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Old 10-26-2009, 01:57 PM   #3 (permalink)
Richard
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Location: Vista, CA
Zone: USDA 10b
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Default Re: Question for other Southern California growers

To increase the water-holding capability of sandy-soil, I have success mixing the sandy soil 1/2 and 1/2 with one or all of:
re-hydrated ground Coir,
fine-grain humic compost,
ground sphagnum peat moss;
AND
covering the soil 3 to 4 inches thick with about 1-inch diameter disease-free mulch. This will nearly eliminate evaporation of water back out of the soil -- which otherwise will occur down several inches. Don't be tempted to use gravel for this purpose: it will retain heat and speed up the process.

About your pups, I would transplant them into 12-gallon pots using the same soil mix described above. This way you can control the amount of water they receive from El Nino and insure they don't rot from being cool and soggy January through April.
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