Re: New garden plot
- To: perennials@mallorn.com
- Subject: Re: New garden plot
- From: B*@aol.com
- Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 10:20:28 EDT
In a message dated 5/5/00 9:28:19 AM Eastern Daylight Time, pattm@execpc.com
writes:
<< What's to keep the stump grindings from killing whatever I plant in
there after I till it all in? I'm assuming it's high in something . . .
nitrogen perhaps? Am I right in assuming that's what kills the grass? >>
I'm far from an expert on this, but from what I've read, sawdust (and other
woody matter) uses up the nitrogen in the soil in the decomposition process.
So my guess is that the grass dies from a combination of being smothered and
nitrogen deprivation. I think though that it is safe to till the grindings
into the new bed area but that you should add some supplemental nitrogen if
the grindings are still fairly fresh. Once broken down they will release the
nitrogen back into the soil.
A daffodil grower in Alabama recently reported that adding wood chips to a
new bed led to lots of basal rot in her newly planted daffodil bulbs. I
think I read somewhere that a gas is produced by decomposing wood in the
soil; perhaps the gas had some effect. Maybe her wood was releasing lots of
nitrogen in its final stages and the excess nitrogen caused the basal rot
(daffodil hobbyists always use a low nitrogen fertilizer in their daffodil
beds, something like 5-20-20, because excess nitrogen does encourage basal
rot). My guess is that as long as you are not polanting daffodils you're
probably OK.
Bill Lee
Cincinnati Z6a
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