compost/fertilizer advice

[GardenSW7]

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.

[David Hare-Scott]

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

[Billy]

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.

[Phisherman]

Compost will improve water retention and add nutrients.

[brooklyn1]

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

[Billy]

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).

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.

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.

[David Hare-Scott]

Rubbish

David

[Billy]

That's what I said, but you said it in two syllables.

[ezylala]

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.

[Charlie]

That's the problem with sheldon k ...he has good advice sandwiched between slices of total bullshit, as evidenced above.

Charlie