Having read that compost is good for Florida sandy soil, we purchased 20 cubic yards (2 trucks) of "compost" from the garden store. We then proceeded to use this compost at the base of the hole for over 200 plants when we planted them.

The problem ...apparently this compost is UNFINISHED ..it doesn't look like soil ...it looks like a mix of soil and wood pieces - some as big as 3 to 4" long .. only when we saw a picture of "finished compost" did we realize that what we had bought and used was unfinished (or 'maturing' but not mature yet).

These plants have been a huge investment for us. Especially the bamboo. Given it took us 2 days and a crew of 4 just to plant these, there is no way we can dig them up. Its too early to see if there is a nitrogen deficiency ..but if unfinished compost causes that..we're definitely going to get it because we used ALOT of the compost in each hole (especially for the bamboo). In addition to the 45 large golden godess bamboo, we planted 36 Ruellia (Mexican Petunia), 15 Thunbergia Erecta, 25 Dianella Tasmanica, 25 African Iris, and lots of liriope.

Is there ANYTHING we can do to counteract this stupid mistake of ours? Since the partially finished compost was used at the bottom of the holes (right next to the roots), will simply applying some Nitrogen fertilizer work? We live in FL, our soil is sandy and a soil test prior to planting w/ compost showed a ph of 7.1 and low fertility (6.8 on home test).

I'd really really appreciate any advise that can save us from our own stupidity.

We're going into winter, which I realize isn't very wintery in Florida, but I would think growth would slow down quite a bit.

Watch for yellowing or other unusual symptoms. Make sure they have enough water (stick your finger in to be sure, don't just look at the surface). I bet they will be fine. If you see yellowing it may be a symptom of low N, so you could water with a liquid N fertilizer to counteract it.

Lloyd

Just keep an eye on your plants and be aware that if they start looking sad, it wouldn't be unheard of for plants mixed in with unfinished compost to need a mild fertilizer.

Here's something I would be very concerned about, if I were you. Does your Ruellia look like this?

This is the tall version of Ruellia and it is one of the most evil, invasive plants you can imagine when planted in the ground. It spreads underground and is nearly impossible to control by digging once it gets going.

In climates where the ground freezes it won't survive, but down here, this plant is serious trouble.

There is also a dwarf version that spreads quite slowly. It's only about five or six inches tall. If that's the one you have, then you're perfectly fine.

If you've planted the tall Ruellia in the ground, it needs to come out. You can just transfer it into large pots and it does very well in them.

Just keep an eye on your plants and be aware that if they start looking sad, it wouldn't be unheard of for plants mixed in with unfinished compost to need a mild fertilizer.

Here's something I would be very concerned about, if I were you. Does your Ruellia look like this?

This is the tall version of Ruellia and it is one of the most evil, invasive plants you can imagine when planted in the ground. It spreads underground and is nearly impossible to control by digging once it gets going.

In climates where the ground freezes the cold will kill it, but down here, this is a leafy version of the Terminator.

There is also a dwarf version that spreads quite slowly. It's only about five or six inches tall. If that's the one you have, then you're perfectly fine.

If you've planted the tall Ruellia in the ground, it needs to come out. You can just transfer it into large pots and it does very well in them.

I agree with the other comments about the compost, though. Folks in the tree forum suggest not amending the holes of woody plants/trees, but if you have a lot of native soil in the planting areas I bet you will be fine.

Wood pieces in your soil, that will improve your soil quite a lot! You should be happy you got "compost" like that.

I've been redigging my garden beds and adding some wood "pieces". Check out this picture.

Also check out the comments in the below link about wood chip beds.
Adding wood to my soil this year has given me the best garden harvest I've had yet.

On the remaining 900 plants (yeah - we're pyscho - we have 1150 plants in all to plant), we switched gears and started using the finished compost (what the nursery was selling as top soil - but later explained was compost a year ago) in the holes. We mixed it with peat moss and in some cases vermiculite.

We're going to use the remaining 15 cubic yards or so of the 'woody compost' (aka the compost I was freaking out about) on the TOP of the soil. We're thinking 1 to 2" of that followed by 1 to 2" of pine bark mulch for a max of 3" in total on top.

We also bought some grass fertilizer for the bamboo -- the guy who sold us that recommended it anyways and supposingly its all nitrogen anyways.

RUELLIA -- YES - it looks like that picture ...however, I specifically purchased "PURPLE SHOWERS" ..it was my understanding (dangerous internet surfer that I am) that Ruellia Brittanica 'Purple Showers' was "*STERILE*" so it did not spread like unnamed varieties. The nursery thought I was crazy (they said and I quote "we've never seen a sterile plant in our 10 years of being in business").. BUT I'm pretty sure one of the places I read about "Purple Showers" was on Gardenweb. Also Riverview Farms in FL also states Purple Showers is Sterile. I'm just hoping its not invasive.

Billums_MS ... have you heard about Purple Showers being sterile (or less invasive) or do you think its all hogwash and I'm in deep trouble? I literally had 36 3-gallons planted right in the middle of our back yard. So if its invasive...boy will it wreak havoc here.

When they say sterile, wouldn't that just mean it wouldn't reseed itself? That wouldn't stop it from spreading underground in a climate where the winter won't get cold enough to kill it.

I wouldn't take the chance.

Don't get me wrong, when kept in a large pot, tall Ruellia is an awesome plant. It has rich dark green foliage, an interesting form, good height, and it is constantly covered in blooms that hummingbirds love. It's also tough as nails and very drought tolerant.

Do they still have Old Time Pottery outlets down there? You can usually score some really cheap large terra cotta pots there that would be great to transfer your Ruellia into.

My advice would be to transfer them to large pots or to toss them in the trash.