Slower growing varieties?

[GilaMonster]

The amount of air definitely affects how fast a plant grows, more air equals faster growth, though too much air can bring other problems. So if you have clay soil, that could explain some of the issue for slower growth.

Keep in mind, trees aren’t veggies, so they need some differences to maintain their roots longterm. I think the below may help.

One thing about clay soil:

I had watched a lecture from Gary Matsuoka on soil. He stated that if you have a plant growing in compost and you put it into clay soil, it just rots. This is because clay doesn’t breathe well and the compost uses up that little amount of air and there is nothing left for the plant roots. (This would apply to other types of organic matter such as bark around the roots as well.) So if you put compost or bark in the root zone in clay soil, it can stunt them for a long time.

If you have a plant that comes in compost or bark, you need to remove at least 80% of it before planting it in clay soil. This can shock the plant for a couple of weeks, but it should recover. You want to shade it during that time too. He recommended putting a trash can next to it to shade it from the sun.

He also said that if you want to line the hole in the clay with something to make sure the plant can breathe, you can use a layer of sand or pumice. A mix with peat can be okay as long as it doesn’t have compost or bark, and it should have permanent materials like pumice or sand in it, some perlite is okay.

Clay can be okay for plants as long as they aren’t sitting in water for weeks. You just water less than with other soils. Clay also has a lot of nutrients. Adding calcium (if needed) can help to flocculate the soil. Also, if you don’t mind a little DIY, JADAM microbial solution, which takes about 3 days to make and has no odor, can help to loosen clay soil.

Bark, or other organic matter, can go on top of clay, but not in it.

About cheeseweed and grasses:

Grasses usually grow in soil that is tight. Their many roots help to loosen the soil and bring in oxygen.

An abundance of cheeseweed indicates the soil is very low in calcium, high in potassium, very high in magnesium, high in iron, high in selenium, low in humus, low in porosity, low in beneficial microbes, hardpan in the soil, poor decay, and it can develop a surface crust in some conditions indicating the improper calcium to magnesium ratio.

So this can give you some information for how to proceed. You definitely need do regular applications of calcium. Definitely need to regularly add in the aerobic microbes, which the JADAM microbial solution can do. Definitely don’t put organic matter into the soil, because it will not break down properly and can create bad gases for the plant. Add organic matter to the top though to start building up humus. Don’t apply any fertilizers with magnesium or iron, and keep potassium very low.

Wow this is incredable!!!! I might print this out, thank you

 

[GilaMonster]

Here are a few articles on how to deal with clay soil:

https://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/attachment/SoilAmendments.pdf

Clay soil challenges and solutions for Oregon gardeners

Bark, manure, leaf mold and compost are among the organic amendments commonly used to improve clay soil.

extension.oregonstate.edu

Gardening in Clay Soils

This fact sheet covers the basics of clay, silt and sand soils with an emphasis on gardening in soils with a high clay content. It includes information on the composition of clay soils, gardening tips for managing clay soils, and the types of plants that grow best in clay soils.

extension.usu.edu

I only listed university extension program recommendations to gardeners from 3 states but if you search through the rest of the states(I did about 10), you will get the same or similar recommendations.

This last one summarized the 8 best practices that are used by commercial farmers/university programs when dealing with clay soil. Again, nothing new there. Commercial farmers are not going to do this if it doesn't work for them in the field.

https://thegroundedhomestead.com/post/best-soil-amendments-for-clay-soil

Personally, I had amended the last few clay soil yards with the same methods in the past successfully. However, it didn't happen overnight.

Yesss thank you! Printing these out too

 

[RosyPosy]

Wow this is incredable!!!! I might print this out, thank you

I hope it helps! It can make a world of difference to grow according to our soil type than to follow generic recommendations. It amazes me how our world is full of information and it’s not taught to people! If you have weeds, it’s a free soil test in some cases.

 

[DallasFigShop]

I have sticky clay soil as well as do most people in my area. Usually, I add in compost and pine bark fines to improve drainage. We have short rainy season and some of my trees are right next to the rain drain. I found as long as water drains well after the rain, it really doesn't matter how much water the trees were given. Your area doesn't have a lot of rain if I understand correctly so I suspect it may have to do with insufficient air in the soil around it. Perlite has a tendency to float up after watering. When it does, the drainage/air pockets underneath reduce, which is what really matters to the roots. I typically amend native soil instead of adding different soil to the tree site. It is just a habit I have from long ago, which supposedly help the roots to extend/adapt better to the native soil.

I use SIP pots about half of the time, which means the roots literally sit in water most of the time, regardless of varieties. No root rot there after doing that for hundreds of times, unless I let the roots sit in water in winter when the plants are dormant.

What kind of potting mix did you use when root rot happened in pots?

Expanded Shale is a great amendment for clay but fruit trees dont seem to mind as is... IME the problem with Dallas clay is how it dries fast.. its too sticky to keep wet in pots but dries super fast with our heat and so mulching is a key for starting ... also it is very rich ive had fruit trees fruit alot for years without help, mostly peaches and pears ... Kieffer does a larger bumper crop about every other year

 

[PapaFig]

Crushed Granite and sand might be helpful as well - both of which you can get by the yard at your nearest concrete company. Landscape companies and some municipalities can also provide various soil components for much cheaper than per unit than buying bagged/premixed materials. Basically you're usually better off with a mix/range of sizes of material types.

Uhhh, we seem to be on a tangent At least it's a productive one!