root pruning inground figs.

[susieqz]

after 5 years of the worst drought in history, i was going crazy from never seeing green.
so, i decided to build a green room for myself.
i built a 6' high wooden fence to create a micro climate. then i trucked in tons of compost because the soil is as close to sterile as i've ever seen.
anyway, after i had it ready it seemed to me i should put in plants that take longest to mature first, so, first year, figs.
next year came bushes.
i'm trying for a garden of eden effect, so now i need pants that run 18'' high n also an evergreen ground cover.
so far, i've failed with the last two, needing drought tolerent plants.
so, i'm digging up the ground again.
plus, i'm throwing in little patches of veggies here n ther while other plants haven't taken over.
this is a fruit/herb/ornamental garden where looks come first.
i'm digging up soil within a couple feet of the figs.
today it occured to me i'm root pruning the figs, doing this.
i've tried to drive the roots deep but there are lots of roots near the surface.
so, how bad is the damage going to be?
what can i do to mitigate damage?
looks come first but i'd like to get as many figs as i can?

[WillsC]

I don't think that cutting the roots will hurt the plants much at all as long as you are not too close to the plants.

[FigMania]

Hi suziqz..may I ask where you are located? What the temp highs.. but mainly the lows are? We have long hot(er) summers in my part of Calif and, combined with the drought we have had requires drought tolerant plants. I can send you a list of nice shrubs that are tolerant.

I think WillsC is right.. stay a few feet from the trunk of the tree and you should be good to go. I plan on doing that with my in-ground trees every few years once they get large enough. Periodic deep watering will cause the roots to seek water at a deeper level. Also, if you can get a few inches of chipped trees from a tree trimming service and build up around the trees you will be surprised at how moist the soil stays. And, as the chips break down it adds a lot of micro nutrients to the soil.. plus the worms will do a great job of aeration once established. I bought a device called a "root waterer" which is a long spike.. maybe 3' long that the hose attaches to. Turn on the water and begin pushing it into the ground.. as deep as you like and just let it run for an hour at a low rate. Water wants to spread horizontally for the most part. But you are getting the water down to the deeper root level and not encouraging weeds. Plus the chip mulch will preserve moisture and keep weeds at bay.

[susieqz]

bill. i'm in new mexico. continental climate. temps over 100 lots in the summer, down to zero in the winter.
i use bark mulch all over but it doesn't break down. it petrifies.
i think of the soil as sterile as there are no earth worms, only 20'' of rain/year.
worse, the soil is made up largely of limestone.
contrary to popular belief, too much lime is a problem.
i would very much appieciate a list of perennial shrubs that are drought tolerent.
except for veggies i only plant dry climate plants.i only have so much water. i spend it carefully.
i deep water as best i can. once/week the trees get 5 gallons of water from a 5 gallon bucket with a teeny hole in it.
your system sounds better.

[FigMania]

Hey Suziqz.. For a some great info on building soil.. go to YouTube and search for "Back To Eden". The guy everyone is trying to emulate is Paul G up in Sequim (pronounced Squim), WA. He is a Christian gardener who gives God the credit.. and he does a lot of that.. but, his results with poor soil is awesome. There are many other vids you will find with that same search by both him and many others.. some are more scientific that show how micro rhizomes work in the soil. I think you will find it quite instructive for soil building. It won't happen the first year or two.. but, once the chipped trees begin to break down, things start to really happen to the soil. In the meantime, the moisture holding capability of the soil is dramatically increased. I have proven that out in my back yard garden area. I have raised beds. The pathways are covered with chipped wood and I use a sawdust material as a mulch in the beds themselves.

Notice, I didn't mention bark. Bark doesn't break down readily. It will help preserve moisture.. but not much nutrient and takes forever to break down. I could get truck loads of it delivered to my street and wheel barrow it to the back where I keep the ground covered. But, over the time span of a few years, I believe you will see a dramatic improvement in your soil. The tree trimming companies will usually deliver it free to your yard if the distance is reasonably close.

[eboone]

But there are not a lot of trees trimmed in the high plains of NM, I bet

[susieqz]

no trimmers because no trees.
i buy mulch every year but after it dries up it blows away.
if i can find an evergreen ground cover that will have to substitute for mulch
i got this free commercial compost but it hasn't broken down much over 4 years.
i'm just lucky that i'm interested in figs. they don't need great soil.
i hope.

[FigMania]

Ah.. ok.. do you have reasonable water to work with? Legumes are great for a couple of reasons. One, the fix nitrogen.. two, they act as a living ground cover that will prevent wind erosion. And at the same time they will prevent "scorched earth" Whatever is not covered as nature designed will die. Even if covered with weeds, which are the first thing to usually pop up.. would be ok. Legumes put out pretty deep roots and take nitrogen from the air and make it available to plants. That's a good thing. Another great plant, IMO, is Lavender. It stays green(fish) even through the frosts we have here. I don't know how they would hold up there. However they put out beautifully smelling flowers, attract bees like crazy and grow to a decent sized shrub that should help wind protect your soil from wind erosion.

Also, http://www.highcountrygardens.com/about-us, might well be a great place to ask questions as they are in New Mexico and I would hazard a guess that they would be able to make some great suggestions for both ground covers and wind breaks to prevent erosion and build up your soil.

Hope this helps

[don_sanders]

My lavender seems to have survived a couple winters so far. It smells nice just running your fingers through it too.

Creeping phlox can make an interesting ground cover but have no idea if it would work well in NM.

[susieqz]

thanks, bill. i think i'll plant some legumes.
i have reasonable well water but not in unlimited quantities.
i add amonium sulfate, as the ground is mostly limestone high ph, stunting the trees.
high country gardens is often grat. i have the most beautiful bushes from there.
so far, their ground covers have failed for me, but i'm plugging away.

[susieqz]

don, that philox sounnds great but it needs moist soil.
i did put a lavender inground last fall. not sure if it survived yet.