A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Plant pests and problems Help!!!

I need some help. All the landscaping around my house has done extremely well the past couple of years, except for one spot. The area along the back fence. Last year we planted azaleas. They all died except for 2 here and there. I could not figure out what was wrong with them. The area was perfect for them according to our local nursery. I am in Houston, Tx. So we recently pulled everything up and the ones still alive were so packed. The roots were fuzzy. I’ve relocated them hoping that they would make it, but I’m not holding out hope. I noticed that the soil seemed to have mildew and was a bit rotted. We tilled everything up and replaced the top soil. In their place, I’ve put gardenias and a crape myrtle at each end. We put new mulch down, etc. The same thing we do for the other areas that do extremely well. Now the crape myrtle at one end looks a bit droopy, although it has gotten enough water. The one at the other end is doing fine. Would this have anything to do with the rotted soil (white powder looking) and what can I do so these don’t die as well?

Hi Loomie,,,,,,, I think what you may need is to turn organic Compost material into the soil.
Top soil is just top soil,
, You need to admen the soil ,, using Humus,, or dryed leaves from trees,, Or go to the nursery and buy a 40 lb bag of Organic compost and turn into the soil,, Or a bag of composted Cow manure or sheep manure, to enrich the soil,, I live in the Dallas Area and this soil here is aweful,, I have to turn my soil in my garden beds Every early spring just to loosen it up,, and I make my own compost to amend it with,

Sometimes Mulch's does more harm than good,, make sure the mulch is a few inches away from the stock of the plant you placed it around,, you want good air circulation!

I found this info online.

High Soil Sodium
Spots in the yard or garden where water ponds may indicate areas of sodium accumulation. Soils dry hard and, when watered, tend to pond very quickly. Sodium prevents soil particles from aggregating, forming instead large monoliths with soil particles so tightly bound that roots can explore only the surfaces. Plants growing
in these areas require frequent watering and grow poorly, if at all.

Evidence - You'll see areas of poor plant growth, ponding and soils that are hard to till. Often the surface of the soil has a white crust, and a soil test of the top 6 inches shows high levels of sodium present.

Remedies - Better drainage is required for any amendment to be effective. A soil test can provide an SAR, or sodium absorption ratio, showing the relative balance of sodium to the desirable cations of calcium and magnesium. The higher the SAR reading, the greater amount of soluble calcium amendments you'll need to replace sodium on soil clays and flush them away with rainfall or high quality (low-sodium) irrigation water. Amounts required may range from 20 to 200 pounds per 1,000 square feet of gypsum. The amendments will need to be tilled in to the depth of the sodium problem. Several rooting depths of water may be required to leach out the sodium. If the soil has limited drainage and the irrigation water is high in sodium salt, the probability of positive results using this technique is slim. growing grasses that are tolerant to drought, considering moving the garden or building raised beds that have better drainage and contain soil that is not degraded by excess sodium would be better.

Salts
Salty soils are a natural, but undesirable, result of relatively young soils. They are high in nutrient content, have poor drainage and are often in a semiarid climate. (Figure 3). Some plants have a higher salt tolerance than others. Most garden plants and many desirable lawn grasses have a low tolerance for salt.

When the water table is high (the water table is a fluctuating zone under the soil where the soil is saturated with groundwater for a long period of time), salts are brought to the surface by capillary action. The water is pulled toward the soil surface and evaporates, leaving the salts behind. During times of continuous dry weather, any rainfall received tends to drive the salts deeper. In wetter periods, salty areas expand as water tables move closer to the soil surface.

Evaluation - Salty soils are evidenced by white, chalky material at the soil surface. Plants growing in or near these areas may be stunted or dull, have scorched-looking leaves or leaf margins and require more frequent watering. Soil tests indicate EC (electrical conductivity) > than 0.5 mmoh/cm (or dS/m).

Remedies - No amendment that "neutralizes" salty soil is available. Salts are present due to poor drainage and high water tables. Adding any amendment usually increases salt levels. Test irrigation water for salts. If salt levels are high for your soil (NDSU Extension publications EB-68 and AE-792), a leaching irrigation after the season (e.g., turfgrass, 6 inches; vegetables and flowers, 12 to 18 inches; trees and shrubs, 18 to 24 inches) might be needed to sustain productivity.

Lawns: If tiling is an option, you might consider it, especially in golf courses and natural athletic fields. Having an adequate outlet is often a problem and is a reason tiling is not used more often. Before tiling, make sure that sodium will not be a problem if the salts are drained out of the soil. Usually salts only affect a certain area of a lawn. These areas might be better off seeded to a salt-tolerant grass (NDSU Extension publication SF-1087, "Managing Saline Soils in North Dakota").

Gardens: Consider moving the garden to a less salty spot if possible. If this is undesirable, consider a substantially raised bed at least 18 inches or taller. Fill the bed with new, low-salt soil and avoid incorporating the original soil into the bed.