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Old April 13th, 2011, 04:42 PM
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Question about Top-Soil.

We bought soil in the yellow bag,from Hamilton Sod and are going to put much more soil in my flower-gardens.
My question is,in covering the shoots coming up,with at least 2 inches of soil,would that harm them??
Dumb question,I know,but I have never done that before
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Old April 13th, 2011, 04:47 PM
shirley1011 shirley1011 is offline
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No it won't hurt them at all...we always add a layer of mulch this time of year and the stuff grows right up thru...but then again so do the weeds.....
We used to when we were in town cover our lawn with mushroom compost about an inch all over and the grass was the best on the street...now with 4 acres we don't want it to grow.
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Old April 13th, 2011, 05:02 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shirley1011 View Post
We used to when we were in town cover our lawn with mushroom compost about an inch all over and the grass was the best on the street...now with 4 acres we don't want it to grow.
I've never heard of mushroom compost , sounds great.

I know the feeling of not wanting the grass to grow to quickly.

chico, there are some plants that are sensitive to having too much soil on top of them, I think peonies are one, but in general as long as you don't pack the soil down hard you should be OK.

14+ Kitties will know for sure.
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Old April 13th, 2011, 05:07 PM
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Peonies are definitely not sensitive to being buried--when we did our back garden, we put up a garden wall of two railroad ties and filled it with soil--right on top of some peonies. Those lil blighters are still coming up! One of the few plants that not even hazel seems to kill! There are some plants, though, like irises, that prefer their tubers to be close to the surface... I know there are others I've...ahem....eliminated accidently by burying them, but I can't remember which ones... There have been so many!
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Old April 13th, 2011, 05:09 PM
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Peonies are definitely not sensitive to being buried--when we did our back garden, we put up a garden wall of two railroad ties and filled it with soil--right on top of some peonies. :
Well maybe they were different peonies that I bought, I was told by the nursery where I bought mine from that they won't flower if I plant them too deep.
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Old April 13th, 2011, 05:16 PM
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You might just have to give them a little time--ours came up but didn't bloom the first couple of years. That third year, though--holy catz!!! Glorious!
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Old April 13th, 2011, 05:18 PM
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We just put a lot of good top soil down today with a lot of crap mixed in. We prepped the flowers in the fall so it went quick today.
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Old April 13th, 2011, 09:18 PM
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Personally, I think putting more top soil over the shoots, will encourage them to grow better. The soil will give them more nutrients to build their shoots and roots which will make the plants stronger.
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Old April 13th, 2011, 09:34 PM
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Is it just top soil or does it have other soils in it chico? If it's just top soil I would be tempted to add about 1/3 the volume again of a lighter soil (peat moss, vermiculite mix). That way the soil is lighter and you won't have to worry about harming the tender shoots. Even if some broke off I'm sure they would grow again. If I remember correctly most of your plants are very resilient anyway.
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Old April 14th, 2011, 07:50 AM
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Thank you everone,like 14+ says,I think my plants are quiet hardy and most of them are years old.
The soil we get is usually very good,no junk in it just black soil.
I don't think I have any tubers.
I usually mix the soil with peatmoss in my planters,not to have it get too heavy,I'll get some.
We also bought a huge bag of natural mulch,to try to keep the weeds back,we'll see.
First I have to pull the weeds that are there now,if my back allows it
Lots of work,but I cannot wait to get out there,luckily hubs loves it too.
I have 2 Peones,who have been here since we bought the house,which is at least 34 yrs ago,they just keep coming back..probably will survive a couple of inches of soil and mulch.
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Old April 14th, 2011, 08:28 AM
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Pile away I don't think it hurts at all. Speaking of railway ties hazelrunpack, if I were to make use mine sitting in a pile doing nothing I was thinking of using around a garden, does one have to dig a trench or just put in on top of the grass? Me too I know nothing about gardening. I do have very tough peonies, nothing hurts them.
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Old April 16th, 2011, 10:42 AM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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Quote:
Well maybe they were different peonies that I bought, I was told by the nursery where I bought mine from that they won't flower if I plant them too deep.
TRUE. Paeonies are quite particular about their depth of planting. Many things are. A general rule is you should plant at the same depth as it is already in the pot. Paeonies are fussier than most. Iris are another good example.

A heavy thick layer of topsoil may indeed impact some of your young shoots. Another general rule is you mix the soil in with the existing soil. When topping with soil or mulch or manure, particularly manure, a general rule is you do not let the stuff touch the plant stems for fear of retaining heat around them and causing burning. Very black soil might be quite acidic.

Rules are general because they don't always apply in every situation but for plants I'm not sure of I follow those rules. Good luck. Soon you will be suppling us with paeonie pics? Maybe not so soon, supposed to snow here today.
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