The nature of the soil It is a very important aspect in the cultivation of the orchard, orchard and garden. All soils differ from each other in many aspects, such as texture, structure, mineral and organic matter content, pH, depth. Before cultivating, it would be useful to analyze the soil to understand its characteristics and better regulate how to improve it with tillage and fertilization.
The texture is a physical parameter that expresses the size elementary particles that make up the ground itself. Depending on the texture, the characteristics of a soil can vary very significantly, and concretely the effects are felt on tillage, irrigation and therefore, in general, on its management over time.
Now we focus on the best way to cultivate sandy soil, knowing it and discovering how we can improve its merits and limit its disadvantages. We have already seen how clay soil is cultivated, which is another very common type of soil, with characteristics opposite to those of sandy soil.
Contents [Ocultar]
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How to recognize sandy soil
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Advantages of loose soil
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Faults in sandy soil
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How to work and fertilize sandy soil
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How to Improve Very Sandy Soil
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Loose and rocky soils
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Contents
How to recognize sandy soil
Technically, sandy soil contains at least 70-80% coarse particles, that is to say between 0.02 and 2 mm in diameter, ranging from the finest sand to the coarsest.
To know exactly how much sand and other particles like silt and clay and therefore how sandy the soil we are going to cultivate, we must take a sample to a specific laboratory for analysis. However, to know what the texture is and what we should expect for the cultivation of our garden, fruit, aromatic and ornamental plants, we can also do an empirical assessment .
let’s take a handful of earth in our hands and look at it: the particles should appear visible and large, and should look like sea sand. If this earth is wet and we try to move it in our hands to make it into a ball, we will notice that it is not possible to form it because it crumbles, we cannot shape it. In an orchard cultivated in sandy soil it will be noticed that the water flows well and that we never get mud on our feet when it’s wet.
Advantages of loose soil
Sandy soil has undeniable advantages: it is very easy and light to work with not in vain is also called » loose soil and it does not always require the use of a shovel: one can even afford to refine it with hoes and vigorous leveling, or in any case loosen it with a pitchfork.
In addition, dries quickly after rain it rarely leaves puddles, which allows us to work very quickly and not wait too long.
In sandy soil, there are many macropores , that is to say the large pores that remain between a single particle and the other, in which the air circulates. Therefore, in a soil so well oxygenated the roots do not suffer from root smothering.
The sandy soil is ideal for growing root vegetables such as carrots or twigs, where they can penetrate deep and grow well.
Sandy soil defects
The fact that this type of flooring is so well ventilated means that even organic matter oxidizes much faster than in soils with a high clay content. This means that it is a soil which quickly lose fertility and so we have to be very careful to restore it. Even nutrients are not retained as well, due to the rarity of clay particles that have this characteristic.
The water, which empties quickly is lost with speed and therefore we must water more often the crops that grow on this land. When installing a drip irrigation system, we will have to bring the pipes closer together, since the water emitted from the holes has little lateral expansion and tends to go directly to the depths. Therefore, by placing a greater number of pipes, with the same surface of land, the cost of the pipes is higher than for clay soil and also the water consumption.
How to work and fertilize sandy soil
As mentioned above, tillage of sandy soil simple and easy . It is not necessarily necessary to shovel every year, on the contrary, the shovel can always be replaced by the use of the fork, which loosens the soil in depth, but does not overturn it, with undeniable ecological advantages.
Rake leveling and rake leveling are usually sufficient when changing from one crop to another, for example when flattening harvested lettuces, of which only the roots remain, and planting tomato seedlings in their place.
However, it is essential add the same amount of mature compost about 4-5 kg/m², or alternatively manure every year. As a supplemental fertilizer, we also recommend spreading handfuls of granulated manure or rock meal, especially when growing nutrient-demanding vegetables. If you intend to plant fruit trees in sandy soil, you can also choose those that are sensitive to water stagnation and in any case mix plenty of compost with the soil from the excavation of the hole. of planting.
Concerning the development of the soil for the orchard, in the case of a very sandy texture it is not recommended to form raised beds, whose main advantage is improved drainage. In this case, the earth may not even support such an arrangement, and the flower beds tend to be washed away instead. But it must be assessed on a case-by-case basis, because there are more sandy soils and others less, because the content of other types of particles such as silt and clay varies, and also according to the type of sand, which can be coarse sand, fine sand or a middle lane. When the sand content is high, as in soils near the sea, the garden is best grown on flat ground , managing the different species in single or twin rows. An example of the second type: two rows of tomatoes separated by 60-70 cm and leaving more distance between them and other vegetables of other species, such as two rows of green beans and so on.
How to Improve Very Sandy Soil
As always, even sandy soil is greatly enhanced by the presence of organic substance which we will never forget to repeat is essential to fertility.
A sandy soil enriched with organic matter can retain water rain or irrigation longer because the organic matter offers a favorable sponge effect. Organic matter greatly improves its structure, i.e. the possibility of forming aggregates of soil particles. We can provide organic matter through the annual distribution of mature manure or manure, but also with a little green manure.
stone trains
Some loose-textured soils are also very rich in stones , which in technical jargon are called “skeleton”. It is commonly said that stones “make the earth breathe”, but very large ones should be removed each time they are found, so as not to break the tools and allow good development of the roots of the plants. However, the large stones removed can be used to delineate borders of flowers and aromatic herbs, and therefore, in their own way, they are still useful for the garden.