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| Here's the thing I don't get with the whole "amending makes a bathtub" argument:
If the plant being planted is containerized or balled-and-burlapped (not bare root), isn't the enriched soil in the container/burlap just going to help form a bathtub anyway? If anything, amending would lessen the bathtub effect since it would increase the drainage in the soil immediately adjacent to the plant's root ball and keep it from pooling directly around the new plant quite as much. Definitely when we're talking about bare root plantings, I can definitely see how amending is a bad idea. But with containers or burlap, I don't really see it as a bad thing. |
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| Yep, the "bathtub" analogy definitely has it's limits. One of the biggest is that the unamended planting site is full of media (with certain drainage characteristics), while the bathtub is potentially empty (with no comparable particle drainage characteristics). It is, however, somewhat useful because it makes people realize that surrounding drainage barriers impedes drainage regardless of what's inside the planting hole. I tend to shy away from using this analogy most of the time, but sometimes do use it. I do try to be careful about how far I take the analogy. Amending soil would NOT usually increase drainage, even immediately adjacent to the rootball. Of course, this depends on the particle size of the rootball, the particle size of the surrounding soil and the amendment, and the relative mixture of these particle sizes. One thing that amendment can potentially do is increase moisture extremes (increase moisture retention during moist times and decrease moisture during dry times). |
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- Posted by jimbobfeeny none (My Page) on Tue, Jun 12, 12 at 21:46
| To me, it seems like trees don't want to root out into non-amended soil if they have nice amended soil around their roots. (Why should they?) Amending the soil does seem to create a bathtub effect, and here's why: Dig a hole, fill it up with water. If the water drains away within an hour or so, you have adequate drainage. If it's still sitting there 6 hours later, you don't. If you amend soil and put it back into the hole, water enters the amended soil well, but can't go anywhere. If you had left it plain soil, the water would go through the soil at the same rate, eliminating the "bathtub". Water would just run off the surface. That's all I really know about it, hope that helps! |
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| Jimbobfeeny, OK, think of it like this: And if the plant doesn't want to grow out of the amended soil, why would it want to grow out of its own enriched potting soil? |
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- Posted by toronado3800 Z6 St. Louis (My Page) on Wed, Jun 13, 12 at 0:51
| Interesting! If the plant lives it will fill up the area its pot used to be in in no time. Heck, some potted plants are soo rootbound there is almost no medium anyway. Just don't make the situation worse lol. |
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- Posted by akamainegrower none (My Page) on Wed, Jun 13, 12 at 5:04
| There are just too many factors involved - tree species, characteristics of the native soil to name just two - for sweeping generalizations about tree planting to have much accuracy. The only suggestions I would offer are: 1) if you're going to create an amended planting area for a tree make sure it's of adequate size. Three or four times the width of the root ball should be a minimum and 2) cut, loosen or otherwise disturb the roots in any pot grown tree that has become rootbound. |
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- Posted by cearbhaill Zone 6b Eastern KY (My Page) on Wed, Jun 13, 12 at 6:55
| "And if the plant doesn't want to grow out of the amended soil, why would it want to grow out of its own enriched potting soil?" This is why you open up the rootball before you plant them. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Wed, Jun 13, 12 at 8:11
| you guys are comparing apples and oranges ... the bathtub.. is a SOIL ISSUE... aka drainage the potting media.. as an AMENDMENT ISSUE ... if your soil drains so poorly.. then you plant half ABOVE THE CLAY ... filling the mound with well draining soil ... roots need air.. as much as water ... the tree.. will survive long enough in the top soil.. to put its roots ... WHERE IT CAN COPE ... which will include.. putting them down into the clay ... the problem is getting it to survive long enough .. without you loving it to death and drowning it ... because of the lack of drainage ... as to the idea.. of sinking a big wad of 'POTTING media'.. into 'mother earth' ... well.. you see.. there are two words there [actually 4.. but shut up.. lol].. words mean things.. and mother earth.. is not a pot ... those who succeed in cutting the odds of failure.. do two very important things ... they plant in DORMANCY .. and they BARE ROOT the stock at planting.. and plant in native soil ... [because the former.. allows the later] when i moved here.. i brought along 1650 potted plants .. and planted many of the hosta by tipping the pot full of promix.. and simply sticking the whole wad into the mineral sand.. what happened in august.. is that the super dry sand.. simply wicked all the moisture out of the potting media.. and many plants died.. as once peat dries... it can be nearly impossible to rewet.. especially underground ... [unfortunately i didnt figure this out.. until the following spring.. when 300 plants did not come back] its all about the great dichotomy between divergent soil types.. and how they interact ... when properly planted.. the soil.. is predictable.. and when you start throwing stuff in a hole.. you can NOT predict anything .. and when you cant.. it leads you to screwing it all up.. because you end up guessing about what to do ... if you perk test a hole.. then you will know EXACTLY how long and how.. the water drains ... throw in 4 pot fulls of potting media.. and then tell me.. how it drains .. you cant... ken
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