Illustro Posted February 22, 2011 Hey, My friend recently extended his raised garden in which a small Khat plant grows (1m tall), he had some leftover soil mix (50/50 , loamy topsoil/pumice) which was added around the base of the plant to even out the garden level. This added about an extra 3-4cm (~1.5") of soil above the roots and around the trunk. He knows adding soil around the base of plants can suffocate and kill them, but he figured that a few centimeters of this porous soil would be alright. Especially considering these plants readily send out adventitious roots from branches, and suckers from their roots, which indicates they are relatively well equipped for handling soil disturbances. But, we are both now wondering whether this wasn't a very good idea, it has been about a month and the plant is still exploding in growth, but we are unsure if the soil will cause problems later on. Any input would be greatly appreciated! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Magicdirt Posted February 22, 2011 (edited) ` Edited May 8, 2011 by Magicdirt Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
weedRampage Posted March 5, 2011 Raised beds tend to dry out so your extra soil will act like a mineral mulch layer. I think the tree would like it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Illustro Posted March 6, 2011 Thanks for the input guys, we probably won't know for a long time if the soil is causing any problems, but for what it's worth, the plant is still booming in growth. My friend had a careful dig around the trunk and root zone, apparently there are feeder roots growing everywhere all through the newly added soil, and some substantial adventitious roots emerging from the trunk and some branches that have been ground-layering for about a month, so I think its safe to say it is adapting well to the situation :D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
