Liz: Here on the coast flat wet swampy areas nearly always support Melaluca forests. They are useful in that they don't appear to effect the pasture around them and bees get regular flowering from them, may be the go for you. David C
----- Original Message ----- From: "Liz Davis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, 2 October 2002 6:08 AM Subject: Re: soil test > Hi Lloyd, > You and I had the same expectations of the penetrometer. The OM > is 3.9% (not bad). Thanks for your advice Lloyd, will follow up with some > pot trials for my learning, hopefully start this w/end, have been very ill > for over a week now, way behind on assignments & study. > I understand cost concerns, but this paddock is a priority as it will one > day shelter them from the constant batter of the main winds. Like the idea > of tea trees, do you mean Leptospermum (SP?) or Melaleuca? Thanks again > Lloyd. > L&L > Liz > > > on 1/10/02 11:15 AM, Lloyd Charles at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: Liz Davis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, October 01, 2002 6:23 AM Subject: soil > > test > > > > Hi Liz You've got me stumped this time!! If its wet and the soil has not had > > much (or any) cultivation the penetrometer should bottom out and not go much > > over 250 Magnesium at 57% says a sticky, yucky, glue to your boots type soil, > > but I would expect the tec to be high twenties (or more) - tec 16 says a nice > > strong loamy formation and you say no slaking or dispersion - this sounds like > > a little wet tea tree flat - peaty maybe? What was the OM from the soil test?? > > > > > >> Hi Lloyd, Gil & David; > >> > >> Pleased to hear from you guys. You described the soil almost to a 'T' Lloyd > >> it is a heavy waterlogged soil, that seems to never dry. The aggregates have > >> not slaked or dispersed. (is that the Mg causing that and or lack of clay?) > >> It's an area of about 6 acres, so they are happy to turn up the soil & add > >> lime. I think I would want to see what this patch is like in a normal (or > >> better) rainfall year before plowing it . Other species besides Casurinas > >> (tubestock) were planted but the majority were cas. and were picked for the > >> wet conditions of this paddock. A small creek runs through the beginning of > >> this paddock, but it is usually dry. They have watered the trees, but it is > >> thought that the moist soil was eventually the killer of the trees. > >> > >> Here is where my ignorance really shines through. Should they first work on > >> disturbing the soil & liming, then apply preps, such as 500? If it makes > >> sense to plow this patch - farm it for a year or two - and it will produce > >> something useful and profitable - then go ahead - but if the sole purpose is > >> to ameliorate the soil to then 'revegetate it' successfully - then I question > >> the wisdom of that. It may be better left alone - certainly cheaper. I think > >> I would try the preps first and also do some pot trials to see what happens > >> when you disturb it. What does this soil look like when you dry it out ? What > >> will it grow ? What happens when you add the amount of lime required to > >> 'balance' it? Look at the subsoil too it could be a problem like boron > >> toxicity or similar. You can find out a lot of useful things in a few pots in > >> the backyard, low cost and free of the heartache of an in field stuff up! > >> Gotta go Lloyd Charles > >> > > > > > > > > > >
