Having a small problem! Any Ideas??

I have an area that is 36' x 19'. The original soil was mostly sand. I created a few hills in this area with sand that I bought from the local hardware store.

Here is my problem. I live in a small town and we can't get what I call "Garden Soil" and all that is available is Clay and Sand. The sand I bought is very fine textured. It doesn't compact at all except when tamped down. There is 3 tons of sand in this area that I used to create the hills. Is there anything that I can add to the sand that will make the soil more "compact" or get the sand particles to "stick together"? I'm really just trying to make the texture more like a type of "Garden Soil". Any help would be appreciated.

Sounds like you are thinking of inorganic soil components to make loam, eh? (Mixing clay and sand makes pseudo-concrete) If you are going to grow things there, just go with organic ingredients. Manures and compost simply. they will bring life ot the soil, build its structure that "stick together" quality. It should fix that eroding tendency of sand.
Just what I would do.

Good luck and hope you acheive your dream for the spot!

Thanks James. Well i knew that mixing clay and sand was a no-no and that is the reason I chose sand instead of clay for building the small hills. We just don't have any choices here, so you have to compromise a little bit. I knew I was going to have to add something, I just wasn't sure what. The majority of soil in this area is all clay, so i'm not used to working with sand at all. Anyways, thanks for your help. I'll let you know how it works out.

Thanks James. Well i knew that mixing clay and sand was a no-no and that is the reason I chose sand instead of clay for building the small hills. We just don't have any choices here, so you have to compromise a little bit. I knew I was going to have to add something, I just wasn't sure what. The majority of soil in this area is all clay, so i'm not used to working with sand at all. Anyways, thanks for your help. I'll let you know how it works out.

Why can't you mixed clay and sand? I though clay takes longer for the water to drain into the soil. The sand is much quicker. mixing the both seemed ideal to me. I'm new to composing too.

Linda

Clay and sand 'wrap' and seal off the spaces around the soil structure preventing Oxygen,roots, and water to access the soil. Compost mixed well into the soil (sand is the best) will allow rapid movement of worms, oxygen, Nitrogen penetration, and pathways for roots to follow. The higher the quality of compost the quicker you build the best topsoil. Chemical fertilizer used in sand is gone in no time and organic stuff: Manure, compost, leaves, peat, etc lead to very quick results.

If you mix sand, clay and organic matter, it will be nice, but as the organics wear off, you've sent your plants in concrete shoes to swim wit da fishes. Like Soferdig said, what happens is that clay particles are like tiny flakes, sand like tiny , but relatively larger, cubes. The flakes fit in-between the cubes in time and clog the air spaces, called pores. Pores let water and air in, and oxygen is just as important to roots as water!

So that everyone knows, the intermediate particle form between sand (good drainage) and clay (good retention/nutrients) is silt: medium-sized particles.

A perfect balance of Silt, sand, and clay is technically Loam. If a person is going to go through the trouble to acheive this, one may as well use organic matter instead. Loam isn't necessarily great soil, it can be sterile! -Which, of course, you solve with organic matter.

Steve; you and I are beginning to sound like a couple traveling preachers here...

Yup the only problem is all we have here is the choir. Where is Equil?
Its no fun with the other side. After all she has read all the books. (that ought to get her to respond)

Was she on the dark side of the amendment debate for trees? I'm still at personal odds over that...

Yes she was. I agree with their discussion on the fish bowl but not the whole raised bed. They didn't address that in ammendment. And that started with me ammending the soil around and in a mound. that was quickly eliminated. they hung on to the fish bowl. But we all agree with that one.

I never got an answer about why deep amendment isn't a benefit as far as drainage when it is below the root zone. And I swear that a person can break interface enough to eliminate the bathtub effect, even if you've got a hole full of strait peat and a surrounding strait clay. "Calling all worms..." I understand the point about having to amend a quarter acre for a mature tree, but I still wonder why it can't at least benefit a younger tree. A jumpstart to fill that qurter acre, I figure. I'm glad I wasn't alone in being a "stick in the (compost)!"

Trying to re-rail this to the thread: Make sure to fork up the interface between the mounds' (or raised beds') new soil and the native.

Absolutely I rototill the new area and bring up the native soil and then lay over the mushroom compost and finally the sandy loam. then after placing pine needles thickly over the new bed I rototill it deep to the bottom level and walk away. No more rototilling just forking and airiating, by hand.

Lovely, lovely. You get me so "worked up," I think I want to quit school, trash the scholarship, and just dig all day. In fact, I was supposed to be studying! I have a closer relation to my turning fork than I had with my last and only girlfriend... Lesson learned!

Kenton no man should start dating until 30 years of age cause we are all messed up till we clean up our act. I tried to get my daughter to believe that but it didn't work. You need to peek in windows on the sites your compitition is landscaping. Hee Hee No blame and you might find that one you cannot live without. Sooooooo Important.

I'll stick with Gardening. She was a very self-centered British bellydancer in theatre school. I've had more intellectual conversations with daffodils.
And- I've never had a shrub that tried to focus on only certain aspects of my personality. When she showed no interest in gardens and tried to steer into art, I should have taken the red flag and hit her with it on the way out!
'Tis a gard'ner-monk life for me!

I always listen to those who tell me what is wrong and question it in conversations with my DW. She will tell me if I need to work. When she wasn't around I talked to my best friend Jesus. Well down to the clinic and drug my doggie. Night Kenton.

This message was edited Mar 20, 2006 2:02 AM

It's been fun night-hijacking this thread, Goodnight, Steve.