how do I increase water retention in my soil?
I have about 1800 sq of garden area that has never been used before, what do I need to add to it to increase the water retention? I put like 30 bags of cow manure into last year, but that was still just a drop in the ocean. What would be the least expensive thing I could add? Also, if cow manure is the right way to go, where is a good place to get it? its like 1.70 a bag at walmart right now, is that about the best price I will find?
Answers:
Break your garden up into sections and only add amendment to the areas that the plants will be planted in. Manure with humus is great and peat moss, but soil conditioner is also great. Mulching when your plants are large enough helps tremendously! If you have a few plants that really need lots of water then you can buy some water retention crystals to add right in the root area of the plants. They would be to expensive for a large area treatment. Another thing I would do is create a compost pile within the garden. This is a great way to add organic material at no cost to you and use lawn and garden debris.
Other answers:
Organic matter (like manure you put) is one of the right choices. The best is to increase the clay content. But in eather way, it would be hard to work with such a big area you have.
If you are planting bushes like roses or lavender, you can add clay soil or organic matter to the dirt at the spot where the plants will be, instead of working with the whole 1800 sq ft.
Why do you want to increase water retention? Is the soil very sandy? Is it slopy so that you waste irrigation water to run-off? If you could provide more detail, maybe you can find ways to create better growing condition for the plants you want to grow instead of just trying to increase water retention.
Organic matter (like manure you put) is one of the right choices. The best is to increase the clay content. But in eather way, it would be hard to work with such a big area you have.
If you are planting bushes like roses or lavender, you can add clay soil or organic matter to the dirt at the spot where the plants will be, instead of working with the whole 1800 sq ft.
Why do you want to increase water retention? Is the soil very sandy? Is it slopy so that you waste irrigation water to run-off? If you could provide more detail, maybe you can find ways to create better growing condition for the plants you want to grow instead of just trying to increase water retention.
Well, two possibilities. First is Spahgnum Peat Moss-a compressed soil enricher that comes from peat bogs. It is somewhat expensive, but is alot better than the cow manure mix that you are using now. Not sure what part of the country you are in, but to help conserve moisture, mulching your garden accomplish the same thing(I use grass clippings, about 2-3 inches thick, and this also keeps alot of the weeding work down as well)
Theres a company called youwaterless.com. check it out.
You can also use pearl lite it comes in bags. You can get it at most greenhouses or retail stores. It will help your garden retain moisture.