Bring Soil to Life with Happy Frog
by David Sargert
At the nursery, other than the weather, the election, and 'when are
ya’ll gonna move?' the fourth most often asked question is: 'I’ve
got this rocky/clay soil. . . ' Thankfully it's the only subject for
which we have definite answers.
(This article is the start of a series that will allow us to 'dig deeper
into dirt,' and continue our ever-expanding scientific research, to
help bring success to our treasured customers in all gardening
ventures.)
Texas A&M University identifies three types of soil for our region:
the black clay soils of Pflugerville and parts of east I-35; the lime-
stone ledge soils of west I-35; and the river bottoms of southeast
Austin. All share the same high pH and clay levels and minimal
organic materials.
First off, we have to admit we've been dealt a poor soil hand. Sec-
ondly, we have to realize that with a little bit of planning and effort,
even the most barren of soils can be brought to life.
Last year I made soil for the back nursery garden. I started by till-
ing up the little topsoil that existed. I then layered four inches of
composted hackberry leaves on each row, and one inch of cow/
chicken manure on top of that.
I tilled this in for both fall and spring and had a fairly successful
crop. The addition of 8-2-4 fertilizer rounded out the blend and I
thought we were in pretty good shape. Plants looked healthy and
yields were good.
However it seemed that the plants were not getting the right levels
of nourishment toward the latter end of their production cycle,
despite constant feeding. Adding to their distress were very heavy
rains, flooded fields and blast furnace temperatures.
The following spring I tilled the soil again, and noticed that the
tiller was easily able to sink its teeth another six inches deeper
than the previous planting season.
From my architecture days, I was aware that organic material add-
ed to clay would create drainage. But I had to call one of my struc-
tural engineer buddies to better understand the science of what was
happening to the clay/rock combination.
His explanation was very simple and elegant.
Think of clay as a stack of paper plates, which does not allow
water to get through. And think of organic material as little BBs
that work their way between the plates each time they're watered.
Over time the clay becomes part of the organic mix allowing for
drainage and root capillaries. All the while micro-organisms (little
bugs) attach to the limestone. They feed on the other micro-organ-
isms that have been attracted to the moisture laden stone, and it
too begins to breakdown into the mix. This all made sense to me.
How do I get more of those 'little bugs' to eat all this clay and
stone? Enter the Happy Frog.
FoxFarm Soil Conditioner in stock for $27.99; Molasses: $7.99.
___________________________________________________
Just about this time we took on a new product line I’ve told you
all about before. Fox Farm – Happy Frog. I cannot say enough
good things about the entire line.
It is quality through and through. The product that answered my
call for little bugs was their Happy Frog soil conditioner. Not
only does it boast 20 different kinds of micro-organisms, but it
also contains clean compost, earthworm castings, bat guano, oy-
ster shell, dolomite lime, humic acid and granite dust.
They guarantee the life of the little bugs in the package for 2 years;
each 60 pound block contains 15 times more bugs than any similar
product on the market. It is highly effective for planting beds, lawns
and gardens – straight out of the bag, which I promptly did.
Never one to just leave it there, I began to experiment with adding
horticultural molasses to each bed thinking that if I fed them well
they would be fruitful and multiply, Oh boy did they!
Within days the beds perked up and new transplants took hold in
record time. Since the bacterial colonies are becoming established
I simply keep up the molasses every 60 days to keep them happy.
No need to add more bacteria, as they are doing a fine job repro-
ducing themselves. The only thing I will be adding next year will
be more earthworms as the beds with worms out-perform those
without. Living soil, makes all the difference.
Each (compacted) block of Happy Frog soil conditioner fluffs out
to about six square feet (or one wheelbarrow) and covers appx.
200 square feet of lawn and 100 square feet of garden/planting bed.
Come in and talk to us about how we can help you give long life
to your soil. Happy gardening everyone!
