Help! I'm new to gardening on the Western Azuero Coast of Panama....and I'm dealing with a lot of red clay soil. I know of some native plants that'll do well, but wondering how to go about amending the soil for various other types. Our new lot doesn't have any trees, so I'm also faced with having to plant some "much needed" shade trees. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Red clay soil
"Red clay soil"? I wish!
But the best clay breaker is gypsum, calcium sulphate. It's usually easy to get anywhere.
Thanks. I'll see what I can find in Santiago, our nearest supply center. Now I just need to know what the name is in spanish.....
I've included a picture of the soil this time. As you can see, we've got lots of planting to do.
I checked it and came up with the word "yeso". But apparently that's also used for the gypsum they use in building. Make sure you get the horticultural one.
That's quite a barren bit of dirt. Doesn't appear to be any top soil. What's the story for how it came to be like that?
Aloha Panoramic, and welcome!
I can see how you chose your name - that view from your land is gorgeous!
Jenn
"Yeso Agricola" is the term you want, I did a search for suppliers in latin america and found several in Argentina, Peru and Mexico. I think what you need is to find an agricultural supply company, probably based in Panama City, and then look up their distributors. You will need a lot so you should be able to buy from a major distributor.
It looks like the land was scraped for construction. You may need to replenish top soil - and quickly before the rains go too long - or you might need to plant trees in prepared holes until they get started. Have weeds or other vegetation started growing on it? The rains have started there already, right?
It is a gorgeous view. You will have a beautiful place, I think your main concern now is to prevent erosion and get something in that will hold onto the soil in the heavy rain.
Wow, thanks everyone for your input! I'll do some hunting around next time in Santiago. There's another gringo in our area that knows where to buy gardening supplies, and I'll see if he can steer me in the right direction.
We are developing a 25 hectare finca (farm), into 49 lots. So far we've sold 11. We choose one of the best for ourselves with an awesome view at the top. We've been cutting the new roads in the past several months, and the access soil was used to prepare some of the lots for construction. We know that erosion control is our first concern before the really hard rains come in the next few months, and I've done a lot of research there. I've found a species called Vetiver Grass (Vetiveria zizaniodes) that is used throughout the world to control erosion and water losses caused by excessive rainfall runoff. The nursery I've located has ordered a large supply for us that'll be ready to pick up around mid June, and then once we've propagated it we'll be rushing to get it in the ground in various locations throughout the project. This is the ultimate time to plant such that the rains are mainly soft and happen only every other day or so.
As for our lot, it was lowered some to fill a small gulley that was on the lower half, and to prepare for construction. They've compacted the top building site, but it desperately needs the Vetiver grass hedge system for protection asap! It takes approximately 3-4 months for it's roots to establish.
I'm so glad to have found this site! It seems like there's a lot of knowledge out there! Thanks again everyone for your help on this. I'm sure I'll have more questions for you all very soon.
Laurie