privacy screen

Watch Reply
More
Mark unread Print Skip to new
TARogers5 Kingston, OK(Zone 7a) Feb 08, 2008

Just moved my west fence over 17 foot to my new property line. All 300 foot of it.
I want to build a natural privacy screen the full length. Narrow point is 6 foot from road.
Ok, Texas border, clay soil. What can I use that is low maintenance

Post #4509523
Quote
snapple45 Holland, OH(Zone 5b) Feb 08, 2008

How much sun? Can you use supplemental water until established? Will the clay drain at all?

Post #4509988
Quote
TARogers5 Kingston, OK(Zone 7a) Feb 08, 2008

Full sun, sloping hill side, can water when needed. If I dig a post hole it will hold water for about two hours. Though I might rent a ditch digger and dig a ditch the full length and fill with sand, then add a soil amendment. Think that would provide drainage.

Post #4511137
Quote
snapple45 Holland, OH(Zone 5b) Feb 08, 2008

Is adding sand in that manner a common tenique in your area? Adding sand to clay in some situations turns the clay into cement. Or - worse - it can create a bathtub effect which traps water and drowns the roots. Clay can be very successfully amended adding organic compost.

For the absolute very best recommendations regarding your soil and plant choices that would be target specific for your needs contact the following:

Cooperative Extension Service
Oklahoma State University
Agriculture Hall
Stillwater, OK 74078
(405)624-5400

Cooperative Extension folks are the nicest, most helpful people you will ever talk to about gardening, landscaping or pest and disease management questions. They will know just what you need.

Please share what you learn.

Post #4511328
Quote
ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Feb 08, 2008

My experience with trees and shrubs is that it's generally best to buy ones that are appropriate for your native soil and plant them directly in the native soil without amendments. Over time their root systems get large enough that they need to work their way out into your clay anyway, so creating an amended area right around the planting hole only serves to make their roots want to stay in the looser richer soil of the amended area rather than spreading into the soil. For annuals/perennials that have much smaller root systems they can do really well in an amended bed and for them I would advocate doing the amendments, but for trees and shrubs personally I think it does more harm than good. Unless of course you can amend the whole width and depth to which their roots will spread over time...but that's an enormous task!

Post #4511650
Quote

Post a Reply to this Thread

Please or sign up to post.
Back to Forum Homepage

More Trees, Shrubs and Conifers Threads

Go to all Trees, Shrubs and Conifers threads
BACK TO TOP