Are You worried about the sandy soil which is in your garden? If yes, no worries, now at growncares we will discuss some tips to improve the quality of sandy soil.

Many gardeners have only clayey soils to propagate, so they always wish to have sandy soil in their garden. Sandy soil has some distinct features; it drains in a good manner, picks up the heat quickly and it gives a concrete appearance after drying. Just like the other aspects of our life, the grass is always looking green on another side. But keep in mind, sandy soil is not free from problems.

                                                                 If your garden is full of sandy soil, let’s discuss how to get maximum benefits from it and how to amend the soil to make your garden perfect for plant growth.

What is Sandy Soil?

                                                          There are four types of soils in terms of soil science; sand, silt, loam, and clay (sand has the largest particle size). A soil that has maximum sand particles is termed as sandy soil. It is mostly found in river areas, on river banks, and in coastal ranges. Most of the deserts also have sandy soil. Some important components of sandy soil are granite, limestone, and quartz. These particles are formed from parent material through fragmentation, erosion, and weathering processes.

How can you find that you a sandy soil?

                                                                             Soil nature is mostly based on the geographical location of the area, so most gardeners know that they have sandy soil. But if you are not sure about the soil’s nature, just perform a simple squeeze test. Let’s discuss it;

Grab a handful of soil that is damp but not too wet. Now squeeze the soil together by hand. If the soil makes a ball or clump of soil then it’s not sandy because this nature is shown by clayey or silt soils. If we talk about the sandy soils they are not sticky and definitely, they will not clump. If the soil has heavy sand particles, it will fall through your fingertips instead of clumping. Sandy soil will also affect the health of a plant as it varies for different conditions of soil which we recognize through the soil ph test.

I don’t want sandy soil in my garden, why?

                                                                                  Like other life aspects, sandy soil has its own positive and negative ends. Gardeners which are working with the sandy soil, are considered lucky farmers due to some reason. Sandy soil does not have any drainage issues, picks up the heat quickly in spring, and is easy to work due to its large nonsticky particles. A gardener with clay soil tries to manipulate the drainage issue by breaking the hard clay particles through different tillage practices. He also adds sand to loosen and improve the drainage of the soil.

Read More: How To Grow A Medicinal Herb Garden?

But it becomes difficult to get maximum benefits from heavy sandy soils due to these reasons

 Heavy sand has large size particles, so there are more pore spaces, which drains the water and nutrients quickly.  So do not retain the moisture for a long time. That’s why the summer season; it demands frequent water and fertilizer. When water washes out from the soil surface with the addition of nutrients, it is termed leaching and it is very common in sandy soils. It decreases the availability of water and nutrients to plants. Evaporation is another loss of water in sandy soils, it gets the heat quickly and retains the heat which causes a high evaporation rate.

How To Improve the sandy soil?

                                                                                            Why are you going to improve your sandy soil? The main reason behind this is to improve the soil water retention ability and to make the high nutrients available to your plants. Soil amendments can help to get these improvements more quickly and easily. The top method is the addition of organic matter. Use it regularly and frequently. Some natural sources like wood chips, compost of manure, plant leaves, straw, plant residues, and mulches help to add more organic matter to your garden soil.

Soil moisture is the primary factor; you can add some sources like vermiculite, coco coir, or peat moss to improve the retention of water in the soil. However, they are not a source of nutrient addition.

Is It Possible to grow anything In This Soil?

Sill if your soil is sandy, no need to worry about this because there are many plants that you can easily grow in your home garden. Some plants are great to growing in sandy soil so here are some best plants for such soil.

Many herbs can be easily grown in this soil

Vegetables that will grow in the soil, which are also known as root vegetables are best and super easy to grow

Tomato and peppers are also possible to grow in such soil, but you have to provide more care to these plants, with proper care best fertilizers, and by filling the requirements of plants you can easily grow them.

How Can We Water Sandy Soil?

Normal sandy soil is different to irrigate as compared to normal garden soil. Sandy soi is unable to hold water for a long time. As you will water the soil, instantly in small-time water will disappear, so in these cases continuously water the soil, again and again, you can also use drip irrigation which is considered very suitable for such soil.

Organic fertilizers and different organic matter can improve the soil conditions and you will be able to grow different plants while learning at growncares.