Hello,

Its nearing the end of Summer here in Melbourne. Its been really hot 40C
days several times and we had drought conditions for a very very long time.

I've been weeding my garden and I noticed that the soil is quite hard. I
thought it would be a good idea to dig around the roses and break up the
clay and baked dirt and aerate the soil a bit. I dug around some of the
roses but I am worried that I may damage their roots.

How deep should I dig around the roses and how close can I get?

Lightly cultivate no more than 2 inches deep. If ya knick a root, it
probably won't hurt the rose.
"John Wilkins" wrote in message
...
Hello,

Its nearing the end of Summer here in Melbourne. Its been really hot 40C
days several times and we had drought conditions for a very very long
time.

I've been weeding my garden and I noticed that the soil is quite hard. I
thought it would be a good idea to dig around the roses and break up the
clay and baked dirt and aerate the soil a bit. I dug around some of the
roses but I am worried that I may damage their roots.

How deep should I dig around the roses and how close can I get?

In John Wilkins wrote:
I dug around some of the
roses but I am worried that I may damage their roots.

How deep should I dig around the roses and how close can I get?

Stay a couple of centimetres away from the main stem, and don't go more
than a few centimetres deep. If you can mulch the soil with something
after doing so, the benefits will be maintained much longer.

How about using the pitch fork?

In John Wilkins wrote:
How about using the pitch fork?

No. Try a hand held cultivating hoe, you'll get far better control!!

I thought a pitch fork would help to aerate the soil without disturbing the
roots too much.

A spade or a hoe has the risk of slicing thru the root system.

A pitchfork on the other hand, whilst it may hit some roots, would leave it
intact.

My problem is that my soil has a lot of clay. The bad drought that we have
been experiencing has caused the soil to harden. So I need to poke holes
into the soil to allow for more water to get down there instead of just
washing off.

John Wilkins wrote:


intact.

My problem is that my soil has a lot of clay. The bad drought that we
have been experiencing has caused the soil to harden. So I need to poke
holes into the soil to allow for more water to get down there instead of
just washing off.

And here we have it, folks--another good reason to either replace or
heavily amend clay soil in the planting hole or bed.

In John Wilkins wrote:
A pitchfork on the other hand, whilst it may hit some roots, would
leave it intact.

My problem is that my soil has a lot of clay. The bad drought that we
have been experiencing has caused the soil to harden. So I need to
poke holes into the soil to allow for more water to get down there
instead of just washing off.

The pitchfork is just too rough, John.

I've been through drought too this summer (Sydney). I also know what
it's like when clay forms a hard crust. Stick with light cultivation
and try the following:

(a) Work some gypsum, blood 'n bone, manure-based fetiliser, dried grass
clippings or another type of mulch into the top few centimetres of the
soil.

(b) Give the cultivated soil a treatment with Groundbreaker (check your
nursery) or Wettasoil.

(c) After watering, use your hands to mix the muddy mess even more to
make sure it's all worked through.

In article , John
Wilkins wrote:

I thought a pitch fork would help to aerate the soil without disturbing the
roots too much.

A spade or a hoe has the risk of slicing thru the root system.

A pitchfork on the other hand, whilst it may hit some roots, would leave it
intact.

My problem is that my soil has a lot of clay. The bad drought that we have
been experiencing has caused the soil to harden. So I need to poke holes
into the soil to allow for more water to get down there instead of just
washing off.

Actually, John, clay soil holds water very well. The way to allow it to
penetrate is to water very little at a time and while it is still damp,
later the same day, water it again. The water moves through the soil
very slowly. So from now on, try not to let it dry out completely.

If you need to deep water your roses, a pitchfork stuck straight in
the soil might make holes that will help, but don't cultivate with it.
What I want to know is how you're going to get a pitchfork into the
soil if it is as hard as you describe.

If you think about a deep root waterer, it sticks a hole about 6 inches
down and then emits water. Your pitchfork could work. Don't do this
close to the canes - do it out by the drip line, maybe just 4 or 6
times making a big rough circle 8 to 10 inches away from any cane. Then
water a little. Then water again the same day. *Digging* is something
you don't want to do. A few holes won't kill a rose, especially if they
facilitate watering. Then mulch. Use lucerne hay or other organic
matter. It will help the soil and it will help keep the water from
evaporating so fast.

I garden in clay in a windy climate. We have no rain for 6 or 7 months
a year. The end of summer can be very difficult. The key is preventing
the soil from completely drying out in the first place.

--
-=-
Cass
Zone 9 San Francisco Bay Area
http://home.attbi.com/~cassbernstein/index.html