[Arid_gardener] amendments for sand

[Linda Drew]

You can add organic material to sand to improve its
water-holding ability.

Linda Drew
Master Gardener

p.s. I would be interested in the details of your water feature!

>From: "dolores" <intothemistic at earthlink.net>
>To: <arid_gardener at CALS.arizona.edu>
>Subject: [Arid_gardener] bugs and stuff
>Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2004 08:43:27 -0600
>
>i want to thank everyone for their help with my globe mallow problems.  i 
>think i have a better idea now of some things to try.  now i am curious 
>about some bugs in my garden.  i have these jet black inch long skinny 
>fuzzy catapillers on my native purple asters.  earlier there was an 
>infestation but i got rid of them with a little sprinkling of 
>sevin....there are these giant flying noisy helicopter bugs.  their wings 
>are rust colored their posterior are wide stripes that look like cream and 
>black.  anyone know what they are or if they are harmful or helpful?  today 
>i am installing a very small modest inexpensive water feature in my desert 
>garden(as oppossed to my regular garden that is in adobe clay since i live 
>in the valley of n.m.)  its a pile of sand from the mesa that came complete 
>with lots of native plants which i have been adding to.  its just a large 
>glazed flower pot that i have dug a cistern below and the water bubbles a 
>bit and cascades over rim down into cistern and back again.  its very low 
>keyed so as not to clash too much with the dry surroundings.  email me if 
>you want to do one and need more info.  i would also like to ask you folks 
>that are used to gardening in very xeric conditions what i should add to 
>the sand to hold more moisture when i put something in that wont take pure 
>mesa sand.  dolores
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