[Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page

[Chris Trask]

>
> Is there any thing to soften calechie. I've hand dug
> about three feet two of the bottom feet are calechie.
> I want to plant a tree but every where I dig in the
> yard I can only get about a foot of soil. What do you
> sugest shot of a back hoe. Thanks
>

     Go to a grodery store and buy a few gallon jugs of the cheapest white vinegar you can find.  Dig a shallow pit in the caliche and pour in one of the jugs of vinegar, then fill the remaining hole in the caliche with water.  Wait 24 hours, then you my be able to scoop it out with your bare hand.  Continue doing this until you've completed the hole or the grocery store runs out of vinegar.

     Don't bother with gypsum.  The only long-term solution for caliche is excavation.



Chris Trask
Outings Leader, Sierra Club (1981-1991)
Palo Verde Group Outings Chair, Sierra Club (1985-1988)
Grand Canyon Chapter Outings Chair, Sierra Club (1988-1991)
Member, Arizona Native Plant Society
Member, Arizona Governor's Advisory Council on Invasive Species (2005-2006)
Member, Central Arizona Weed Management Area

http://www.home.earthlink.net/~christrask/wildflowers.html