Hello new to the forum thing. Just wondering what some other people are using outdoors to help keep things in the soil moist with out having to hand water every day. More or less looking for ideas that wouldn’t pop out of my own head. I’ve used river diversion and rain collectors with irrigation techniques but would be interested in other methods people have come up with to help Mother Nature along. Thanks in advance.
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So one technique an old man taught me was dig a hole next to the plant that can catch water and act as a resivoir, mounding dirt in swampy areas and planting on the dike of ponds has also been effective, just gotta make sure beavers dont flood ur pond/swamp.
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I like the ideas but for me I’m looking for as little a finger print as possible (I don’t mind digging the earth and adding some things in but I’m not big on electronic solutions, this is more of a large scale idea) The solar panels, trailer battery, and pump with irrigation seems like a easy was to go and move a lot of water. And dikes as well as swamp grows are good ideas but I have had bad luck with most common hybrids in my area due to humidity. Last plot was a field which we lead the river to (dug a cut) and lead it to the hole (in my head equates to the idea of digging a hole) my hope was some on had success with water table access. Meaning perhaps using natural springs, or lining the bed with Mylar to make a pooling effect when it rains. strong text
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A nice heavy mulch will hold an amazing amount of moisture cover crop roots can travel a long way down and help with compaction and will get your soil over time nice and loose and have the ability to hold large amounts over time
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Any mulch in particular? Cedar or pine got acidic nature? Or blend. Curious now.
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Deciduous tree leaves , straw , compost , wood chips, eycy will all work pretty well there an older technique that utilize a buried clay pot at surface level , but compost mixed in the planting hole it stated that compost can hold like 27x it’s weight in water IIRCC
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To be honest I’ve used silica balls and now orbez to help hold water in soil. As well as large 75gal pots buried to brim in swamps. I do have access to oak and maple chips which lead me to the next thing. Larger chips or are we talking like hamster bedding. Composting has done good for me in the past also but tends to attract other critters that I don’t want mingling with my girls.
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Hardwoods would take longer and would work over time mycelium networks would be building and in turn would assist in returning moisture and nutrients to your plants.
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Hi Enjoi802,
Some consideration should be given to the types of soil before choosing an organic or even a plastic or other material mulch.
Oak and maple will take a few years to break down to a point where they won’t rob the soil of minerals and microbes.
Unless you are a purist at heart plastic sheeting, clear or black will do their thing splendidly, for a single grow.
Oak, maple, most hardwood chips harbor fungus during their initial breakdown, I’ve had flying fungus from fresh oak leaves before.
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Hey Tt!
Good to see ya!
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Is there a easy way to test soil or is it just a ph and check for content, sediment type and such then go forward from there. Or wouldn’t mulch be good at any type of soil. Just may decompose linger in some that others. For the most part I grow near swamp maples. Or hard wood though the northeast is littered with conifers. Would just using decomposing tree be more beneficial and easier for mycilliuem production (not to hop on how this benefits the grow beyond decomp control and nutrient reintroduction, could two girls benefit from the network and boost each other health?) My goal would be a set up and leave it type situation.
Smooth tonight, very peaceful.
Hope the same for you.
One mulch I prefer for an area setting is hairy vetch in a previous fall sowing.
Works great with standing corn stalks too, great screen.
But the way I use it is to sow it 85% hairy vetch and 15% cereal rye mid Oct locally.
Take a 2ft by 6 in board, drill a hole 2 in from each end and tie the ends of a ten foot rope in a lock knot at each hole and use that to stomp the rye/vetch flat come mid June.
Plant right in that.
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And from a quick search are you talking about fungus Knats?
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I challenge you to try this method … take some well rotted material only a gallon or so Of material and cover the shittiest piece of soil( not rocks) and lay down the compost cover it with more leaves and keep moist and see what the microbiology can do for that little area 3 months from now I test areas before with a spoon before and after … you will be amazed!
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Actually, no. I didn’t have any luck either as what I used for this search was specifically flying fungii,
Doggone, that was a tough search!
https://blog.mycology.cornell.edu/2019/02/03/flying-fungi/
Anyway this is not the specific fungus I had experience with. That one wasn’t deadly to the plant but ruined the crop by getting everywhere. nasty black slime.
Can’t find the link though.
Edit
For your viewing pleasure
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lol
I’m there with you bro!
I cruise the autumn neighborhood at night with my trailer, selecting the best of the bagged, shredded leaves.
One year a guy came out and yelled at me but when I explained he was cool.
I mix half of that w/grass clippings for compost that makes a difference. The other half goes to mulch.
The leaves I pen and cover with fencing so they “soften” over winter.
Good stuff!
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BTW, you’re right. The hairy vetch method does work best on cultivated ground, but it performs really well when you are limited by available material.
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So corn field and use the hairy vetch and cereal rye as nitrogen boosters, as everything starts to grow stomp it and plant in. This is assuming that the area you do this is not disruptive by corn planting? Like don’t use someone else field lol? If I do does that pop quicker than the corn? Or is it a cat and mouse in hopes you get that to go quicker than the corn so you can do what you gotta do.
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