What the phobic??
Our Perth summer soils have a wonderful problem of being Hydrophobic. No I’m not suggesting your soil is scared of spiders, or of leaving the house, nor am I suggesting your soil is against same sex marriage. Your soil is scared of water.
A common issue with easy solutions
This hydrophobic soil is so common in Perth. And it only takes good soil to dry out a few times before it happens, guess how easy that is in roaring winds when its 35 degrees. Once the soil dries out the microbes die, and it begins to repel water. Like we need any other obstacles in a successful garden!!
Here’s what to do….
Have you ever watered and noticed the water sitting on the top of the soil in pools rather than soaking in? Yep you got it- hydrophobic soil!
So, what can we do about it??
- Don’t let your soil dry out
- Build it up with HEAPS of organic matter, compost, manures etc
- Add Zeolite to the soil, this will increase water and nutrient retention
- Use coconut coir, this material has little to no nutritional benefit but can add water retention to the soil
- Use detergent rather than expensive soil wetter products (this works but you need to apply bottles full, several times over a few weeks/months, not just a few squirts!!)
- Mulch Mulch Mulch- I’m saying this three times so you understand how important it is. Lupin or Straw mulch for veggie gardens or wood chips for the rest of the garden.
- Add trace elements, in dust form. We recommend No Frills Rock Dust Plus (you can order from us) or Soil Solver products.
- Don’t leave space in the garden bare, this may seem strange but there is no blank open soil in nature, to preserve the soil structure and reduce problematic “weeds” (we use the term weed very loosely) Try planting some green manures or chuck some seeds from the pantry in and do the old chop and drop technique to add goodness back into soil.
- Rock Mulch, A great technique to accompany newly planted trees. Add a large rock on top of the drip line system around .5m away from the trees, this will create a moist area under the rock and feed water into the soil
- Grey Water. Now you can’t water the vegetable or edible gardens with your unfiltered grey water but if you can get this stuff out onto your lawn you will have the greenest lawn on the block
Note**
Do Not- waste your hard-earned money purchasing soil crystals, they are rubbish.
Need more help?
If you need some help in the garden, or to resurrect a forgotten vegetable garden that is a distant memory in your family’s history, Call us today! We can help you get your area functional and productive, or to ensure you are getting the most out of your hard work.
