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Clay soil and capillary rise

Dennis Bangham

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Location: Huntsville Alabama (North Alabama), Zone 7B

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posted 3 years ago

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Looks like many of the holes I am digging, to plant my potted fruit trees, often fill up half way with water and only after a couple hours. It has not rained in days and not very heavy for a couple of weeks.

I suspect it is capillary rise and since I live on a toe-slope, I do have a high water table on top of the bedrock. I have a small 3 ft deep pond that stays full from this underground water.

Trees and plants do very well on their own in this environment so I am hopping my fruit tree orchard will also do well.

My question is, can I go ahead and plant in this? I am mixing a little top soil into the clay in order to reduce this capillary action. Is this the right thing to do?

Other people may reject you but if you lie in the forest floor for long enough the moss and fungi will accept you as one of their own!

Joe Hallmark

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Location: Central Texas

posted 3 years ago

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Seems to me you might want to mound up each place you intend to plant the trees. Newly planted trees would drown if just sitting in constant water. That’s my thought anyways

Bryant RedHawk

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Location: Arkansas - Zone 7B/8A stoney, sandy loam soil pH 6.5

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posted 3 years ago

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Dennis Bangham wrote:Looks like many of the holes I am digging, to plant my potted fruit trees, often fill up half way with water and only after a couple hours. It has not rained in days and not very heavy for a couple of weeks.

I suspect it is capillary rise and since I live on a toe-slope, I do have a high water table on top of the bedrock. I have a small 3 ft deep pond that stays full from this underground water.

Trees and plants do very well on their own in this environment so I am hopping my fruit tree orchard will also do well.

My question is, can I go ahead and plant in this?
I am mixing a little top soil into the clay in order to reduce this capillary action. Is this the right thing to do?

Are you sure it is capillary action and not simple soil seapage? If it is capillary movement, then you need to raise the root ball to prevent drowning. Gravel would be a tree friend in that situation, placed in the bottom of your hole.

Redhawk

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Dennis Bangham

pollinator

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Location: Huntsville Alabama (North Alabama), Zone 7B

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posted 3 years ago

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I am thinking capillary only because of the amount of clay found at 6 inches and lower. At first I thought seepage but it is inconsistent. One hole will fill while 10 feet away and slightly downhill will be empty. I dug a small pond even further down the slope to investigate. The hole was dry for a couple hours even though it was around 3 feet deep. Next day fill to a couple inches below the brim. Another hole on higher land (behind the house) will go close to dry late in the summer (drought) but the rest of the year it is close to full. By the house the water is clear but this new area the water is dark brown.

I do have some limestone gravel which is about all there is around here. Even pea gravel is limestone.
Is there a way to tell the difference between seepage and capillary action? I was thinking capillary action since trees seem to love the soil and do not drown.

Other people may reject you but if you lie in the forest floor for long enough the moss and fungi will accept you as one of their own!

Bryant RedHawk

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Location: Arkansas - Zone 7B/8A stoney, sandy loam soil pH 6.5

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posted 3 years ago

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Seepage will come from the horizon junction, capillary would come from saturated clay. If the clay layer is wet when you dig into it then I would say it is capillary. Where we are the clay is very slow to take up water and that causes springs down hill from water not entering the clay horizon. If trees already there are doing well, new plant outs should be fine.

Redhawk

Dennis Bangham

pollinator

Posts: 926

Location: Huntsville Alabama (North Alabama), Zone 7B

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posted 3 years ago

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Thanks Dr Redhawk. Yes very wet clay. If allowed to dry out it is hard as a rock. I am putting down a thick layer of wood chips in hopes that this clay will become terrific soil.

Other people may reject you but if you lie in the forest floor for long enough the moss and fungi will accept you as one of their own!

John Indaburgh

Posts: 523

Location: SW PA USA zone 6a altitude 1188ft Grafter, veggie gardener

posted 3 years ago

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I have drilled as many as 80 some post holes in one day in the spring. About half of them filled with water. Some of the holes were near a very steep drop off down a 100 feet or so. It's my opinion that this is normal in the spring. Clay is known to retain water. I'd go ahead and plant your trees. And I wouldn't raise them above the surrounding soil. Plants grow well in clay.

Dennis Bangham

pollinator

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Location: Huntsville Alabama (North Alabama), Zone 7B

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posted 3 years ago

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This happens at any time of year. My neighbor has the same type soil.

Other people may reject you but if you lie in the forest floor for long enough the moss and fungi will accept you as one of their own!

Douglas Alpenstock

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Location: Canadian Prairies - Zone 3b

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posted 3 years ago

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Aside: capillary flow cuts both ways. We are in a drought. At my parents' garden, the cracks in the deep clay soil are deep enough to lose your wedding ring. I keep hoeing them over to break up the surface, reducing air exposure and moisture loss due to capillary flow.

Dennis Bangham

pollinator

Posts: 926

Location: Huntsville Alabama (North Alabama), Zone 7B

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posted 3 years ago

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Yeah I agree. I will cover with compost and wood chips soon. We have plenty of rain right now.

Other people may reject you but if you lie in the forest floor for long enough the moss and fungi will accept you as one of their own!

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