Re: Kaolin - Advice Needed
- To: m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Re: Kaolin - Advice Needed
- From: S* A* O*
- Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2000 16:17:39 -0700
Hi Glenn -
1-2m is a fair bit a soil space, and I expect, as Diana mentioned, that
many of your deeper rooting plants will get through to something else,
eventually. Drainage is possibly an issue - have you done some drainage
testing to see if there is a problem? Fill up your hole with water and
watch how long it takes to empty. Except in your wettest months (possibly
now?), if should drain in a couple of hours. If not, you might want to
consider a some sort of artificial drainage.
I can think of several trees that might do well. The Fig tree mentioned is
a good example. Espaliered Figs can be very interesting, with lots of
knarly growth - go with an informal training as this one tends to be rather
rustic in habit. Apples/Crabapples are perhaps better for a more formal
training, but can also be left to become more rustic. They take the heat
well, also. Citrus trees might also be a good choice. Being evergreen,
and often with winter fruit, they make a good shown in the cooler
months. Pomagranates (Punica granata) are deciduous in winter but very
handsome in spring and in fruit during summer. All of these are very heat
tolerant and do not seem bothered by soil problems here.
With the deciduous species, consider a winter growing annual or perennial
vine. One of my favorites is Asparagus asparagoides (Bridal Creeper), one
of your natives, whose shiny little leaves (cladodes) are very welcome in
the wet months, and the whole thing goes dormant in summer.
Of course there are a wide variety of shrubs and climbers that could take
the reflected heat as well. I would not despair - give something (or a few
things) a try and you may find success is easier than you think. If you
add lots of organics to the soil and mulch well, you might be surprised at
what happens to your 'poor' soil. I used to garden on heavy adobe clay
with a tight caliche hardpan varying 12-36inches under the soil. With only
a few years of organic soil amending and deep permanent mulching, this
caliche layer was almost undiscernible!
Regards,
Sean O.
>At 06:45 PM 7/9/00 +0200, Glenn Breayley wrote:
>>I wonder if anyone could please give me some advice for a problem spot I'm
>>working on at the moment.
>>I've got a lovely, sunny enclosed courtyard I'm doing up. It has a
>>brickpaved centre surrounded with walls & 1m wide borders against these. My
>>North facing ( sunniest in the Southern Hemisphere ) wall is 2m high & I was
>>wanting to espalier a fruit tree against it. Unfortunately I find my soil
>>goes down about 1/2m then theres a band of pure white kaolin clay. I tried
>>digging through it in the hope of punching a large drainage hole I could
>>plant a tree in, but gave up at about 2m.
>>
>>Would anyone have any ideas of what I could do with this area or of any tree
>>which might handle it ?
>>Other than cover it with concrete & paint it green that is.
>>
>>Regards
>>
>>Glenn Breayley. Ragnarok & Valhalla Research.
>>POBox 26158, Hout Bay, 7872, Capetown, South Africa
>>Ph/Fax SA 021 7904253 E-mail valhalla@iafrica.com
>>Wholesale nurseryman & Tillandsia specialist wholesale & retail grower.
Sean A. O'Hara sean.ohara@groupmail.com
h o r t u l u s a p t u s 710 Jean Street
'a garden suited to its purpose' Oakland, CA 94610-1459, U.S.A.
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