Give Sondy Soils
Extra Attention
Dear Plant Doctor: I see on tele
vision vegetables grown without
soil, just water and nutrients. My
backyard is practically beach sand.
If I add proper nutrients and water,
then 1 should be able to grow just
about any vegetable, grass, or flow
er. Right?
How is the best way to get my
soil tested to know how much nutri
ents to add and where can 1 get ad
vice on what plants that grow best in
this area?
Answer: Welcome to eastern
North Carolina! You must be a new
comer to the coastal plains.
Vegetables, flowers, and even to
bacco plants arc successfully grown
hydroponically (without soil) in nu
merous locations throughout North
Carolina and the United States.If
you have a very sandy soil, then you
indeed have a situation similar to
growing plants hydroponically.
Sandy soils require special atten
tion in three areas: fertilizer, water,
and organic matter. Here arc several
tips for successful gardening in a
sandy soil.
?Adjust soil pH U) 6.0 with dol
omilic limestone according to soil
test recommendations. Highly leach
ed sandy soils tend to be very acidic
and acid soils make it nearly impos
sible for plants to chemically extract
nutrients needed for growth.
?Use a slow-release fertilizer. Re
search has demonstrated that stan
dard fertilizers release nutricnLs very
rapidly under normal rainfall condi
tions. On sandy soils, potentially all
nitrogen and potash can be leached
out of the root zone of most herba
ceous plants after as little as two
inches of rainfall or irrigation. Slow
release fertilizers "meter out" fertil
izer nutrients. This provides the
plant with a "constant feed" of nutri
ents, which is critical for optimum
growth on sandy soils with high
leaching potential.
The frequent application of a low
concentration of a soluble fertilizer
also works very well. However, this
is very labor intensive and is not
practical for most home gardeners.
In addition, both these practiccs
have been shown to reduce pollution
to surface and ground water by fer
tilizer.
?Water is crucial for all life. Sandy
soils have nearly no water holding
capacity, therefore irrigation is es
sential for optimum plant growth
during the hot summer season. Drip
irrigation works best for ornamental
and vegetable plants. Overhead irri
gation does best for turf grass and
other ground covers. In general, an
inch of water a week is normally re
quired during the growing season.
?Constantly incorporate as much
organic matter into your soil as pos
sible. Organic matter helps sandy
soil hold more water and nutrients.
High temperatures and micro-organ
ism populations rapidly breakdown
organic matter, so you will have to
constantly add organic matter to
your soil in the form of mulch, com
post or manures.
?Soil test kits arc available at any
North Carolina Cooperative Exten
sion office. Take the soil sample ac
cording to instructions provided and
return to the Extension office for
analysis. Each Extension office in
North Carolina has professionals
THE
PLANT
DOCTOR
C. BRUCE
WILLIAMS
Extension Area
Turf Specialist
/
trained to help you interpret your
soil test, make the needed amend
ments to your soil, and provide you
witli information to choose the right
plants lo grow.
Dear Plant Doctor: A few years
ago I bought a handful of dried
"popcorn berries" on a Charleston
street corner. I was able to grow
three or four plants from the berries.
One of those plants has grown into a
15-fooi tree.
The leaves arc very much like an
aspen leaf. The leaves turn yellow
and brilliant red in the autumn.
What is the real name of this plant?
What can I do lo make il produce
more berries?
Answer: Sounds like a "Jack and
the Beanstalk" story. Based upon
your description and the pictures
you sent me, I suspect your tree is a
Chinese Tallow Tree or Popcorn
Tree (Sapiuni scbiferum). This mem
ber of the Poinsettia family (Euph
orbiaceae) has shown great eco
nomic importance in China for the
wax on the white popcorn-like ber
ries and the high oil content of the
seed. Fast growing and well adapted
to sandy soils, this small, short-lived
(15 lo 20 years) tree has almost be
come a weed in the coastal plains of
the deep South.
Due lo its fast growth, some sci
entists have investigated this plant
for use as a biomass or pulpwood
producer.
I suspect your plant will produce
fruits in ihe next few years and then
beware of the "giant". Seed arc
spread far and wide by wind and ani
mals. Seedlings arc likely to become
a weed problem in ornamental beds.
Send your garden comments and
questions to The Plant Doctor. P.O.
Box 109, Bolivia. N.C. 2X422.
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