Oh cn... I thought I was a good composter but alas I have weeds growing out of my best stuff. Nothing a little mulch won't keep down but I would have bet it weed free and equal to any FF soil product. If you don't compost you can never appreciate what goes into in the way of love and labor. For years I have moved TONS of turkey droppings mixed with fine wood chips and trailer loads of seaweed after the high tides. Fish skins, lobster bait, Gury, lobster bodies, clam and oyster shells. I'm the guy who stops by the side of the road and takes the paper bags of leaves people leave at the curbside. They pay for the bags to throw out the makings of the black gold we love. The sad part is even with all the work I put in.... You just never have enough. I never put a thermometer to mine but to break it open when it was well below freezing outdoors was always a rush. I use my compost pretty course in texture cause the soil can eat it up so darn quickly.
You will get the house again and get your heap cooking. I have produced it in a year but the CONSTANT turning and watering is a lot of required labor. I have resorted to good old lowly COLD composting. It works but it never gets rid of all the seeds and I'm just using piles started 3 years ago. Speed is over-rated. I've planted black walnuts and they will be for my great grand children. I may never even see them fruit.
cn.. I'm gonna leave you with a pic of one of my holes "draining". With all the work involved I'm gonna use Gypsum and sharp sand even if they don't work. This hole had been draining fo stinkin hours. Have not even figured out what to plants in it that doesn't mind poor drainage and partial sun in Z6. Maybe a group of Paw Paw.
Fred.. very well said and very true. I have had so many non-weed plants appear pot bound when flipped out of the pot only to find the center full of good soil but no roots at all. Do you think you could disrupt than tendency in some way. After reading your post I wondered if I could dry wall screw some small strips of wood to the inside of the larger pots just to bum ou the "cord Root" (new term for me) and encourge them to grow inward. I'm just babbling but yours was a perfect informational session. I can certainly see the value to a commercial grower. They can't have five gallon of dirt in a ten gallon pot go unused. Gives me something to look for when I buy new woodies. I always flip the pot to check the root. (The nursery guys love that) I pain $120.00 for a Stewartia Mondelpha (Orange Bark Stewartia) last year. Caliper size was about a pencil. You can bet if I'm spending big bucks on small unique woodies I'm checking roots. Thanks for a great answer. Rock on
Danny..No one can question Michael. He was the guy who encouraged me indirectly to mess with the zones. The Franklinia is finally flowering and looking pretty good. It sure cost olot of money in failure to thrives I do have Z7 stuff growing in Z6. The thread ditn't go the way I had planned . (my fault). I do gererally go to a garden forums and get as many opinions as you do here. A couple more extention courses through the Arnold and I will achieve docent status as well. The best part about it is you can get first choice of the best seeds starts and what have you at the spring sale. First guy on my block to own a Stewartia "Sky Rocket" and a great new Calycanthus.
WhathowIdoit.. Accept the appology. Don't let the little stuff in the big picture fester to long.
I'm really not that bad of a guy. Lets burn one down someday. So you think Gypsum binds soil and I think it loosens it.