Spirit Mountain Herbal Gardens Planting Grass 3/25/08
This is a documentation of Spirit
Spirit Mountain Herbal Gardens Planting Grass 3/25/08
This is a documentation of Spirit Mountain Herbal Gardens in Arizona
Sunset from Arizona 3/25/2008
Dichondra is a warm season ground cover that grows close to the ground. It has broad, almost circular leaves and when mown low establishes a thick dense carpet look. Originally a weed, it is now used in many ground cover situations where normal grasses may not do as well. It has a bright green color and a cushion feel underfoot.
SOIL TYPE:
Dichrondra can be grown in full sun or in partial shade and on soils that are sandy or heavy, as long as the soil has good drainage.
TEMPERATURE RANGE:
Dichondra is best adapted to those areas that have warm climates. Dichondra will retain its green color during the winter to temperatures as low as 20 - 25 degrees with only slight leaf browning.
Preparation: This should be planted on a thoroughly prepared seedbed and weed free in the beginning. Dichondra is very hard to remove weeds from and this step should be taken in the beginning. Fully pack the soil and lightly rake the surface and evenly spread the seed, evenly watering afterward.
Seeding: One pound per 300 square feet.
Usage: Low maintenance areas and erosion control in some places. For naturalized areas among other plantings.
Watering: Needs a lot of water on a deep and infrequent basis and needs to slightly dry out between wateriness. Too little watering results in problems if the soils is too heavy (clay types) and the water is too alkaline which in this case results in salt burn.
Fertilization: ½ to 1 pound / 1000 SF about every 2 months.
Mowing: May be mowed - Mow ½ to 1 ½ inches depending upon traffic and shade.
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This is a documentation of Spirit Mountain Herbal Gardens in Arizona 3/21/2008
Spirit M
This is a documentation of Spirit Mountain Herbal Gardens in Arizona 3/21/2008
Spirit Mountain Herbal Gardens Planting Almond Trees 3/21/2008
Eighteen Bayberry bushes Wax Myrtle [Myrica cerifera] along the front fence... Five White Pomegranate bushes [Punica granatum 'Babylonian White']... Four Sweet Pomegranate trees [Punica granatum 'Plantation Sweet'] alternating tree...bush...tree...bush in a row on the inside of fence. Three Wonderful Pomegranate trees [Punica granatum 'Wonderful'] in a triangle on the end. Two olive trees [Mission Olive] in front on deck. Six date palms Medjool Date Palm Tree [Phoenix dactylifera] on west side down hill next to drive way. Three Ne Plus Almond Tree, and Two Nonpareil Almond Trees on east side of yard.
Ne Plus Almonds are large, with a long and narrow shape, that is soft shelled with a sweet kernel. It normally blooms around mid-February, and requires a pollinizer, and the best pollinizer for the Ne Plus Almond is the Nonpareil almond. Ne Plus requires 250 chill hours, and will ripen in September
The Nonpareil Almond Tree is a very popular almond tree, and with a large, thick shelled almond, this almond is the #1 commercial almond around, being adapted to most localities. It's a heavy bearer that blooms in mid-season, and it needs a pollinizer as well. The best pollinizers for the Nonpareil Almond are the Ne Plus and the All-In-One almond trees. Nonpareil requires 400 chill hours, and ripens in September
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This is a documentation of Spirit Mountain Herbal Gardens in Arizona 3/21/2008
Caliche
This is a documentation of Spirit Mountain Herbal Gardens in Arizona 3/21/2008
Caliche (mineral)
Caliche is a hardened deposit of calcium carbonate. This calcium carbonate cements together other materials, including gravel, sand, clay, and silt. It is found in aridisol and mollisol soil orders. Caliche occurs worldwide, generally in arid or semi-arid regions, including in central and western Australia, in the Kalahari Desert, in the High Plains of the western USA, and in the Sonoran Desert. Caliche is also known as hardpan, calcrete, kankar (in India), or duricrust. The term caliche is Spanish and is originally from the Latin calx, meaning lime.
Caliche is generally light colored but can range from white to light pink to reddish-brown, depending on the impurities present. It is generally found on or near the surface, but it can be found in deeper subsoil deposits as well. The layers can vary from a few inches to feet thick, and multiple layers can exist in a single location.
In northern Chile and Peru, caliche refers to the nitrate salt deposits of the Atacama Desert. Caliche can also refer to various clayey deposits in Chile, Peru, Mexico, and Colombia. In addition, it has been used to describe some forms of quartzite, bauxite, kaolinite, laterite, chalcedony, opal, and soda niter.
Similar material, but composed of calcium sulfate rather than calcium carbonate, is called gypcrust or gypcrete ("Gyp-Crete" is also a trademarked brand name).
How it forms
Caliche generally forms when minerals are leached from the upper layer of the soil (the A horizon) and accumulate in the next layer (the B horizon), at depths of approximately 3 to 10 feet under the surface. Caliche generally consists of carbonates in semiarid regions, while in arid regions, less soluble minerals will form caliche layers after all the carbonates have been leached from the soil. The calcium carbonate that is deposited accumulates, first forming grains, then small clumps, then a discernible layer, and finally a thicker, solid bed. As the caliche layer forms, the layer gradually becomes deeper, eventually moving into the parent material, which lies under the upper soil horizons.
However, caliche can also form in other ways. It can form when water rises through capillary action. In an arid region, rainwater will sink into the ground very quickly. Later, as the surface dries out, the water below the surface will rise, carrying dissolved minerals from lower layers upward with it. This water movement forms a caliche that tends to grow thinner and branch out as it nears the surface. Plants can contribute to the formation of caliche as well. The plant roots take up water through transpiration, leaving behind the dissolved calcium carbonate, which precipitates to form caliche. Caliche can also form on outcrops of porous rocks or in rock fissures where water is trapped and evaporates. In general, caliche deposition is a slow process, but if enough moisture is present in an otherwise arid site, it can accumulate fast enough to block a drain pipe.
While the formation of other caliches is relatively well understood, the origin of Chilean caliche is not known definitively. One possibility is that the deposits were formed when a prehistoric inland sea evaporated. Another theory is that it was deposited due to weathering of the Andes
Caliche and Gardening
Problems caliche cause
Caliche beds can cause many problems when trying to grow plants. First, an impermeable caliche layer prevents water from draining properly, which can keep the roots from getting enough oxygen. Salts can also build up in the soil due to the lack of drainage. Both of these situations are detrimental to plant growth. Second, the impermeable nature of caliche beds also prevents plant roots from going through the bed, which means the roots have a limited supply of nutrients, water, and space, so they cannot develop normally. Third, caliche beds can also cause the surrounding soil to be basic (have a high pH). The basic soil, along with calcium carbonate from the caliche, can prevent plants from getting enough nutrients, especially iron. An iron deficiency will cause the plant's youngest leaves to become yellow. Soil saturation above the caliche bed can make the condition worse.
Fixing these problems
The best solution to these problems is to remove the layer of caliche and replace it with a mixture of organic material and soil. The hole should be large enough to contain the plant's mature root system and should go entirely through the caliche layer. However, when the caliche layer is thick, dig a hole large enough for the mature root system. Then, a smaller hole or holes can be dug through the remaining caliche to provide drainage. To test drainage, the hole should be filled with water. If the level drops by 1 inch per hour, the drainage is sufficient.
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