Mistakes Make Us Better Gardeners (a drowning hydrangea) | Clay Soil Woes

[@deechiodo6738]

What you are experiencing here is the reason I dont use the "No Dig" method of starting new garden beds. It may work for shallow rooted annuals & perennials, but not for things like shrubs. Having terribly hard, clay in my entire yard, I find that digging down a shovels depth, turning everything over, chopping it up with the shovel, then adding in some compost and covering with newspaper followed by a nice layer of mulch, and then waiting to plant anything for a month or even till the following season ...it amends my soil deep enough to satisfy anything I plant without the worry of forming those nasty clay bowls underground.

[@casey2828]

I had the same problem!! I lost a couple hydrangeas too but also saved some, I pretty much had to add mounds of soil ontop of the clay and built my beds up

[@trebcabb]

A tip I read literally 50 years ago is to break up hard pan clay by driving a metal rod into it. It was purported to be a permanent solution to the problem. I've used it in modified form by poking a plastic garden stake as far as I can into the bottom and sides of planting holes when planting shrubs in clay to give their roots an easy way out of the giant clay pot with no drainage that clay soil can be. Yes, I know that creating air pockets around the roots is not good according to the perceived wisdom but I've also found that in many cases the perceived wisdom is based on opinions, not facts, as well as possibly being applicable in some situations but not others. I've seen a rose push roots for several feet through a brick foundation, leaving those roots hanging in mid air with no apparent harm to the plant- or the roots, for that matter.

[@erinr8994]

Have you considered using bottomless pot method ? It would be a good way to get around the clay soil. Cut the bottom out and place on top of bed. . You can put whatever soils you need in the pot and the bottomless will allow roots to spread and drain. Also the pot will look pretty sitting in the bed.

[@fireandice847]

As gardeners, we are so attached to our plants, they are like our kids, so when one struggles or dies, it's quite hard on us. Also, so much planning goes into each flower bed and how it looks so losing just one of the plants can throw the entire look off. This Hydrangea will survive, it will be fine because you caught it just in time and you have a great plan for getting it healthy again and you are now able to work on the drainage problem in that bed to keep all of the other plants healthy and happy. Sorry to see this but you got this!!! Plants are so powerfully wise to try to survive and this will all be much better in just a few weeks or maybe a month. Thank you for sharing!

[@debbieerps450]

Will be waiting for news on your soil. I also have clay soil. Hope you bring the hydrangea back good as new!

[@seriejohnson698]

I a. Scared I just purchased 4 and I have clay soil😟

[@nataliespencer1324]

​@@seriejohnson698 how are they doing?

[@lauranic88]

I’m sorry to hear that. Here in Raleigh, NC we also struggle with drainage due to clay soil. We often have downpours where there is a literal river flowing through our garden. I hope this little hydrangea pulls through. You could also look into superthrive vitamin solution. All the best, Laura

[@janereel1903]

Thanks for this instructional video. I will look forward to an update on this situation. I just planted Invincebelle Ruby this spring. Love the look of the plant. Yes, I also had to order mine (very small) so I won't see mature plant until next year.

[@cantor7723]

So sad to see that beautiful plant in such a condition! I hope you were able to save it. I'm in Tennessee, and we have the awful orange/red clay. It's pure clay, and a PITA to dig in. But, it does seem to drain pretty well luckily. Other than butterfly bushes, which are fussy with wet feet, I've never lost a plant due to being too wet. Roses, hardy hibiscus, and hydrangeas seem really happy provided the soil is kept moist the first year to allow the roots to get established.

[@imahappygal1]

So sorry this happened. We have red clay and we have to set everything up a couple inches our winters are wet. Will be anxious to see how you attack this. 🤞

[@gardenloving]

The music is a little too loud but I love your videos, thank you for making them!

[@Annie-lv8sn]

I also live in Ohio and am a new gardener. I planted limelight hydrangeas from proven winners this spring. Apparently, I was overwatering them (loving on them too much) and with the tons of rain we have been getting and the heavy clay soil, mine are also struggling, yellowing and dropping leaves. I stopped watering them and they seem to be doing better. So sorry for your struggles too. I really enjoy your video tours.

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

I have more trouble out of my Limelights than anything else. Mine also yellow and drop some of their lower leaves late June / early July (mine already have), but they're doing fine now.

[@komallasi]

The same thing happened to me last week, I’m in the Toronto area and we have heavy clay soil, I lost 4 cedar trees and some of my hydrangeas because they were drowning. I’m considering raised beds for better drainage

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

It is certainly a super frustrating experience and is very hard to detect until sometimes the last minute. I hope you're able to get it resolved!

[@jjjohnston545]

Is it possible that concrete or a large rock is in the ground? Last year I planted a lilac and it wasn’t doing well. When I removed it from the hole, I noticed it was sitting in a lot of water. Yesterday I was planting another tree in the area and because it was larger I had to dig deeper and wider. To my surprise while digging about 1 1/2ft there was a layer of cement in the ground and water could not drain . I had to use a garden pick/mattock pointy side to break through it until I got to soil layer again. Maybe the builder dumped concrete waste in the yard during construction.

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

It's possible since the sidewalk is right there, but since I've dealt with this issue elsewhere I do think it is just clay soil. We have a lot of rain this week, but I hope to tackle that project sometime in the coming week when the rain stops.

[@asianangie7209]

It happens to all of us. But still annoying. Those are so pricey and you also paid shipping too...I know you will save it though. Do you cut the blooms or foliage after it is in the pot again? Maybe if the issue persists, consider a raised bed with those gray hardscrape in the back, do you have any leftover fr the project?

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

We don't have any leftover patio supplies, but that's a great option! Thanks for sharing!

[@simple_southern_garden]

I am dealing with this on my Incrediball Hydrangeas.

[@carolynclark8780]

Wow, I've never seen soil as impervious as yours. Have you tried amending it with sand?

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

Adding sand is an absolute “no no” with clay. I should probably mention that more often, but it can cause it to set up like concrete. Organic matter is key and there’s not a super quick fix.

[@NicoleL-hl6vl]

I just planted my 4 lime light hydrangeas yesterday.I used compost and gypsum when planting. Last week I dug the holes that I kept empty and it rained all night it took about 10 hours to drain out. Do you think mine are going to be able to survive?

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

Yeah that doesn’t sound good at all. If it was already holding water that long and you incorporated compost it could make it worse since that organic matter holds water too. Holes should drain within 30 minutes generally and if they don’t you could have issues depending on the plant type.

[@NicoleL-hl6vl]

@@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden So do you have any other suggestions for drainage? It’s a limelight hydrangea.

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

There are no easy options that are quick or inexpensive. You could bring in a lot of additional soil and plant directly into that. You can rototill that soil and compost to a sufficient depth where it is actually incorporated with your clay which will help the clay break down over time. You can plant your plants a little high and bring up the soil level around them. It will otherwise take many seasons and years of putting down gypsum, compost, and mulch to break down the clay sufficiently if it is holding water that bad. I talked more about how I fixed one area in my yard in this video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYSpYWOKoKtlnJY I rototilled in mulch, mushroom compost, vermiculite, perlite, alfalfa meal, and gypsum and let it sit for a few weeks before planting again.

[@suzieq6252]

😞

[@lonnien.clifton1113]

Down deep add sand it will drain

[@anneann9127]

If you add sand to clay it turns it to concrete.