Do you water-in fertilizers annually?
Do you pick rocks seasonally?
Do you adjust the soil pH annually?
Rocky soils usually demand fertilizing during the season because nutrients leach easily from them. Choose from several liquid fertilizers made up of liquid seaweed and fish emulsion, or mix the ingredients yourself according to the ratios listed on their containers. Applying the liquid can pose some challenges. If you are fertilizing only a few plants, simply mix up the solution in a 5-gallon bucket and use a container to scoop out two cups for plants with high nutrient demands and one cup for plants with moderate needs. Pour the nutrient around the base of the stem. You can also buy an attachment for the hose that mixes the nutrient to the correct proportion.
It's best to pick rocks when the soil is not so wet that you will be compacting it by walking on it or by hauling a heavy load of rocks over it. In most areas, this means that springtime is no time to pick rocks. Late summer is an ideal time for rock picking because the soil is usually not wet. Continue picking up however many you can manage until the fall rains begin to get serious and the soil gets saturated again. Because rocks will continue to move up through the soil each time the ground freezes and thaws during the winter, expect to repeat this process annually.
Developing a rock garden can be a good solution to the problem of rocky soil. Do some research to discover the needs of the plants you want to grow. True alpine species, like edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum) and gentian (Gentiana spp.), fare best in moist but well-drained soils with a neutral to slightly alkaline pH. However, you may wish to grow some plants that are adapted to well-drained soils but require more acid conditions. If you want a mixture of types, separate them. Amend the soil for each group in a separate section of the plot and put the most versatile plants at the boundary between the two areas.
Increasing soil acidity can also be a problem in rocky soils. As base nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium drain away, the soil will become progressively more acidic unless you add alkalizing materials to it. Test the soil frequently so you can adjust it before the problem becomes severe. Because digging lime into the soil can be difficult in rocky areas, let the fast drainage that caused the problem help to solve it. Sprinkle the recommended amount of limestone on the soil surface and use the hose or a sprinkler to water it in. It will drain down to the root zone right away.
Miranda Smith, (2004), Gardener's problem solver, The Reader's digest Association, Inc., Pleasantville, New York/Montreal
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Hi! I’m Sreten Filipović. I graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Belgrade, with a master's degree in Environmental Protection in Agricultural Systems. I’ve worked as a researcher at Finland's Natural Resources Institute (LUKE) on a project aimed at adapting south-western Finland to drought episodes. I founded a consulting agency in the field of environment and agriculture to help farmers who want to implement the principles of sustainability on their farms. I’m also a founding member of the nonprofit organization Ecogenesis from Belgrade whose main goal is non-formal education on the environment and ecology. In my spare time, I like to write blog posts about sustainability, the environment, animal farming, horticulture, and plant protection. I’ve also published several science-fiction short stories.
You can find me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sreten-filipovi%C4%87-515aa5158/
