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Desert areas are know to be inhospitable to many types of plants due to the dry conditions. However, plants adapted to Arizona deserts are content to grow in soils with plenty of clay and calcium carbonate as well as sand, loam and rock. You can mimic the special needs of desert plants in your garden or greenhouse. Most Arizona soils have very little organic matter, especially in cultivated earth. Arizona soils have the basic minerals and trace elements that all soil contains for plant nurturing.
Silty Loam
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Soil in Arizona is comprised of less than 1 percent organic matter. That leaves 99 percent to be comprised of something else. Much of the soil texture in the desert is grainy and sandy and carries little moisture. This is known as sandy loam and is a good balance between a siftable soil but it will still hold shape. Desert tortoises like this type of soil for tunneling since the silt will allow burrowing but the loam will help keep the tunnels from collapsing.
Kaolite Clay
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Clay minerals can absorb and hold the basic minerals needed for plant life. These are calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and hydrogen. Clay has a crystal structure that swells and shrinks with the addition and absence of water. The kaolite clay also contains mica and montmorillonmite, minerals common in Arizona soil. Clay dries out quicker than peat or other common soil additives and keeps soil texture compact.
Sandy Loam with Gravel or Rock
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The surface of the desert is covered in various sizes of rocks and pebbles. Time and the elements have broken down larger rocks and even cliffs and mountains and reduced them to small pieces of debris on the desert floor. Cactus and desert mixes often have pumice mixed in to mimic the types of porous rock and gravel found in true deserts. Homemade desert mix for Arizona plants should include potting soil, peat and pumice.
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