Help - Florida sand - where to purchase soil amendments?!

 

Ok - I just tested my soil.  My pH is around 6.5-7.5, my N is non
existant, P and K are good.  I live in central FL, my back yard is
primarily sand.

According to this web site:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/LH012

The best soil amendment to use would be colloidal phosphate - except no
one around here seems to know what the heck it is!  I can't find it
anywhere....

I'd like to prep my soil so that I can sow some Bahia grass seeds this
spring, but don't know what to do....

Anyone?

 

bruehlt@msoe.edu wrote:

If your backyard is primarily sand the best thing you can do is add some
organic matter.

--

Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8b
Sunset Zone 5

 

On 21 Mar 2005 18:14:40 -0800, bruehlt@msoe.edu wrote:


I do not know much about Florida gardening techniques, appropriate
flora, grass, etc.   That said, it seems to me that no amount of
chemical additive is going to improve sand.  You need to add organic
material that results in a sandy humus before you can grow much of
anything.

I have a large garden that was once pine woods.  After clearing the
trees and stumps I was left with a little top soil mixed with the sand
underneath.  I have poured organic material in the form of leaves,
compost and straw into the area and now (13 years later) have a nice,
deep bed in which I can grow most anything.

JMHO

John

 



I'll echo what others have mentioned about adding plenty of organic matter.
Rather than concentrate on any one nutrient I would advise a broad spectrum
approach to ammending the soil.
My South Florida soil is coral rock, rock rubble, and sand. Over the years I
have added what feels like tons of organic compost, peat, manure, dried kelp
and whatever else I can get my hands on and it has helped tremendously.

It is a fair bit of a pain to dig out the larger rocks and work in the
ammendments, but each year it has gotten much easier.
As you are planning turfgrass in the area you'll only have to do a major
digging once. But add as much compost as you can get your hands on and work
it in well.


--
Toni Carroll
South Florida USA
Zone 10

 

Find some place close that sell drilling mud, phosphate is a chemical
they sometimes use.