05-15-2017, 01:15 PM
I also use red for the driveway and any major fills. As soon as I finish a couple of in progress projects, I will be ordering another load of red to make a base for a new shed, maybe another load for a few other "fill and level" areas that may end up being planting areas also.
I do apply dolomite around, mainly because my citrus demand it. Their leaves turn chlorotic without it. I do apply fertilizers, although probably not as often as I should. None of them contain boron as a nutrient. With just dolomite and an occasional fertilizing, the red area is doing well. Most things in the black area are showing signs of deficiency, or just look stunted. The only difference I can see is the type of cinders used for the top layer of new cinders/compost that was tilled in.
Applying borax mixed with dolomite to the tall apple bananas in the black cinder area seems to have taken care of the boron deficiency. But it is very soluble and is leached out of the soil very quickly by the rains. Too much borax can be a very effective herbicide. So, I'm leery of using it.
Everything growing in the red area is doing quite well other than needing the dolomite and occasional fertilizer.
The two growing areas are on opposite edges of the ripped house-yard area, 75 to 100' apart. The depth to bedrock is not all that much, from 18" to just covered by the new soil in the red area, about the same in the black area, maybe a little deeper on average.
The two areas are pretty close together and look to be very equivalent, except for the type of cinders used to mix the compost with and deepen the existing soil by about 6", or so.
It has me stumped as to why the difference in how things grow, especially the bananas, in the two areas.
Welcome to Puna, the land of the Vocal Lunatic Fringe.
I do apply dolomite around, mainly because my citrus demand it. Their leaves turn chlorotic without it. I do apply fertilizers, although probably not as often as I should. None of them contain boron as a nutrient. With just dolomite and an occasional fertilizing, the red area is doing well. Most things in the black area are showing signs of deficiency, or just look stunted. The only difference I can see is the type of cinders used for the top layer of new cinders/compost that was tilled in.
Applying borax mixed with dolomite to the tall apple bananas in the black cinder area seems to have taken care of the boron deficiency. But it is very soluble and is leached out of the soil very quickly by the rains. Too much borax can be a very effective herbicide. So, I'm leery of using it.
Everything growing in the red area is doing quite well other than needing the dolomite and occasional fertilizer.
The two growing areas are on opposite edges of the ripped house-yard area, 75 to 100' apart. The depth to bedrock is not all that much, from 18" to just covered by the new soil in the red area, about the same in the black area, maybe a little deeper on average.
The two areas are pretty close together and look to be very equivalent, except for the type of cinders used to mix the compost with and deepen the existing soil by about 6", or so.
It has me stumped as to why the difference in how things grow, especially the bananas, in the two areas.
Welcome to Puna, the land of the Vocal Lunatic Fringe.
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Was a Democrat until gun control became a knee jerk, then a Republican until the crazies took over, back to being a nonpartisan again.
This time, I can no longer participate in the primary.
Was a Democrat until gun control became a knee jerk, then a Republican until the crazies took over, back to being a nonpartisan again.
This time, I can no longer participate in the primary.