[Arid_gardener] Soil

[Dick Gross]

Kelly, several Master Gardeners will take me to task if I am wrong but I 
believe your raised bed problems could be solved with a layer of mulch over 
the entire bed. If the roses have foliage that looks reasonably healthy, 
their roots are somewhat comfortable in their present setting. If you can 
add a few inches of mulch on the surface it would keep the clay soil from 
drying and cracking thus conserving water for root uptake rather than back 
into the atmosphere.

Almost any materal will make an effective mulch. Crushed rock is a common 
one in this desert but I prefer two to four inches of any ground up or 
chopped up organic debre that won't take root again in contact with the 
soil. Whole leaves are okay but shredded leaves and branches provide a 
greater surface area for nicro-organisms to feed upon. There may not be any 
worms visable in that cracked clay but, with a damp feeding ground on the 
surface, they tend to show up from somewhere. They feed at the interface and 
their waste enriches the soil and renders the chemicals to a form that 
feeder roots with help from micorriza(sp) can adsorb as plant nutrients and 
building materials for new plant cells.

If the organic mulch begins over time to look tacky, just add a new layer 
(you will have to eventually anyway) or rake up the surface, toss it, and 
lay down new.

Dick Gross, Master Gardener Volunteer
Maricopa County Cooperative Extension


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kelly Conroy" <kconroy at indigopartners.net>
To: <arid_gardener at CALS.arizona.edu>
Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 1:04 PM
Subject: [Arid_gardener] Soil


>I have a flower bed in front of the north side of my house.  It contains
> 3 rose bushes that are pretty established.  The problem I have is that
> the soil is very clay-like and tends to dry up and crackle.  It looks
> awful.  What do I need to add to it to prevent the crackling?
>
> I was thinking about removing the bed entirely and building it up with a
> flagstone wall and then filling it again with another type of soil, but
> I'm concerned the rose bushes will die if I change out the soil.  Should
> I be concerned and, if not, then what type of soil should I use when I
> refill it.
>
> ~ Kelly
>
>
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