DESERT GARDENING

[Anonymous]

We've just moved to the Southwest.

Like many, I used to think of desert as rocks, and sand. I'm amazed at the variety of flowering plants that grow in this environment....

We'd like to plant our garden area with native plants. ( Shrubs, flowering bushes, sagebrush, etc....) The soil is somewhat sandy, and gets "clay-ey" about a foot down.

My ( backEast ) instincts are to mix a bunch of mulch, and peat with the soil..... then a slow release fertilizer.

My spouse opines that this may be a mix that's foreign to the plants we're trying to grow.

????

[Pam - gardengal]

Listen to your spouse :-)) Desert and xeriscape plants generally prefer lean soil with minimal amendments.

pam - gardengal

[hippy gardener]

What you are missing here Pam is that desert soils in fact DO have a lot of biological diversity. Generally constructed neighborhood soils have NONE of the natural diversity. Do use some quality compost and some organic fertilizers to begin with!!!!

[Christopher Green]

[Pam - gardengal]

All soils have some degree of biological diversity regardless of composition unless they have beeen sterilized through chemical dumping. Regardless of the current state of the soils, desert and or xeriscape plants are NOT helped by adding amendments or fertilizers - less indigenous ornamentals, perhaps. And regardless where one is located and what soils you are working with, it is not favored horticultural practice to fertilize any newly planted material.

[gregpresley]

[hippy gardener]

Once more....and this comes form 20 years of experience and 6 years of biological testing.... MOST CONSTRUCTED SOILS USED IN DESERT SW DEVELOPMENTS ARE NOT TOPSOILS AND ARE MINED! Find me a silt pit with biology and I'll shut up!