Checking for drainage, the most important step when planting any tree

[@chadwickBU]

Best commentary on this. NON Commercial. THANK YOU !!!

[@soren00024]

I learned more in this video than I did watching a bunch of videos all day. Thank you my friend now I feel confident planting my japanese maple tomorrow

[@crazyfarmgirl606]

A few years too late for me but i am glad this video is out there to teach others before they waste hundreds of dollars on trees thank you ❤

[@moniquemonicat]

9:00 *THANK YOU!* First time in the 5 years I been planting here in the desert that I ever hear about GYPSUM for our Arizona clay soil. Not one of the youtube Arizona garden help channels ever mentioned that or even the 24-hr hole test. Our soil is so much like cement we can even use it to hold down pavers and posts when it dries! Also helpful info --> "Gypsum can work even after the tree is planted." *ACTropicals is a very informative channel.*

[@losclaveles]

You probably also have caliche, and a high PH, which gypsum won't address. To get rid of the caliche you do need decent drainage, but you need to lower your soil PH to make it acidic. The acid will dissolve the caliche over time, turning it into CO2. The best way to lower PH is by applying elemental sulphur, which soil microbiology will convert to sulphuric acid

[@randallmarsh446]

Thats probably one of those things that no one thought about mentioning because gypsum actually works so well it wouldnt be much of a video to make if they added gypsum to thier cause.. Yes gypsum does work very well.. but in the south west you have to dig deep as fat as u can with post hole diggers , line th ebottom with some grave l and gyp and sand,, leave 3 foot for your top soil ect,, before u throw the tree in let the hole set for about 3 months ,, pour 2 gallons of viniger in the hole , to break up and create holes in the clay,, just leave it in the hole ,or you can rinse it out,,

[@bryanthernandez08]

Thank you man 🎉 saved me a headache, only video I found on this issue and the 24 hour test is amazing advise 👏 thanks again I'm from Arizona too

[@darja25]

One of the most useful videos on YT! Thank you !’!!🎉❤

[@nitinajmeri878]

Very informative! I am facing flooding issue in my 3 trees because of clay as you explained. I will use gypsum and hope it improves the drainage issue. Thanks

[@foodiesworldUSA]

I was looking for this type of video

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

So glad to see you advocate gypsum. I used it when I first started gardening and am going back to it as I have some nasty anaerobic clay a few feet down and need to correct that. Your videos are truly informative. Wish your nursery was closer. I'm on the far West side.

[@qctropicals]

Yes, I advocate things that actually work :)

[@isd605]

Wow, thank you so much for your video. As you mentioned, it took several years for my pittosporums to start suffering from overwatering due to non drainage. I may fill with gibson and maybe plant the following year once I have good drainage. Thanks again!

[@tinastokes6798]

Thank you so much for this! I think my trees are drowning in clay soil. Will have to sprinkle gypsum all around them and water in. Great information!

[@tamieazard9324]

Thank you for making a video about this. i just pulled out all my plant and dead tree because they started dying i couldn’t figured why until i pulled one out😢😢.

[@maryamluciaportillo707]

Straight to the point and so helpful! Thank you!

[@EastCoastReefer]

Thank you. Very educational! 🙏

[@ckennedy309]

It's spelled Gypsum, in case you were wondering. I had never heard it would do this. Good info.

[@Zennofobic]

thank you! I wish I saw this video 10 months ago so I could have prepared the area for the peach tree that I just picked up... I probably will keep it in the pot until next year while the gypsum does it's thing

[@mikeevans1049]

Epic, im in utah and we struggle with clay soil in certain areas. Thank you for this info

[@ericdontsmoke]

Thanks man. Good hearing from you

[@TanManFixes]

hello ....would it be beneficial to use a little perlite with the backfill ? we are preparing for a new Oak tree. currently we are soaking the hole and using gypsum/water. here in the west valley. Thanks for the video and info !!

[@sheloveselegance358]

YOU ROCK!! Thank you from Colorado.

[@sheloveselegance358]

I need a little help. After gypsom, the drainage test is showing only a very little draining after 36 hours. The holes are mostly still full of water, no wonder the new trees were dying. Do we start to dig in the water? The weird part is that we have one living/thriving tree for the last 4 years in the same line of these new tree holes. Any help is appreciated.

[@loriamora6202]

@@sheloveselegance358 i have similar issue

[@qctropicals]

@@sheloveselegance358 Gypsum will only break up clay and nothing else. If your soil is still not draining after gypsum, that means you have a physical obstruction such as compacted soil, rocks, etc. At this point, just wait for the water to drain and keep on digging deeper. Refill the hole with water a test again. Sooner or later it will start to drain. Drainage can vary greatly from one spot to another. This is probably why your other tree is thriving.

[@catherinekushner4402]

We were digging a hole today to plant a late fall tree. After digging the hole, we filled it with water and 12 hours later we are still looking at the same amount of water. We have tried to push a long spade shovel into the hole and just pull up extremely sticky clay. Next, at 16 hours, we tried pounding a 5 foot piece of rebar in many different spots; the water dropped about 4 inches. Now, the water is just sitting. I will try the Gypsum tomorrow to see what happens. We really needed to get this tree in the ground before a hard freeze. I am hoping this is the trick to resolve this for us. I will report back on results. Thanks for your great video.

[@catherinekushner4402]

Hello, the tree is doing fantastic! It will be a year since I asked the question about the clay. The tree was planted in late October 2021 and survived a very cold, snowy winter in altitude 6,200, in Colorado! Trust me when I tell you we were worried the hole would become a hole of nothing but ice and water. It actually did great! So the gypsum worked long term! Spring rolled around and the tree grew at least 10". Since that time, we have planted multiple shrubs and trees with the same clay & lack of drainage issue and have used the gypsum with much success. Some holes took longer than others to finally drain though. Be patient, add more if needed. I am happy to report all of those are doing well too! I think the biggest thing we did was really make the holes we dug much wider than normal to give them all a chance to root out in all directions and also mulched really well so we wouldn't have to water deeply all the time and wonder if we were drowning the poor things. The mulch kept the soil moist allowing everything to develop a root system. At least that is what we believe is happening. This video was the best thing that could have happened to us! Otherwise, our yard would be void of some very beautiful shrubs and trees. BTW, we bought our gypsum at Lowes and had to find it on our own out in the garden center area where there are pebbles & other garden material. Several employees told us they didn't carry it. They did! It wasn't expensive considering the fix!

[@vickipackham7357]

@@catherinekushner4402 Thank you for the info and for updating us on your progress. I lost 2 trees in Utah last year due to drainage issues. So, I'm going to try this. What type of trees did you have success with? I think the type of tree probably matters too. Some are much more tolerant of wettish roots than others.

[@catherinekushner4402]

@@vickipackham7357 Hello, the tree is a Japanese Lilac, and it is still doing very well. We have also planted a Serviceberry, 3 Chokeberry's, 3 Ninebarks, and a Crabapple tree. All are doing very well. Our clay is ridiculous, and the layer is so thick we never broke through it for any of the plantings. I wouldn't go crazy with the gypsum, but I would definitely say making a wide hole has helped. My daughter lives two blocks from us and has the same issue. When we planted her tree Mother's day 2022, (it was a replacement for two previous nursery planted tree's), we pulled the old dead tree out and it had never rooted beyond the little hole they had dug and plopped it in.

[@catherinekushner4402]

Continued. We dug a new, pretty wide hole, slightly deeper than the root ball, filled with water and it sat for two days. We added some gypsum a couple of times, it helped, but didn't completely drain. We went ahead and planted the tree with compost & native soil, (it was kind of a wet mess), mulched well, the tree didn't do much other than stay alive. Oh, and we really opened up the root ball by spending the time to detangle almost all of the roots. The tree was pretty mad! This spring, boom! Flowers, leaves and growth! Neither of the previous nursery planted trees ever grew. They just sat, then died. So, I think the key is really spending the time to see if you can get your hole to drain and use some gypsum, to dig the wider hole, to detangle the roots, use the 50/50 mix of compost/soil, & mulch well (but not volcano style), and hopefully, you will have the same results. Best wishes for success! Catherine

[@jamesjames9149]

Hey carnal do you guys have shale rock available . Out here in Houston tx we amend our heavy clay soil with it . Does miracles for drainage

[@ckennedy309]

Also with any tree you buy in a pot, you have to make sure the roots are not circling. Young trees can take a beating so don't be afraid to get rough or cut circling roots. If you have a sawzall use it to cut the cut the circle shape into a square if it has thick circling roots. Circling roots will slowly choke the tree out

[@melmac4129]

Awesome video very informative thank you!

[@robertgilliam6245]

I like your videos Great job and thank you

[@ZE308AC]

You can also use soil penetrate by John and Bob's Smart Soil Solutions or just buy some soil aerate to fix soil drainage. You could alway use gypsum.

[@DanaWilmoth]

I am planting 2 rows of maple trees. All my holes are dug. I have 12 planted, 5 left to plant. We got a big rain and now 2 of my empty holes are full of water. A 3rd hole was 1/3-1/2 full of water. I added some gypsum yesterday evening and as if this morning the 2 holes are still full but the 3rd was almost empty. Also 2 of the trees that were already planted have some standing water at the top. Before I planted I did fill the hole half way with water and it drained fine but now I'm afraid I will have standing water after a heavy rain. This is the 3rd day since the rain. Any suggestions would be helpful

[@come_explore_with_me_IL]

Thanks for the helpful info!Soils in my area are mostly clay, I'm going to do your water test, but I have a question maybe you can help me with. The clay soils also contain a lot of chalk rocks, often when i did they break up and spread particles. Are these chalk rocks also good for the soil drainage? Or should i get rid of then when I canm

[@ruicastro8230]

Excellent info . Question: what if I dug 1 meter ( 3 feet) deep and the whole fills 1/3 with water that is still standing in clay after several days will the gypsum still work ?

[@foodiesworldUSA]

I was looking for info on this .. I have button bush and went for digging that’s when it started raining I had to stop and then I noticed standing water

[@waddellbele]

I follow your method It's work. Thanks

[@davidcomas5698]

So Informative. Thank you sir.

[@jackson8085]

The idea is to loosen the soil. Gypsum is an option, so is organic matter, so are living roots/

[@malikaharris2273]

Thank you! I am having this issue now. I bought gypsum, but its seeds, is that ok?

[@qctropicals]

Gypsum will only fix drainage issues in clay soil. Are you sowing these seeds in the ground?

[@malikaharris2273]

@@qctropicals yes, in the ground.. I have clay soil.

[@steffsophie]

Can you out the gypsum over mulch or put down directly on soil?

[@qctropicals]

ofcourse

[@epigeneticnerd4244]

So you don’t have to mix in the gypsum? Can it just be sprinkled on top?

[@qctropicals]

No need to mix gypsum in soil. It dissolves in water and penetrates the soil.

[@larrytullos8110]

Great video. Let's say you've dug 3 fit down and are getting marginal drainage due to sandstone and I'm planting a slow-growth ornamental Japanese maple that only needs less than 1 ft hole. What do you suggest to backfill the hole with to provide good drainage e.g. landscapers mix or soil w/pine mulch? How do I prep to ensure the tree doesn't settle below the top of the root ball? Thanks for any update!

[@qctropicals]

you need to dig deeper until water drains. Backfilling the hole with new soil will not work long term. Otherwise, plant in your native soil, no need to purchase anything special.

[@alesloom]

Thanks man You helped alot I really appreciate it Thanks again

[@andres09cc]

Great Video! very informative Thank you👍🏻👍🏻

[@HendraG-nn1gi]

Thank you for this great video

[@jeanninemcwhorter919]

Can I spread this around my home where it takes days to drain rain water?

[@qctropicals]

if you have alkaline clay yes

[@sek4110]

Thank you for this.... Subscribed

[@7kardia750]

I don't understand what you mean at 13:41, about the potential for a problem to occur. What problem are you referring to that can be caused by gypsum in decades?

[@qctropicals]

Heavy concentrations of gypsum over decades will form a hard rock layer called caliche. This will mainly happen if you use thousands of pounds of gypsum over decades and stop watering the area in the future. As long as you water the area, you will be good to go. If not, we'll be dead by the time it becomes a drainage problem anyway :).

[@7kardia750]

@@qctropicals thank you for answering my question.

[@andrewmcfadden6323]

Can you treat ground after tree has been planted?

[@qctropicals]

ofcourse

[@andrewmcfadden6323]

I could not find the white powdery gypsum, only EARTH SCIENCE. White and brown pellets, is this just as good?

[@pennyduncan5980]

Thx you

[@Loonysoup-1744]

Thank you !!

[@bobertcronos8433]

I have caliche and clay mixed any suggestions I'm worried adding gypsum might not help.

[@qctropicals]

gypsum fixed my drainage in clay soil. Caliche, you need to physically break thru that layer to allow drainage.

[@mihaeladog7187]

I killed 3 trees like this in one summer , my soil was clay 😢

[@damionanderson5887]

When your in a tropical country this dont work

[@user-he9mv4jn9m]

It is a myths.

[@darrengillesdarrengilles8336]

The 2 minute video that took 16 minutes

[@darja25]

at least he helped someone. Did you?

[@darrengillesdarrengilles8336]

@@darja25 Yes I did and have been for 30 years