Bob wrote: > Clay, in arid and semi-arid climates, is much more difficult to wet. It would > take days of rain for water to penetrate the soil here (a clay subsoil > spread over the native sandy loam) This is true in not-so-arid climates, too. Here in North Carolina, our rainfall is fairly well distributed across the year, but summer rain tends to fall in short, intense thunderstorms, while winter rain is more often long, gentle soaks. Consequently, the piedmont clay soil is sticky and wet in spring but hard and dry in autumn, to the point where I can only dig with a mattock. The summer rainfall doesn't have time to soak in, so it only wets the surface before it all runs off into the creeks. For summer growing sub-tropical bulbs, the tricky part is finding a position that is moist in summer but not saturated in winter. Winter-growers that can tolerate our climate (e.g. Lycoris) grow wonderfully in the clay, because it keeps them dry while dormant but moist while growing. Nick Plummer North Carolina, USA https://sweetgumandpines.wordpress.com/ <div dir="ltr"><div><div>Bob wrote:<br>> <font color="#000000">Clay, in arid and semi-arid climates, is much more difficult to wet. It would<br>> take days of rain for water to penetrate the soil here (a clay subsoil <br>> spread over the native sandy loam) <br><br></font></div><font color="#000000">This is true in not-so-arid climates, too. Here in North Carolina, our rainfall is fairly well distributed across the year, but summer rain tends to fall in short, intense thunderstorms, while winter rain is more often long, gentle soaks. Consequently, the piedmont clay soil is sticky and wet in spring but hard and dry in autumn, to the point where I can only dig with a mattock. The summer rainfall doesn't have time to soak in, so it only wets the surface before it all runs off into the creeks.<br><br></font></div><font color="#000000">For summer growing sub-tropical bulbs, the tricky part is finding a position that is moist in summer but not saturated in winter. Winter-growers that can tolerate our climate (e.g. Lycoris) grow wonderfully in the clay, because it keeps them dry while dormant but moist while growing.</font><br><div><div><div><div class="gmail_extra"><br></div><div class="gmail_extra">Nick Plummer<br></div><div class="gmail_extra">North Carolina, USA<br><a href="https://sweetgumandpines.wordpress.com/">https://sweetgumandpines.wordpress.com/</a><br></div></div></div></div></div> _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/…