How can you plant a tree in soil that has alkali in it.?

Question

i live in new mexico in a part of land that has alkali in the dirt. and ive tried and tried to plant trees they only die. or are dwarfed.

Answer 1

Sprinkle some limestone in the hole before you put the tree in, and then on top of the dirt afterwards. Put some more down every couple years, as the water table shifts, and it'll be fine.

Answer 2

The answer to all gardening questions is almost always good soil preparation. You may not want to plant anything right away, but choose the spot where you "eventually" want to have your tree and then test the soil there. You can add different things to it to make it more or less acidic or alkalyd - a knowledgeable nursery employee or someone at your local agriculture extension service can tell you exactly how much of what to put in (you can either buy things like phosphorous, peat moss, etc., or "grow your own" - green clover puts nitrogen into the soil, coffee grounds acidify it, etc., etc.). The one thing that you can never go wrong with is nice, aged compost! Work your soil amendments deep into the ground, and then plant. Make sure you give your new tree plenty of supplemental watering the first year until it is established, and add a top-dressing of compost around the trunk and at the drip line (where the upper branches "drip" water down to the roots) at least once per season. Good luck!