Planting shrubs w/ hard compacted soil

[davebosox1967]

Soil in my area is the consistency of clay, with lots of small and large rocks underneath the surface. almost impossible to dig a good hole.

what's the best way to plant shrubs from the nursery which come with the burlap? can i simply place the shrub on top of the existing soil and build up from there? the area is in a low zone which collects lots of water during heavy rains.

dave

[Newt]

Hi Dave,

I would say it would depend on what you are planting. Most shrubs won't appreciate the wet conditions. You could put the shrubs on top of the clay soil, remove as much of the burlap as possible including the rope or twine, and build up from there. BUT you don't say how deep the depression is, so it would be difficult to say. If the depression is 3' deep and the root ball is only 2' deep, then the base of the root ball will be sitting in wet and all the soil that you add will also stay wet. You also don't say what state and zone you are in and what shrubs you are planning on planting. The only shrubs that come to mind that would be happy in those conditions are willows.

I think you need to address the drainage problem first. Then you can plant. If you need sites for dealing with the drainage, let us know more specifics and we'll try and help.

Newt