in the field grow area today. First to come out was this Box elder maple.

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The silly thing is I planned on a much smaller tree than this to start with but decided to put it back in the ground last year to grow a leader and heal over. I think I just went full circle as I didn't get around to pruning back branches I didn't need

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