Spruce in clay ground

BooseysMom · 2023-03-22T15:35:47+00:00

Hi, Has anyone had any success planting and growing young spruce and Cypress trees in clay soil which gets waterlogged in the winter and baked solid in the summer? I have read about planting conditions and it advises the complete opposite. I think they'll have to go in pots with ericaceous compost. Thanks.

CatherinedeBourgh · 22/03/2023 22:04

Not planted it myself, but the house I've just moved into has spruces and cypresses growing in exactly that kind of condition, and given that the previous owners were the least gardening people I have ever met, I am certain that they didn't do anything at all to the soil, and just planted them straight.

Original poster

BooseysMom · 23/03/2023 09:05

CatherinedeBourgh · 22/03/2023 22:04

Not planted it myself, but the house I've just moved into has spruces and cypresses growing in exactly that kind of condition, and given that the previous owners were the least gardening people I have ever met, I am certain that they didn't do anything at all to the soil, and just planted them straight.

Really, that sounds promising! Thanks for posting.

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neitherofthem · 24/03/2023 15:10

Do what you can to improve the soil structure anyway, by incorporating organic matter and something like sharp sand and horticultural grit. Every little helps.

Original poster

BooseysMom · 25/03/2023 13:55

neitherofthem · 24/03/2023 15:10

Do what you can to improve the soil structure anyway, by incorporating organic matter and something like sharp sand and horticultural grit. Every little helps.

Ok thank you. It's a horrible job tbh. One tiny patch of ground results in 4 sacks of solid clay and turf!

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neitherofthem · 26/03/2023 13:03

@BooseysMom Clay soils are actually really fertile, so it is worth persevering. Even using spent compost from pots and sprinkling it on the surface helps to break up the solid lumps.

One back-breaking way of doing it is to dig the bed over in late autumn, and leave all the clods to be broken down naturally by frosts over the winter.

Original poster

BooseysMom · 30/03/2023 09:55

neitherofthem · 26/03/2023 13:03

@BooseysMom Clay soils are actually really fertile, so it is worth persevering. Even using spent compost from pots and sprinkling it on the surface helps to break up the solid lumps.

One back-breaking way of doing it is to dig the bed over in late autumn, and leave all the clods to be broken down naturally by frosts over the winter.

Thank you, that's good advice. 🙂the other issue though is the fact the builders buried all their rubble and stones under the top soil so the ground doesn't drain properly every winter. The new greenhouse we have is flooded as the ground beneath is so water logged and it won't drain. I wish we could just remove everything and start again but that would cost a fortune.

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neitherofthem · 30/03/2023 13:49

BooseysMom · 30/03/2023 09:55

Thank you, that's good advice. 🙂the other issue though is the fact the builders buried all their rubble and stones under the top soil so the ground doesn't drain properly every winter. The new greenhouse we have is flooded as the ground beneath is so water logged and it won't drain. I wish we could just remove everything and start again but that would cost a fortune.

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Builders have a habit of doing that - in a house my parents lived in, I was once digging in the flower bed, and came across what appeared to be the end of a scaffolding board. I tried to move it but couldn't, so carried on digging along the sides of it to the boundary, and discovered that they had built next-door's garage on top of the other end of it!

Original poster

BooseysMom · 30/03/2023 15:06

neitherofthem · 30/03/2023 13:49

Builders have a habit of doing that - in a house my parents lived in, I was once digging in the flower bed, and came across what appeared to be the end of a scaffolding board. I tried to move it but couldn't, so carried on digging along the sides of it to the boundary, and discovered that they had built next-door's garage on top of the other end of it!

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Oh that's considerate of them!

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