Percent forb cover was highest (6%) at the 0 cm depth and lowest (2%) at 60 cm topsoil depth. Percent canopy cover of grasses was highest (25%) at 60 cm and lowest (15%) at 0 cm topsoil depth. Species richness and diversity were highest at the 0 cm topsoil depth and lowest at the 60 cm topsoil depth. This study assessed the long-term (24 years) effects of four topsoil replacement depths (0, 20, 40, and 60 cm) on plant community attributes (species richness, diversity, canopy cover, and production) and soil characteristics. Varying topsoil depth may influence reclamation success. Then set the plant back upright and plant it as usual.Topsoil replacement on reclaimed mine lands is vital for improved infiltration, plant rooting media, enhanced nutrient cycling, and as a potential source of plant propagules to increase plant community diversity. You can usually remove at least a third of the roots of a plant (often up to half!) without doing any serious damage, although plants with taproots are not going to like this, though! So lay the plant on its side, grab a saw or sharp knife and cut away. Cut the Rootball Down to Size You can cut off the bottom of the rootball to make it fit the depth of the hole. It should be at least 3 times as wide as the root ball to allow roots to spread out over time.ģ. Just plant as deeply as logically possible, leaving the top of the rootball exposed, then cover the top part with a mound of soil. You can simply cover the exposed part of the rootball with a mound of soil Among plants with a taproot are oaks, baptisias, baby’s breath, and hickories.Ģ. Note that plants with a taproot (a long, thick main root that digs deep into the soil) are probably never going to grow well in shallow soil, so if your soil is naturally shallow, you’d do better to choose something with a spreading root system. But nurseries seem to think all gardeners want big specimens of shrubs and trees with huge rootballs and you may not be able to find exactly what you’re looking for. This is the easiest solution… provided that such a plant exists.
Go back to the nursery and pick out a specimen in a shallower pot. In such cases, you generally have enough depth to plant annuals and smaller perennials with their rootball intact, but large perennials grown in deep pots, not to mention trees, shrubs and most climbers, have rootballs you simply may not be able to dig a deep enough hole to accommodate.įortunately, there are several solutions to this problem.ġ.
Digging any major hole would take a jackhammer!
Now, schist is a very light and friable rock full of cracks and fissures that roots grow well into and it holds water very nicely, but that I simply can’t dig into it with a shovel. My own yard consists of about 8 inches (20 cm) of topsoil above a layer of schist that sinks down to China. In dry climates, there’s often a layer of hardpan only a short distance down that’s impossible to break through. In mountainous areas, your shovel will pretty much always hit rock before you’ve gotten to a reasonable depth. Not every gardener has deep soil in which to plant. Sometimes digging a deep planting hole just isn’t possible.