raised bed soil
iris@hort.net
  • Subject: raised bed soil
  • From: e*@knology.net
  • Date: Sun, 2 Jun 2013 17:58:47 -0400 (EDT)
Hi Holly,
B B B I have found all of the products you mentioned to put in a raised bed to
be good for raised irisB beds. However, they will cost a fortune to raise the
soil level. If you are talking about a small raised bed Miracle Gro garden
soil wouldB be good. It has fertilizerB included. I would add aboutB 1/3
mortor sand and mix it well before I put it in the bed. I bought some of that
on sale at Lowe's last week, four bags (1 cf each) for $10.00. OneB bag does
not goB far. One very good product to build soil that we have in Alabama is
called Soil Conditioner. It is very finely ground pine bark. If it is used as
a mulch on iris and kept away from the rhizomes it will compost on the ground
and build a better soil as well as chage the texture of the soil.
B B B  When I moved to my present address over forty years ago I had red,B 
sticky clay soil that would get as hard as a brick in the Summer time and
crack. I hauled in eleven pickup loads of rotten leaves from our city leaf
pile the first year and I hauled in 13 loads ofB leaves from there the second
year. This was in a space of about 45 byB 60 feet. I have added compost nearly
every year since. If I want to remove a small clump of iris I can just reach
down, get a hold on all theB leaves and pull and up pops the plant. With big
clumps I have to use a spade because there are so many roots.
B B B  Organic matter added to theB  soilB every year helps. Organic matter
can be almost anyB composted plant material. You can add cotton hulls, peanut
hulls, hops from beer production, alfalfa meal and others in small amounts
without composting them, but you have to watch about soft rot with iris.
B B B  Eugene Baxley
B B B  Alabama Zone sevenB near the Northern border. B 

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