Moe from Orlando, FL writes:
“I have tomatoes and peppers planted- but the soil is the dark gray sandy type. It gets sooo hot- you can’t even step on it barefoot. What can I use to mulch my plants that will absorb the extra heat, and not take their water?”
Early Girl Ready to Harvest Mid-July 2008
Moe, thanks for writing in with your question. You’ve described your soil texture as sandy, which means nutrients and water likely pass through it very rapidly. So, adding a composted organic mulch material will likely help you hold water and nutrients in the soil a little better. Generally, mulched materials are also dark, so they may also absorb heat as well.
Mulch materials should be at least somewhat mixed with the existing soil before planting. This creates a layer of both the existing “native” soil and your organic matter. If you don’t have a mixed layer between the two, you can end up with a situation called “interfacing”. Water has a tendency to not pass readily from one medium (aka a top layer of mulch) into the next layer of soil (aka your dark sandy stuff). By having a mixture of both between, this will help the water pass through. If you do end up with a soil interface, you may have nice moist mulch on top and dried out sandy soil where the plant roots live.
Before you try to start changing your soil, consider ordering a soil test to understand more about your soil’s nutrient information, pH, potential heavy metal content and more. Once you understand this, you will be better armed to make the best choices to adjust your soil for your chosen plants. Certainly check your local area for labs near you, or consider sending in your samples to the Umass Soil Testing facility.
Good luck!
Tags: Amherst Soil Lab, compost, Mulch, soil, soil interface, soil texture
