Breaking through impacked dirt?
Andee
side of the house where we want to put in a patio and container garden.... but
the ground is rock hard and uneven. Is there a way to loosen up this stuff? We
can't even pierce the surface with a pick..... at this stage I doubt that
even a rottotiller would make a dent...there is no way to get a small tractor
back in there either..... surely someone else has had this problem.... are
there tricks to getting it to soak in some water and become more manageable?
Joan Mathew
Hi,
I don't know if this will work for you, but I'll tell you what I do. Here in my
area of Texas (north of Dallas) we have hard, clay soil. Last July when we moved
into our first home we discovered just how hard that stuff can be...! :(
Over the next few months I discovered that though we couldn't pick through it when
it's dry, a rainstorm made it very soft and workable. So I started going out after
(or even during) a rainstorm and fork-tilling in some nice compost, grass clippings,
and a little fertilizer. During the rain our ground turns to pure mud (or so it
seems), but wetting the ground is the only way to get it workable. I've still got a
long way to go, but over that year I've been able to make some good improvements to
the soil in my garden area. When our landscaper came in to install a sprinkler
system, I also had him "wander through" that area with his rototiller and it broke up
the top 12-14" of soil very nicely. I continue to fork-till the ground with compost,
grass clippings, etc., and I hope that in a few years I'll have succeeded in making
vast improvements.
Again, I don't know if this will work for you, but it might be an idea. I would
definitely NOT recommend going out there and using a pickax or tiller on it while
it's dry!! From personal experience, I know this will only be unsuccessful and will
result in hurting you and perhaps the tiller... ;)
Hope this helps,
Joan
cma...@iadfw.net
Rick Cook
> I have one more problem at my new home in Az. There is an area on
>one side of the house where we want to put in a patio and container
>up this stuff?
Congratulations. You have just discovered the joys of caliche. No, you're
not alone, but you do have a problem.
That stuff is a natural result of desert conditions and it is closer to
concrete than it is to dirt. A good thick layer of caliche, which is what
it sounds like, will ruin a rototiller and is nearly impossible to get
through even with a pick.
There are several ways to deal with it and you may want to consult your
local garden store (don't bother with Target or K-Mart) or the county
extension agent (look in the phone book).
Understand that caliche is nearly waterproof, so raised beds will go soggy
with standing water. You have to break it up or at least get some holes
through it before you try to plant anything there. The caliche itself is
worthless as soil, so it should be removed if possible.
A jack hammer will usually break this stuff up, but that's expensive since
most of us would have to hire an operator as well as rent the hammer.
Another method involves various soil treatments which chemically dissolve
the caliche (think of it as hard water scale on steroids). I've heard of
people using pool acid (sulfuric acid), but I've never tried it. The
treatments are essentially dilute acids which neutralize the alkali holding
the caliche together. Talk to your extension agent or garden supplier.
The good news is that once you get a hole though the stuff you can usually
lever it up in chunks -- if the layer isn't too thick.
The other good news is that if you water deeply the caliche won't come back.
BTW: The next time you go to your nursery, try to locate a little book on
gardening in desert Arizona which is put out by the Phoenix garden club.
Growing stuff in the Arizona desert isn't like any other region of the
country and there's a lot you need to know.
--RC
Bryce Grevemeyer
<SNIP>
>Another method involves various soil treatments which
>chemically dissolve the caliche (think of it as hard
>water scale on steroids). I've heard of people using
>pool acid (sulfuric acid), but I've never tried it.
<SNIP>
>--RC
I thought that swimming pool acid was hydrochloric
acid (HCl). Sulfuric acid (H2SO4) is battery acid.
Tom said, acidly.
;-)
BG
--
====================================================================
| Bryce Grevemeyer | Phone: (313) 845-5589 |
| Ford ETC C370 | FAX: (313) 845 3799 |
| 17000 Rotunda Drive | EMail: BGRE...@etcv01.eld.ford.com |
| Dearborn, MI 48121-6010 | Internal Ford PROFS: IBMMAIL(I1011531) |
====================================================================