TaoRich
Well-Known Member
Hi,
Just thought I would share an experiment that seems to be working well for me.
The topsoil in my outdoor pots was getting pretty dry, cracked and crumbly ... a lot of the organic living soil was looking rather lifeless.
That was from a lot of sun roasting and gusty wind from our summer here. I'm at the bottom of Africa where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean ... and when the cold ocean weather system meets the warm ocean weather system it can get quite intense.
So I made these simple cloth skirts or aprons for each plant.
Dude at my nursery recommended landscape fabric. It's the same stuff I used to line the bottom of my 'bucket pots' after drilling generous drainage holes. It's holding up well under the elements and exposure, and it's cheap.
( I only saw this morning that these are a known thing and commercial product ... I was unaware before a search today .. my 12 home made ones cost me less than $ 3 for the fabric )
Skirt
I lay a few small stones or blocks of wood on top to keep them in place.
Topsoil this morning - before Worm Castings
The worm casting top-feed layer you see here was put on 3 weeks ago. Still looking fresh and alive and moist thanks to the protection. I often find worms and beneficial bugs cruising around when I lift up the cover.
Topsoil this morning - after Worm Castings
Just refreshed the 5 cm / 2 inch top-feed worm casting layer this morning.
Girls are looking happy
Just thought I would share an experiment that seems to be working well for me.
The topsoil in my outdoor pots was getting pretty dry, cracked and crumbly ... a lot of the organic living soil was looking rather lifeless.
That was from a lot of sun roasting and gusty wind from our summer here. I'm at the bottom of Africa where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean ... and when the cold ocean weather system meets the warm ocean weather system it can get quite intense.
So I made these simple cloth skirts or aprons for each plant.
Dude at my nursery recommended landscape fabric. It's the same stuff I used to line the bottom of my 'bucket pots' after drilling generous drainage holes. It's holding up well under the elements and exposure, and it's cheap.
( I only saw this morning that these are a known thing and commercial product ... I was unaware before a search today .. my 12 home made ones cost me less than $ 3 for the fabric )
Skirt
I lay a few small stones or blocks of wood on top to keep them in place.
Topsoil this morning - before Worm Castings
The worm casting top-feed layer you see here was put on 3 weeks ago. Still looking fresh and alive and moist thanks to the protection. I often find worms and beneficial bugs cruising around when I lift up the cover.
Topsoil this morning - after Worm Castings
Just refreshed the 5 cm / 2 inch top-feed worm casting layer this morning.
Girls are looking happy