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Re: [GWL]: A New Rant

And, at the risk of further sinning, I have to comment that I don't
think the issue concerning adding sand or gravel to clay soils is
that cut and dried.  It's not that one should not add these, but that
one should not add them *alone*; organic material should always be
part of the mix.  And, I think there are wide variances in clay soils
in this country. Some benefit from added grit  and some may not.  I
have no experience with gumbo clay, but my MD clay has profited from
added coarse sand and grit over the thirty years I've been doing it. 
I've built some pretty good topsoil from pure clay subsoil over the
years through a lot of double digging in of coarse sand, grit and
organic material.  Simply mixing in grit or anything in the top 6" of
soil isn't going to do much for underlying drainage issues.

I think, perhaps, the problem is blanket statements of any kind. 
This country (and now on the net, the world) contains too many
variations in soil and climate for any gardening advice to fit all
situations.  I always cringe when I read something that indicates a
plant is going to do thus and such in every garden or that one should
do thus and such and it will work everywhere.  Garden writing, IMO,
if one is to give good information, needs to be qualified so that
readers realize that their situation may not be the same as the
author's. This goes against the popular trend of blasting positive
statements at the reader, but it provides more accurate information.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
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----------
> From: John MacGregor <jonivy@earthlink.net>
> 
> 
> At the risk of committing the sin of discussion gardening, rather
than
> garden writing (it seems to me this topic leads there inevitably),
there is
> some GOOD advice that can be passed on.  To make use of that
valuable
> resource of wood ashes, put them in your compost pile and allow
them to be
> fully broken down.  The composting disposes of the lime, and the
resulting
> product is higher in phosphorus and potash than it would be without
the
> ashes.
> 
> I have been doing it for more than 50 years in New Mexico and
Southern
> California (with highly alkaline soil and water) with nothing but
good
> results.
> 
> John MacGregor
> South Pasadena, CA 91030
> USDA zone 9   Sunset zones 21/23

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