By JOHN A. STARNES JR.
Published December 27, 2003
[Photo: John A. Starnes Jr.]
Concrete can work wonders for your nursery because it is made largely of calcium carbonate from natural limestone.
I am convinced that senior women gardeners are living treasures. They are heroes quietly preserving the best of the past for a richer future. And as several have told me over the years, their common sense, nontoxic methods were not called "organic gardening"; it was simply gardening.
One tip given to me in the '70s by a brilliant woman with a tiny nursery was that the calcium in dolomite could be used to heal acid soils.
But it was another wise woman who shared a simple, frugal substitute: broken chunks of concrete.
Why concrete?
Because concrete is made largely of calcium carbonate from natural limestone. Drop a few chunks into a planting hole for a rose, citrus or banana tree and they will slowly leach out the calcium that all plants need and that is lacking in the acid soils across Central Florida. Think of them as Tums for your shrubs.
If you have areas in your yard that drain poorly, bury several large chunks of concrete at the bottom of a large planting hole (for a woody shrub or tree). This traps air pockets and helps waterlogged roots breathe during the rainy season. It also keeps the soil (beneath that tree or plant) looser for better drainage. Good drainage helps keep earthworms from drowning so that they can continue to tunnel through the soil and further improve drainage, a nice domino effect to heal soggy soil.
Anecdotal evidence has convinced many folks, especially those obsessed with growing lovely roses, that buried concrete seems to deter root knot nematodes. So, in 1999 when I began planting more than 100 roses in my front yard, I was able to retrieve several concrete blocks from a coin laundry under construction. I spoke with the building foreman, who was familiar with this valuable tip and offered up the site's jumbled refuse. Now when people see my jungle of rambling shrub roses (which are never sprayed), I am certain those buried "antacids" get part of the credit.
I will always be grateful to those women who changed a young gardener's life with the lessons they learned during the Great Depression and World War II. And though I am neither old nor wise, it is a joy to pass along those gems.
- John A. Starnes Jr., born in Key West, is an avid organic gardener and rosarian who studies, collects, cultivates and hybridizes roses for the diverse regions of Florida. He can be reached at JohnAStarnes@aol.com
