Why Is It Whenever I Plant Anything The Dirt Dissapears

[DrB]

Every time I plant a shrub, plant or tree.  I dig the hole put the shrub/tree in that has lots of extra dirt around it and still need to go find more dirt even using all the soil I just dug out.  Is there some ancient discovery of the law of "Diminishing Dirt" that I don't know about???

Dave..

[Moshe]

Believe it or not, the rotation of the moon at different phases around the earth, affect these things.  So, depending when you did this, shifting gravities will affect dirt, just as it affects the tides.  Bizarre factoid, but there you go.

[Dric902]

Stems, leaves, twigs, branches, etc, aren’t made of sunshine and air. The nutrients and chemistry of the soil is what makes the body of the plant.

so kind of “plants are made of dirt”

 

.

[janice6]

39 minutes ago, DrB said:

Every time I plant a shrub, plant or tree.  I dig the hole put the shrub/tree in that has lots of extra dirt around it and still need to go find more dirt even using all the soil I just dug out.  Is there some ancient discovery of the law of "Diminishing Dirt" that I don't know about???

Dave..

Maybe it's a natural phenomenon called "compression".

[Cougar_ml]

lots of air in dirt, when you plant something you compact the dirt down around the roots to keep it from moving.    

Kind of like making ice cream in reverse.  You start with a liquid then cool it and stir it up to add air to it so the final volume is greater than what you started with.

 

Janice beat me to it, but used big words so it doesn't count.

[janice6]

10 minutes ago, Cougar_ml said:

lots of air in dirt, when you plant something you compact the dirt down around the roots to keep it from moving.    

Kind of like making ice cream in reverse.  You start with a liquid then cool it and stir it up to add air to it so the final volume is greater than what you started with.

 

Janice beat me to it, but used big words so it doesn't count.

I'm sorry.  

 

[Cougar_ml]

 

[DrB]

23 minutes ago, Cougar_ml said:

lots of air in dirt, when you plant something you compact the dirt down around the roots to keep it from moving.    

Kind of like making ice cream in reverse.  You start with a liquid then cool it and stir it up to add air to it so the final volume is greater than what you started with.

 

Janice beat me to it, but used big words so it doesn't count.

But the dirt is compacted to holey crap when I dig it up here..  Would not adding air to the soil plus adding the extra big pot of extra soil that came with the tree add up to a mound of soil around it??

Damn, I'm an old farmer and have seen this all my life..  And my dad and his father.....

Dave..

[DrB]

1 hour ago, Moshe said:

Believe it or not, the rotation of the moon at different phases around the earth, affect these things.  So, depending when you did this, shifting gravities will affect dirt, just as it affects the tides.  Bizarre factoid, but there you go.

Now I need to go get the tin foil hat out... Thanks...

Dave..

[janice6]

1 minute ago, DrB said:

But the dirt is compacted to holey crap when I dig it up here..  Would not adding air to the soil plus adding the extra big pot of extra soil that came with the tree add up to a mound of soil around it??

Damn, I'm an old farmer and have seen this all my life..  And my dad and his father.....

Dave..

Then you dad must have told you about "Hardpan" and what produces it.

[DrB]

1 minute ago, janice6 said:

Then you dad must have told you about "Hardpan" and what produces it.

Yep, I know....  I was just making a lighthearted comment. Was always good conversation starter and could get the city boys scratching their heads.

Dave...

[janice6]

1 minute ago, DrB said:

Yep, I know....  I was just making a lighthearted comment. Was always good conversation starter and could get the city boys scratching their heads.

Dave...

I know you knew this, I was just adding fuel to the fire.  Life has to be fun, since you will die in the end.  Laugh your way out.

[Moshe]

https://farmhandscompanion.com/country_ways_files/90f98e6fa5ea8ce5bdd2387f254b5a59-7.html

Simply science.

[janice6]

2 minutes ago, Moshe said:

https://farmhandscompanion.com/country_ways_files/90f98e6fa5ea8ce5bdd2387f254b5a59-7.html

Simply science.

From the article: "...Well, I don’t know exactly. But …"

[DrB]

I gotta go and plant fall lettuce and mow an acre of lawn.....  Enjoy the day folks.

Dave..

[Moshe]

I learned this as a young man when I would dig holes and loose dirt, and fill them in and find the dirt was not filled as much as I would have liked.  So the job required more dirt.

[DrB]

1 minute ago, janice6 said:

From the article: "...Well, I don’t know exactly. But …"

This thread could get interesting.   I'm a gonna go to the store for more foil....  I'm running out..

Dave

[Maser]

I love the randomness of this forum! 

[Moshe]

2 minutes ago, DrB said:

I gotta go and plant fall lettuce and mow an acre of lawn.....  Enjoy the day folks.

Dave..

With over 100 with humidity, I think inside is the place to be.  I do plan on a raised bed garden.  I know exactly how to build it, unfortunately, I can't anymore.  So, I have to rely on others.  So, it may be awhile.  

[DrB]

Ok.. another question. When I plant my lettuce do I arrange the rows to Compass Magnetic North or True North??  Or should I go with the moons rotation for this time of year.???

My head hurts......  Dave...

[Moshe]

If you are doing a raised bed garden, problems can occur if you don't put down contractor cloth to keep the weeds from coming out from the bottom.  Additionally, hardware cloth will keep the burrowing creatures out,  Then set up trellises for your vine plans, and quadrants for whatever else works in your environment.  Cedar wood has a tendency not to rot.  Set it up so you can sit on either side so you can reach five feet across and reach by sitting on either side.  Use PVC hoops to string your cloth that you can throw off on either side to keep birds and deer out.  I have been wanting to do it for years.  You can regulate your soil, especially if the soil is sandy.  

[Moshe]

1 minute ago, DrB said:

Ok.. another question. When I plant my lettuce do I arrange the rows to Compass Magnetic North or True North??  Or should I go with the moons rotation for this time of year.???

My head hurts......  Dave...

If you find a depletion of soil, you may need to add more depending on the moon phase is the simple take away.

[Eric]

It’s the Graboids. If you dig without rhythm, you won’t attract the worm. 

[gwalchmai]

33 minutes ago, Maser said:

I love the randomness of this forum! 

It's actually psuedorandomness...

 

[janice6]

27 minutes ago, DrB said:

Ok.. another question. When I plant my lettuce do I arrange the rows to Compass Magnetic North or True North??  Or should I go with the moons rotation for this time of year.???

My head hurts......  Dave...

Why make assumptions for your crops when you could simply ask them what their preference is.