Remove or Amend Beach Sand?
ktm11990
12 years ago
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aloha2009
12 years agodeviant-deziner
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Beach sand affect oak tree health?
Comments (8)hey thanks for the responses, yes I am located in Santa Cruz. I was planning to use beach sand because its free (i live less than a mile from the beach). I would guess that one could buy sand? but is that sand any different from the sand at the beach...maybe, but where does sand come from? I just don't know. Maybe they steam clean it before they sell it to you? I did consider the roots of the tree, but I am guessing that they are much deeper than 4 inches from the surface? I also was thinking that a broken concrete walkway would still allow the dirt to breathe and not be too impacted. I was gonna plant creeping thyme between the pieces. Here is a link to the photo of the area (with the proposed walkway in blue). http://www.largescaledesign.com/byard/proposed_walkway_blue.jpg Note that since this photo was taken, I have already removed the two small tree stumps in the middle of the walkway. I dug down about two feet deep in order to remove them both. I do currently have mulch (tree chippings) covering the entire byard, primarily for weed abatement, until I get a plan together to develop some landscaping. Thanks again! -a...See MoreBeach sand is No no.
Comments (23)As with many other issues, I suppose there are different views... but being a newbie and after having read different responses, here and elsewhere, I'm more inclined to accept that beach sand is not a good thing. Thanks for your input :)) @lisasfbay9b I would say the proportion is say 1 to 8 in the smaller pots, 1 to 15 in the medium-sized ones and way bigger in the others, so yes, it might not be such a drama after all. As I said, the intent (alas, how mistakenly it seems now!) was to have a small layer of a material which, in principle, would always be dry (beach sand doesn't retain water, right?) so when the plant roots reached that level at the bottom of the pot they wouldn't be soggy or wet in case I over watered, hence they wouldn't rot. Yes, all the pots have holes, I'm newbie, but that I get! As per how salty... I'm not tasting it, huh (LOL!), seriously, I wouldn't know and I don't have the equipment to measure it. I can only say is natural beach sand from the beaches here in Barcelona. It's very fine sand. As per salting it out, well, since there are plants in the pots I don't want to overwater and then kill them. @rina_Ontario,Canada(5a) Regular soil means (to me as a 'city dweller') standard bagged soil you can purchase in 5,10,20 and 50L bags at most garden centres, and I believe in English is referred to as "potting soil", right? As per how are they doing, well, some are doing fine others no so much, but (a) it's been a recent plant out and (b) those that are not doing so well it might just well be that I'm a newbie and perhaps I'm watering too much, or perhaps they are too exposed to the sun.... or a thousand other things I might be doing wrong. As they say "always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will."...See MoreHow to amend soil in new lot that has 6-8 inches of sand
Comments (1)I love the lasagna gardening method. I don't know if this would work for you. In my circumstance, I had grass and I wanted a large garden. I had read that tilling would pull up dormant weed seeds but a house was there previously so may not be a weed issue. The lasagna method is simply layering greens and browns on top of newspaper or cardboard. I layed out cardboard then threw a layer of leaves, cut grass, coffee grinds (from Starbucks) or whatever I could easily get my hands on (seaweed for me). Is your area normally sandy or was the sand added?...See MoreTedious Soil Amendment(s)
Comments (21)I use bermuda grass and then whatever is growing in the pastures...which is virtually everything. I wouldn't use bermuda grass if it had formed seedheads. That batch would go into the compost pile so the heat of composting could sterilize the seeds. To prevent anything in the grass clippings OR the soil from sprouting and growing up through the mulch, lay down newspaper or cardboard and then pile on the mulch. If there is any wind, wet down the cardboard or newspaper as you lay it down so it won't blow away before you pile on the mulch. The newspaper or cardboard serves as a barrier. Weed seed beneath it cannot sprout because of the darkness and if it sprouts, it generally cannot penetrate the paper or cardboard. Weed seed on top of the cardboard or paper may sprout, but any plants that sprout in the mulch can't grow down through it and it is easy to pull them out of the mulch when you notice they've sprouted. As a bonus, earthworms adore newspaper and cardboard so having them on the ground attracts them to your soil and since they improve the soil, that's a plus. A couple of tips: 1) Never use any grass clippings from lawn treated with herbicides, including weed and feed fertilizers; 2) If the grass is holding a lot of moisture after it is cut, I leave it in the garden cart or wagon for a day or two and let it dry and then I spread them on the beds; 3) If you have cut tallish bermuda in humid, hot conditions (especially in late spring/early summer) and think chiggers might be lurking in there, spray yourself with an insect repellent before you spread the grass clippings. Then, after you're done, scrub yourself thoroughly to remove any that may be climbing around on you. I have chigger issues about once a year after spreading grass clippings DH has cut and it usually happens in late May or early June. 4) Be very picky about your grass clippings. If neighbors see and understand what you're doing and offer you theirs, make sure their lawns haven't been chemically-treated. 5) If you have an issue with snails, slugs, pill bugs or sow bugs be sure you leave a little open space (at least 1/4") between the mulch and plant stems so you can spot those little buggies and sluggies and kill them dead. (I just sprinkle Slug-Go Plus in that little open area so they can find something to eat. It is just a bonus that the 'something' they find to eat kills them.) Dawn...See Morektm11990
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