Re: Bed Preparation

In a message dated 96-04-22 15:51:26 EDT, you write:

>I need some advice on the preperation of a new bed for irises.  My soil here
>in Raleigh, NC, is solid clay with boulders that I have to remove.  We have
>a horse barn in the neighborhood.  Should I add manure in when I till the
>bed?  I will be adding well established manure, not fresh and also pinebark
>mulch for drainage.

Hi, Patty.  I hope you get some other opinions to go along with mine, since
your climate is somewhat different than here.  I would be concerned about the
manure, even well-aged, unless it is really diluted with something like sand,
or used very sparingly.    I once built some raised beds in RR ties using
about 50% regular old "dirt" and 50% dirt-manure mixture cleaned out of an
indoor riding ring.  I planted TBs in there, and boy, did I have rot!  (We do
get humid and wet spells here). In retrospect, I should have put beardless
irises in that mixture, they probably would have done great.  But it was too
rich for the TBs. (After the irises rotted, I planted broccoli in there, and
that was super!)

Likewise I'd be a little concerned about the pinebark mulch.  Doesn't that
stuff get kind of soggy and hold moisture?  I also once saw an infestation of
roly-polys (pill bugs) in TB irises that had been mulched with those bark
"nuggets."  The roly-polys were having a grand time eating the rhizomes.  If
I hadn't seen that particular situation, I probably would have been skeptical
(always thought roly-polys were more or less benign.  Not if they get hungry
enough, I guess.)

If I were going to build a new TB bed here and could get my hands on whatever
I wanted, I think I'd use about 70% decent garden soil, augmented with some
compost or other aged organic stuff; maybe about 10%, and about 20% plain old
sand, for drainage--or even "traction grit"--Ha! Just realized that probably
doesn't even exist in your neck of the woods....Since you have clay, I guess
I'd go heavier on both the organic stuff and sand, to try and break it up
some.

Good luck!  (Any folks closer to Patty with some experience on this?)
Dorothy
DFingerhoo@aol.com
Newfield, NY (Where the black flies are out--my, they're hungry!)
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