I also posted this under the soil and compost heading but haven't had any response so will try this new heading to see what happens. I am visiting my sister who has just moved to E. Colorado and is right on the edge of the Big Sandy and can see for miles across the prairie. It's a truly beautiful place but the soil is total sand. We know she needs to amend the soil but there is so much yard we don't know where to begin. She does have 3 horses so manure will be a help but not for a while yet. What fertilizers will help? What are the best plants and trees to start with? We are assuming the soil is slightly alkaline but will get a soil test kit to make sure. Any help you can give us would surly be appreciated. I will be going back home soon and want to help out as much as possible before I leave.
Prairie gardening
any chance of green crops to turn into the soil?
If you can, get a soil sample from different areas. The soil here on the ranch is mostly sandy. There are patches that look like they are sandy, but really have some clay and in some areas enough clay to hold water for our cattle. You are right, though. Most of our sandy soil is alkaline, but surprisingly a few areas are acidic. I'm also using our oak trees as indicators. Live oaks like neutral to alkaline soil while Post Oaks need acidic soil. We have Post oaks here and there.
Organic matter has to be used to amend the soil if it's going to be amended. Fertilizers won't add the organic material that's needed to help retain moisture. Horse manure and other manures break down too soon. They are great as top dressing. Pine leaves, oak leaves, and well shredded bark, all well composted, last longer. The emphasis is on well composted. If it's not well composted before being added to the soil, the "compost" will draw nitrogen from the soil.
Here's how I've been coping with sandy soil for the past 4 years:
I amended my rose bed with pine bark and needle compost, but soon realized how expensive it would be to amend an acre of soil 1 foot deep. I read that the soil would be back to normal within a few years. Top dressing helps a bit.
I have been using native trees and shrubs recommended for our area, if possible.
Those shrubs and fruit trees that I cannot possibly live without went into the native soil. (This is the current recommendation.) I have to water and
fertilize a bit more often. But so far so good with one exception. I have been wanting a Franklinia alatahama (A beautiful tree with single Camillia-like white flowers produced in late summer.) for ages and since I had the space I planted one the year we arrived. It grew well the first two years. It even bloomed last year. This year, I couldn't get it to grow well. That's when I discovered that the tree needs to grow in acidic soil. I couldn't acidify the soil enough to suit the tree and it finally died last month. It is almost impossible to acidify large areas so your sister may want to stick to plants (Other than keeping hydrangeas blue.) that thrive in the type of soil she has.
I have planted perennial natives.
The current thinking and recommendation is to plant trees and shrubs in groups amending the soil in the entire area. Singly planted trees and shrubs should be planted in native soil
For lists of plants recommended for E. Colorado, have your sister contact her local extension agent. This link is Colorado State University's Cooperative Extension Service online website. She should be able to locate agents by county.
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/menugard.html
This last link has general tree planting information.
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-601.html
I hope this has helped.
Veronica
All the the things that have been recomended are excellent, but if you want to really enrich the soil for a vegetable garden or flower beds, go to my website and read about how I improved my soil. You couldn't do the entire field that way, but you can make excellent soil in smaller portions.
Check improving your soil at www.texastar.org let me know what you think.
Sincerely, Josephine.
Thanks Red Oak, bettydee, and frostweed for the replies. No, there are no crops to plow under just some sparse pasture. They do have a large lawn in front of and to the side of the house with some grass and a lot of weeds. They are lucky in that there are a lot of mature trees already here that give a lot of shade. There are mostly elms in the yard but there is a large stand of Ponderosa Pine that serves as a wind break. Lilacs do well but only with daily watering. My sister has planted over 100 baby Ponderosa pine around the perimiter of her property which will probably give protection 30 years down the line if the deer and bunnies don't get to them. As long as the roots can get down to the ground water they do quite well. She has been planting loads of local perennials but we wonder how they will do in this much sand. Just this morning we planted a trumpet vine on a dead tree and used 2 bags of compost around it. If that thing dies, we give up! We will be starting a compost pile and hope for the best. There was a nice garden at the local historical society that gave us some ideas. I'll be shipping her some of my iris and daylillies this fall as they seem happy here. Not only does she have this large yard to attend to, her house is a 100 year old ranch house that needs major attention. It's amazing just how much has been done since last winter when they moved in. Slow and steady wins the race, or something like that! She was talking about contacting the local extension service but that will probably have to wait until next week. We will go check out those links tonight. Thanks again, one and all.
Jean