Something new today!

5 comments

My tomatoes that were planted in the old wine barrel have finally stopped producing and succumbed to the intense Texas Summer heat. Here is an earlier photo:

Today I pulled them up and planted a new “toy” in the rich organic soil that was placed in that old wine barrel:

It is a Dwarf Pomegranate, fresh from the nursery!

When I was removing the dying tomato plants, I was floored at how loose and rich the organic soil in the container was. It had been mixed in the old barrel about a year ago and Mother Nature has certainly been busy working her magic on the soil! It was absolutely amazing! This was the first time that I have dug into any of my organically prepared areas and the soil felt perfect!
Loose, rich in Humus, well drained.. Pretty cool!
The hole was dug out using only my hands (!) and I piled it up on the sides. The small shovel was used to smooth out the mix.

Earlier this week I had picked up some “worm castings” to do some testing with and added it to the new Pomegranate’s soil mix. Worm castings are “earthworm poop” and the substance is one of the most powerful organic soil preparations that you can buy. It works absolute miracles in potted plants that lack earthworm activity!

Here is the Pomegranate in its’ new home:

During the initial watering process, I poked a stick into the soil around the plant’s root ball to help spread the water into the lower parts of the planter and fully saturate the container. VERY important when planting newbies!

Since the new Pomegranate grows somewhat like a shrub or tree, I also planted it very high in the container:

Having the top roots and “root flair” exposed is critical for shrubs and trees!
The nursery actually had this one planted a little too deep in the shipping pot and I hand scraped about an inch of soil from the top and mixed it into the rooting mix.
This little guy will be interesting to watch in the next few weeks because it has been planted “by the book” in the most optimum conditions that any plant could ever hope for. {grin}

20 Aug, 2009
5 likes

Comments

Mobee

Your new plant looks lovely n2 poor tomatoes the heat must be very intense,hope your newbee does well.:~))))))

20 Aug, 2009

Doon

OK now I am very jealous, pomegranates my very favourite fruit, we had a hedge of them in my childhood in Southern Africa. They R little rubies U pluck & eat.
My tomatoes R also finished, but fabulous this year, all the old types. Yumm,

21 Aug, 2009

N2organics

It's a constant learning process.. The tomatoes produced quite a crop out of that old container and I still cannot get over how rich the soil was when I pulled them up.
The new Pomegranate should do great in it's new environment! I cannot wait to see it thrive! :-)

21 Aug, 2009

Balcony

Very interesting blog! I found the part about the earthworm casts very interesting, I've never see or heard of them over here in the UK.

I have a sister who lives in Texas, I'll have to get her to send me a bag as I only garden in pots on a balcony. I do mix in quite a bit of vermiculite with the compost & the plants seem to love it. They produce huge, fibrous root systems. The vermiculite keeps the soil open & traps water.

25 Aug, 2009

N2organics

Balcony, "Worm castings" that are purchased at local organic shops are the "poop" that earth-worms put out in the soil as they tunnel. They take in native soil and deposit it as "poop" and that "poop" is one of the richest composted materials that you can find. A rich compost pile that has a temperature of around 140 degrees will have a thriving earth-worm society in it!
Earth Worms in potted plants will also do wonders! They can process 1.2 cu.ft. of soil per week! Amazing critters..:-)

27 Aug, 2009

Add a comment

Members who like this blog

Clarice

Gardening with friends since
29 Mar, 2008
Pottygardener

Gardening with friends since
1 Jul, 2008
Donnah

Gardening with friends since
16 Nov, 2008
Balcony

Gardening with friends since
4 Apr, 2009

Something new today!

Comments

Recent posts by n2organics

Members who like this blog