A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 desperately need composting advice

weezie where for art thou???
i recieved a bucnh of tall plox and dwarf daylillies from springhill nurseries and i planted them yesterday o.k. here is where the problem is...the soil turned out to be not quite as good as i first thought the area i have these flowers planted are under(not directly)2 huge oak trees. i have some compost that i started this past winter, mostly eggshels and lots of coffee grinds a bit of dryer lint, and veggie peels and other bits (no seeds though)of veggie scraps. it has remained a little wet and i mix it up quite a bit. would it be too soon to use this compost? should i go and purchase some soil ammendments? i dont want to lose these flowers. plese any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Hi Phoenix!

I think your compost hasn't had time enough to cure, unless it actually looks like nice, black dirt. I would suggest amending the soil with some purchased humus.

I hope the trees aren't putting too much shade on the flower bed! My phlox like full sun. My daylilies are slightly more tolerant of some shade.

bess,
i don't think there will be too much shade. that area gets a good amount of morning and afternoon sunlight. thanx for your reply i thought it may be to soon to use it :p i'll have to got to the store

Weezie's been up to her eyeballs in pond scum!
Deep~Deep!!! Deep~Deep!!!
Between glitches here on the forum and router boxes on my computer and Adelphia havin' some major problems and catching up and "STUFF"......and "LIFE"
I'm always behind. <img border="0" alt="[perplexed]" title="" src="graemlins/confused.gif" />

BUT......you know whenever that word,
COMPOST comes up you know I'm never too far away grinnnn:

Anyhow, what does your compost look like Phoenix?
Does it still look like all/or some of the stuff you put in it? Or a rich color of black or brown?

Sometimes the top of the pile can still be too
"Uncomposted to use" but the bottom of the pile may be that rich colored humusie type soil you're looking for..
Check under your pile, if it's a nice consistancy, use that....
If not, I'd go buy a bag or two of compost,
and use that and wait a wee~bit....

I've used those bags, and their nice and rich...

A foot note though, those daylilies are tough as nails though, from reading and listening to one guy that sells them.. he says they're a tough perennial and adapt to many different types of soil..and the one's I have here....I have several varieties and all have survived inspite of my neglect at times...

And if your phlox are anything like mine,
they're tough as nails toooooooo!
I haven't touched the one's here,
and they just keep growing and growing and multiplying and multiplying...
*they were here when we bought the place*
I have them all over now, even had a mutant color appear that wasn't here before...
so, they should be okay for you there in that crappy soil too..
**Sometimes, too nice of dirt/soil can be detrimental to a plant remember....some types are never meant to be in rich soil...

Weezie

hello weezie
wow you have been busy i think the compost at the bottom of my pile might be useable (i hope) but the other info you posted is helpful good to know
thanx weezie

p.s. something or someone stole my strawberries (yup the whole darn lot,plants,dirt and all )

Another double post have to start watching my stuttering fingers.

Last year I thought someone was stealing my onions came home one day caught MIMI my little Tibetain spaniel in my garden eating the onions from the bulb to the end of the stems didnt leave anything. Now have my little garden fence fixed so she can't get in,nothing has been stolen since.