How to create great soil!

[@jcking6785]

My back aches thinking about all the hard work you’ve put into your beautiful garden. It certainly was worth it! 💚

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Thank you for watching!

[@aussiecam74]

Perfect timing, I have an overgrown “work in progress “ front yard that I love, however I have a baron, clay based back yard.. I now have a plan of attack for my backyard. Thanks again gents, I cannot thank you enough for your insight. Cam

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Glad it was useful!

[@DaveSigurdsson]

Alstroemeria pulchella from Brazil does well here Tallahassee FL often too well.hard to control.the others from western S.America not easy to grow here probably no problem for you. They also are fine in California . Your videos very informative

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Glad you are enjoying them. Regards Stephen

[@kerryjean2223]

Avocado skins and loin lamb chop bones took the longest to decompose.... Well actually the bones went back into my compost bin/bins... I started with 4 but will only sacrifice the space for one now. I'm dealing with a very tiny 26' x 26' back yard, so I have a lot of pots to give me extra 'real estate'.

[@kerryjean2223]

Worms do love coffee grounds, however, that stuff is deadly to frogs.

[@kerryjean2223]

I was at a home yesterday which had Alsromerias all over and the lady rued the day. I bought and have them in 11 pots since last year. . Totally wondering what to expect now. I do have frogs and Lizards so I do allow slugs and snails to multiply although due to the neighbours many cats and kittens I really no longer have many. Do you think the snails eat the Alsromeria bloom long before they go to seed? Interesting.... I'll have to keep an eye on what's happening. PS I do cull the slugs and snails by throwing them over the back fence into a reserve with a waterway running through it nearby as well as taking some to a couple at church whom breed lizards.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Isn’t life wonderfully complex. We learn something new every day. Regards Stephen

[@attilahorgosi1595]

For me in my soil I have found hugelkultur or a close variant my go to soil improving method. It works a treat especially when I can source fresh road kill. I've also lost count of how many fast growing pioneer species I have grown to open up the ground. Always a great watch with you and Mathew bringing so much style to horticulture. We've started a drinking game at home whenever you aay, what a good idea and why not indeed. All in good fun of course. I know the time it takes to put together a video that's actually very engaging. Thanks again Attila

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Many thanks for watching!

[@CorinneAttard]

have been battling to get rid of Alstomeria from my garden for last 2 years so I know the work!!

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Thanks for watching!

[@julietavarron7401]

Congratulations on your soil endeavor- the green luscious beauty of your garden speaks to the years of efforts! I’ve been following your channel for a couple of years now and very much appreciate your content. I have learned so much about good gardening practices ( specially geek out on origins of botanical names) and continue to learn from your channel- thank you both for your contribution to the the global gardening community! Cheers- from VA.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Thanks for watching & your kind words!

[@besottedorchids3605]

Wonderful video. I compost as well and have a hen house and rabbit hutch. All eventually go into the garden. Your dedication has definitely paid off.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Thank you for watching!

[@wendywhitham5357]

Absolutely agree about the fruit labels. Aren't they a pain! Another informative and entertaining video, thank you.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Thanks for watching!

[@makbruno1]

Excellent video.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Thanks for watching!

[@mariale7821]

Thanks for explaining the no dig garden method.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Thanks for watching!

[@Flowergarden6159]

That was excellent. Lots of very useful information.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Thanks for watching!

[@patriciahosking6552]

Really good information. Thank you!

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Thank you for watching!

[@dewdan11dnd46]

🫶🌱Thank you both, every video you share always has such key tips and information, which helps and supports my gardening escapades. I’ve maintained as a work in progress, five decent sized sections of active garden but, I’ve had to resort to reducing and stifling the notorious, rhizomes with gravel and kept only a small area of grass. So now I have edible and decorative garden sections over a large lawn. 👍🌿💞

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Glad you enjoyed our video and that you are enjoying the garden space you can manage. Regards Stephen

[@DaveSigurdsson]

Did you add lime or phosphate?

[@thehorti-culturalists]

No I didn’t add anything I needed to buy (except for some manure). Regards Stephen

[@judymiddleswart9350]

I have gardened for years in my N W fl garden pensacola fl and have to continually add cow manure mulch etc.. in our Sandy soil it’s just a big process every year!! So appreciate your info!! Thanks you guys are great!!!!❤

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Many thanks for watching!

[@besottedorchids3605]

Currently fighting grass in my iris patch. The grass travels underneath and spreads

[@thehorti-culturalists]

I would completely remove the Irises when dormant and grow in pots until I had the grass eradicated. Regards Stephen

[@janettegodfrey7092]

Thanks for this video. A question: Is it possible to test your own soil for pH and nutrient levels, without spending a lot of money or paying someone else to do it? I have quite a rambling garden, and would like to know what's going on in the ground in each part of the garden. I have places under old mature trees where the soil seems pretty sucked dry, some light soils, but mostly metres-deep clay under an inch or two of loam, which I've been composting and mulching for years. It was a revelation to me to hear your routine of going down over two spade depths to make good soil, leaving the clay below to hold the water where the shrub and tree roots need it..... Thanks! Question 2: Do you think it is worthwhile to test your soil? Or do you just see what grows and draw your own conclusions?

[@thehorti-culturalists]

For me it’s all about adding as wide a variety as I can and assuming that what the plants need will be there. I have never tested my soil for nutrients and my blue hydrangeas tell me it’s acidic soil. Not very scientific I know but my garden is working. Regards Stephen

[@janettegodfrey7092]

@@thehorti-culturalists Thanks!!

[@galecunningham1250]

Very impressive and inspiring and very hard work, and, yes, worth it. Do you occasionally test your soil for nutrients and pH? I'm in the land of pine trees here in Washington state so must deal with nutrient deficiency like you have with the eucalypts. Rhododendrons and azalea grow here especially well due to the acidity from the pine needles. In order to neutralize the soil to make it more alkaline for perennials, what would you suggest? Thank you! Love your channel.🧚

[@thehorti-culturalists]

I don't test my soil as I believe if the majority of my plants are doing well then I've got it right. Certainly pines do make the soil acidic and this doesn't suit all plants (does make for lovely blue Hydrangeas!). I would use dolomite lime to lower the acidity however remember that it leaches out over time so keep adding regularly, Poultry manure also tends to be a bit limy so could be another additive. Regards Stephen

[@juliesanders1097]

Hi, Just wondering if Stephens garden is fenced from wallabies etc? Cheers, Julie in Tas

[@thehorti-culturalists]

it isn’t fenced as luck would have it we only have kangaroos in the area and the occasional rabbit. Possums are my greatest enemy. Regards Stephen

[@haroldhavel9957]

Was that a green screen at the end?

[@thehorti-culturalists]

? Stephen's garden.

[@arfa07]

After soil has been double dug, after a year or two of letting it settle, should compost and organic material be added on top of soil or should you dig it in?

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Once the initial digging is done I don't redig I just put the compost and mulch on top. Regards Stephen

[@helendempster1580]

Can compost be applied to a garden at any time of the year? Or is it better to apply it, for example, in spring when plants are starting to grow again after winter? I'm unsure if applying it now in autumn (I'm in NZ) would just result in winter rain leaching out all the goodness from the compost. But I'm also conscious that walking all over my winter-sodden gardens beds in spring, to spread the compost about, would likely compact the garden soil. I'd be grateful for your advice on this. And great video!

[@thehorti-culturalists]

I tend to do it when I have the required materials at hand. The fluffing can be done in small areas as you work backwards out of the garden so that the soil isn't compacted and yes some nutrients may lack if put down in winter but some added manure when available can make up for it. Regards Stephen

[@jaqmackie]

Good to hear about clay soils as we have clay and I’ve been trying to improve drainage. I use the coffee grounds in my compost bin. Is there a reason you don’t combine them?

[@thehorti-culturalists]

There isn't any need to combine them and why put the coffee grounds into the compost bin then move it out again when you empty the bin. I love doing things in one step where I can. Regards Stephen

[@lukebanks9855]

Iv been working on a compacted dry shady area surrounded by trees and shrubs. I've removed weeds and loosened the soil. This has left me with stumps and roots. I'm not sure if I should remove these roots before planting as to avoid harming surrounding plant life but I plan to plant Hydrangeas in this area. Should I plant around the roots or try to remove them? Thanks again and great video!

[@thehorti-culturalists]

If the roots are dead then I would leave them to rot. Regards Stephen

[@lukebanks9855]

@@thehorti-culturalists thanks. And if these roots are from other living plants/trees but making it difficult to find space in the bed, shall I prune them out?

[@MDA-rs4uf]

it drives me insane to see how many folks burn their leaves from their trees each fall..... i collect all i can find that people bag and i use the shredded leaves to control weeds.... however,,,, i have heard that the break down process uses nitrogen and i may be doing a bit of nitrogen depletion by using them before they completely break down... any thoughts as to the damage i may be guilty of...???? m

[@thehorti-culturalists]

This is nonsense as the breaking down would only tie up nitrogen in the very top layer of soil and the roots aren't usually that shallow. Also the nitrogen goes back into the soil once rooted. Ive done it for years with no ill effects. Regards Stephen

[@MDA-rs4uf]

@@thehorti-culturalists Great,,,, i will not hesitate at all.......

[@dianwilliams239]

I have grown agapanthus all my long life, in a big country garden, and it has never once self seeded for me.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Different areas mean different responses. A weed in one area can be desirable garden plant in another. Regards Stephen

[@kyliehodges6341]

I hate, loathe and detest agapanthus they were everywhere where I grew up n Tassie. I now live in northern England on wet clay. Hooray no agapanthus for me!

[@thehorti-culturalists]

#lifegoals

[@Kay-qt2id]

Gentlemen firstly let me say that I’m so with you re the fruit stickers, like seriously what the hell is that all about? I once went to a billy Connelly show and he did a skit on this absurd practice, so funny. But to my main concern. I have been given a plot in our local community garden in mount Waverley Melbourne and it is shockingly poor soil, actually it’s clay. It is below the ground of the surrounding soil so will need to build it up considerably at great expense but it is also hard clay . God only knows how the previous person grew anything there. It is also riddled with oxalis weeds which have spread by the thousands due to digging them in rather than taking them out. I have spent 3 long full days digging out tiny oxalis seeds, then watered and now redoing it ( two days) . I have also added heaps of clay breaker. I finished the second weeding yesterday but I fear there will be more. I was think of putdown a thick carpet of cardboard before I add new veggie mix soil to stop any remaining seeds. Of courses from then on I will mulch each year. My question to you is is there an easier option, am I wasting my time never tis set rid of this seed (no Steven this oxalis is not your collectable type although your welcome to them😂) Also the community garden committee puts all these bulbs in the green waste bin, is hot composting really going to kill them off? Thank you for your wisdom guys, love to know any hacks for getting on top of this mess

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Well you really did take on a nightmare didn’t you! I would do as you suggest and cover clay with several layers of cardboard having first lowered the soil level in the bed it needs be to allow enough space to get at least half a metre of good stuff above. Then fill with good compost etc before planting. any oxalis that does find its way to the surface must have its top chopped off AS SOON AS ITS FOUND. After some years you should be on top of it. I am not convinced that hot composting will kill all oxalis bulbs but it might. Regards Stephen

[@Kay-qt2id]

@@thehorti-culturalists Thank you Steven, Yes Im wondering if im completely mad. Oh well here goes, thanks for the advice. kay

[@coolredkelpie]

@@Kay-qt2id I have been dealing with the weedy Oxalis in my WA garden. As this plant originates from a bulb I thought surely at some stage the main bulb must get exhausted if you deprive it of the renourishment cycle of leaves dying off and nourishment storing back into the bulb - Stephen will obviously have thoughts on whether this is the case for the Oxalis plant. Or is the cycle of the plant growth and flower from the main bulb, produce many tiny bulbils (which at early stages are white and grouped along the main stem of the parent plant, only later developing their brown coating) and no nourishment returns to the main bulb because the plant has reproduced? It may actually be both as I've found some pretty large main bulbs during my time dealing with this plant and sometimes the larger bulbs are dried out husks. What I have discovered though after digging through a particularly dry area of my garden where the plants root system became more visible is that there is a little more to the roots than just bulbs and bulbils. There are also fleshy tuberous roots which are similar to the look of Alstromeria tubers. Forming on the ends of these fleshy tubers is a small white bulbil that looks suspiciously like the immature bulbils that form along the main stems at about flowering time. If you spot any of the tuberous roots as you're digging around you naturally try to pull them out but they have an elasticity to them and they snap off ultimately leaving the remaining portion of tuber along with the white bulbil and hence you think you're removing everything but this sneaky plant certainly has a mission to hang around. I was pretty interested in what I was finding so took photos and did an Instagram post about it on my account. Everyone seems to know about the bulbil formation but I've not seen anyone talk about the fleshy tubers. I noticed the growth is not so strong where Oxalis grows under a shrub and is stifled for light so my thinking is if you can block its light source by smothering with cardboard or thick layers of mulch you might be able to manage some patches.

[@coolredkelpie]

@@thehorti-culturalists Stephen, I'd be interested in your thoughts on my reply to Kay regarding the common yellow Oxalis life cycle. Secondly, thanks for this video and showing us what you started working with. No dig and heavy mulching just won't work for me as just the rain and watering re-compacts my soil and it needs fluffing up regularly and this is something I've been battling with given the current trend of no dig. You mentioned that you didn't have too many rocks to contend with and I was wondering what your thoughts are for a garden that contains many, many rocks. I'm gardening in WA's southwest (Bridgetown) on lateritic soil with a gazillion gravel rocks with a very thin amount of top soil. In some places I just can't remove the gravel and can only really remove the largest of the rocks - half of what comes out of a planting hole is gravel rocks and so I rescue what native soil I can and mix with compost or soil conditioner to replant. Is there any other advice you could offer please?

[@FireflyOnTheMoon]

Surely the question here is planting non-native plants and deforesting the original cover. Trees would have been fine originally and not struggled.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

That ist true to an extent but with climate change quite a lot of local plants are struggling and I wouldn't be able to grow food. Also I see gardening and reforestation or revegetation as two completely different things. Regards Stephen

[@matteosollecito2448]

Stop talking dirty.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Thanks for watching!