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StevePots
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Joined: Fri Jul 17, 2015 7:57 am
Location: South Florida 10A

Plants that fix soil?

Where I live (Hop skip and a jump from Everglades Wildlife Area) the soil is really bad. I'm in zone 10 a in Florida if that helps. This was all swamp area at one point. They basically dreged the swamp to raise the ground to build townhouses on.

The soil in my garden is black but it is very sandy. Much like you would find on a riverbank but black. There are a lot of clam shells in my soil too. Basically...dried black swamp soil. This stuff does not hold water at all and has hardly any biological material. Probably washed out by years of rain. Not sure what makes it so black?

I'm wonder what I can plant in this black dust bowl. Maybe some ground cover that I can till in. I have time on my hands as this will no doubt be my retirement house. lol

Yes I know I can go buy compost and other additives but I want to fix this soil naturally while getting something from it. I was thinking Nasturtiums. They apparently love poor soil and are edible. You all think of something else I can plant to fix the soil?

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rainbowgardener
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Location: TN/GA 7b

You don't want to buy compost, but it really is the best thing to improve your sandy soil. At least build a compost pile (or two or three :) ) and start composting everything you can: all your kitchen scraps and wastes, pulled weeds, shredded paper, sawdust, torn up junk mail, fall leaves if you can get them, garden trimmings, small branches run through a chipper shredder, etc, etc. See the composting basics stickies at the top of the Compost Forum, if you are not real familiar with composting.

But cover crops are a good idea too (along with the compost!). Some of the best cover crops are legumes, which can pull Nitrogen out of the air and "fix" it, stabilize in plant-usable form. Once they are turned under, the N will be released in to the soil. Types of legumes commonly grown as winter cover crops include crimson clover, Austrian winter pea, and hairy vetch.

Also:
The hardiest of cereals, rye (winter rye, grain rye) can be seeded later in fall than other cover crops and still provide considerable dry matter, an extensive soil-holding root system, significant reduction of nitrate leaching and exceptional weed suppression. Inexpensive and easy to establish, rye outperforms all other cover crops on infertile, sandy or acidic soil or on poorly prepared land. Pair rye with a winter annual legume such as hairy vetch to offset rye’s tendency to tie up soil nitrogen in spring
https://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Boo ... Cereal-Rye

imafan26
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Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Actually that muck may be more useful than you think. Alluvial soils and soils near streams may be sandy and silty but usually contain a lot of nutrients.

Egypt depended on the annual flooding of the Nile and the rich deposits of silt to grow their crops for millenia. It has only been since the construction of the Aswan dam which was meant to tame the annual flooding, that the once naturally fertile soil now needs fertilizer.

Adding compost to your sandy soil will help it to hold on to water and the nutrients that are probably in that silty sand will probably help more than hurt you.

Green manures like buckwheat and legumes add biomass to the soil and legumes if inoculated will add slow release nitrogen which will become available to the next crop.

I recommend that you get a soil test as well and ask for organic recommendations. If you don't ask they will give you synthetic recommendations. :mrgreen:

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

I'm thinking mustard (RED mustard is supposed to be the one you want, though I imagine other mustards will be beneficial as well) and marigold as anti-nematode green manure/covercrop or sweet potatoes for massive biomass....

Taiji
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Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2012 3:19 am
Location: Gardening in western U.P. of MI. 46+ N. lat. elev 1540. zone 3; state bird: mosquito

rye.JPG
I plant winter rye like this almost every year and turn it under with a spading fork. Sometimes in fall, sometimes in early spring. Last year, I planted a mixture of clover and annual ryegrass. But, I soon learned that though the clover sprouts really fast, after only a couple of days, it doesn't grow nearly as fast as the grass, and the rye soon overtakes and smothers it. Was thinking next time, maybe to plant the clover first, and let it get a big headstart, then overseed it with the rye.

Wonder sometimes if I shouldn't be planting this every year? Too much nitrogen maybe after a while? Don't know. I feel I get good yields, but also have plants that seem to go crazy with leaf growth. Maybe one should alternate different green manure crops, or maybe lay off of them entirely once in a while?

One thing I love about planting the grass is the little green oasis I get. Here in AZ it's a sight for sore eyes!



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