I have a loamy/sandy soil in the garden borders which has become dusty and depleted of nutrients. Any suggestions as regards the best fertilizer to buy to regenerate it and improve water retention? I was thinking of well matured manure.

GardenSW7 wrote:
I have a loamy/sandy soil in the garden borders which has become dusty
and depleted of nutrients. Any suggestions as regards the best
fertilizer to buy to regenerate it and improve water retention? I was
thinking of well matured manure.

Look for a cheap source of organic matter in your area. It may be manure,
spent mushroom compost, vegetable waste from local government collections,
stable bedding etc or a combination. Start your own compost heap. Grow a
green manure crop and turn it in. All of the above.

David

In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

GardenSW7 wrote:
I have a loamy/sandy soil in the garden borders which has become dusty
and depleted of nutrients. Any suggestions as regards the best
fertilizer to buy to regenerate it and improve water retention? I was
thinking of well matured manure.

Look for a cheap source of organic matter in your area. It may be manure,
spent mushroom compost, vegetable waste from local government collections,
stable bedding etc or a combination. Start your own compost heap. Grow a
green manure crop and turn it in. All of the above.

David

Add some clay while your're at it. The charged surface of clay hangs on
to nutrients, and it impedes the flow of water.
30% - 40% sand, 30% - 40% silt, 20% - 30% clay is your target. Then add
10% - 15% by volume, compost or compostable material.
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

On Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:41:36 -0400, GardenSW7
wrote:


I have a loamy/sandy soil in the garden borders which has become dusty
and depleted of nutrients. Any suggestions as regards the best
fertilizer to buy to regenerate it and improve water retention? I was
thinking of well matured manure.


Compost will improve water retention and add nutrients.

wrote:

I have a loamy/sandy soil in the garden borders which has become dusty
and depleted of nutrients. Any suggestions as regards the best
fertilizer to buy to regenerate it and improve water retention? I was
thinking of well matured manure.

Adding manure, compost, and fertilizer to dust will only make things
worse, what you need is top soil.

In article ,
brooklyn1 wrote:

wrote:

I have a loamy/sandy soil in the garden borders which has become dusty
and depleted of nutrients. Any suggestions as regards the best
fertilizer to buy to regenerate it and improve water retention? I was
thinking of well matured manure.

Adding manure, compost, and fertilizer to dust will only make things
worse, what you need is top soil.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_soil

Topsoil is the upper, outermost layer of soil, usually the top 2 inches
(5.1 cm) to 8 inches (20 cm). It has the highest concentration of
organic matter and microorganisms and is where most of the Earth's
biological soil activity occurs.

Commercial application
A variety of soil mixtures are sold commercially as topsoil, usually for
use in improving gardens and lawns, (e.g. container gardens, potting
soil).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil#Characteristics

Soil texture refers to sand, silt and clay composition. Soil content
affects soil behavior, including the retention capacity for nutrients
and water.[17] Sand and silt are the products of physical weathering,
while clay is the product of chemical weathering. Clay content has
retention capacity for nutrients and water. Clay soils resist wind and
water erosion better than silty and sandy soils, because the particles
are more tightly joined to each other. In medium-textured soils, clay is
often translocated downward through the soil profile and accumulates in
the subsoil.

http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda%2...tural%20Myths_
files/Myths/Compost%20overdose.pdf
During home construction, topsoil is removed from the site and
eventually replaced by "designed soil." It
is almost impossible to purchase native topsoil in urban areas; it is
too precious a commodity.
Commercially available topsoil is usually a mixture of native topsoil
and a variety of inorganic and
organic materials including sand, perlite, compost, peat moss, bark,
sawdust, and manure. These
designed soils usually contain 15% OM by weight (equivalent to 30%
compost by volume). By
comparison, native topsoils contain about 5% OM by weight (or 10% OM by
volume); this level of OM is
considered to be optimal in terms of nutrient content. Obviously, new
residential landscapes contain high
levels of OM, well above what is considered ideal.
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

brooklyn1 wrote:
wrote:

I have a loamy/sandy soil in the garden borders which has become
dusty and depleted of nutrients. Any suggestions as regards the best
fertilizer to buy to regenerate it and improve water retention? I was
thinking of well matured manure.

Adding manure, compost, and fertilizer to dust will only make things
worse, what you need is top soil.

Rubbish

David

In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

brooklyn1 wrote:
wrote:

I have a loamy/sandy soil in the garden borders which has become
dusty and depleted of nutrients. Any suggestions as regards the best
fertilizer to buy to regenerate it and improve water retention? I was
thinking of well matured manure.

Adding manure, compost, and fertilizer to dust will only make things
worse, what you need is top soil.

Rubbish

David

That's what I said, but you said it in two syllables.
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

hello GARDENSW7..

like the user suggested, i would also recommend a Manure fertilizer. It is the most excellent fertilizer i know..It also adds organic matter to the soil which may improve soil structure, aeration, soil moisture-holding capacity, and water infiltration.