Soil for Desert Container Gardens

Desert plants are fairly adaptable organisms, able to modulate their systems to adapt to many different soil types, so you can have variety and ease of growing a desert container garden.

The only requirement they have is that the soil medium has enough structure to allow for adequate drainage and airspace, water-holding ability and nutrients.

The optimum soil mixture, however, is made up of equal parts of good garden soil (also known as loam), peat moss, and perlite.

Unfortunately, most desert soils take on the consistency of cement when mixed with water (that’s what adobe bricks are made of).

If your soil has this consistency, then you might want to use a soilless mix, or use commercially-available potting soil or topsoil.

To make a soilless mix, combine equal parts of peat moss and vermiculite along with a small amount of fertilizer.

There are a great many types of potting soil on the market. Don’t get confused. A general -purpose potting soil is quite sufficient for all plants.

You can use a general-purpose fertilizer about once every two weeks for your outside potted plants. There is a large variety of fertilizers on the market. There are even purely “organic” fertilizers which contain no man-made substances. There are fertilizers that can be diluted with water and applied with a sprayer or watering can. There are also slow-release fertilizers which release nutrients into the soil on a regular basis.

Pest Control.

Even though desert gardens tend to have fewer pests than gardens in more temperate areas, you may experience infestations from some insects.

Aphids, red spidermites, white flies and scales are sucking insects. Check your potted plants often for them, particularly for aphids and scales. If you find them quickly, you can usually wipe them off the plant, or wash them away with a cold stream of water.

White flies are a little more difficult to control. Use a dust of spray recommended by your nursery for these insects. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.

More Desert Garden Flowering Plants.

Sand Verbena. Abronia angustiflora. An annual that grows up to one foot high and three feet wide. Tends to spread along the ground. Violet-purple flowers.

Brownfoot. Acourtia wrightii, Perennial growing 1 ½ feet high and three feet wide.

Butterfly weed. Asclepias tuberose. Two feet high by two feet wide. Perennial.

Desert Marigold. Baileya multiradiata. 1 ½ x 1. Perennial.

Bigbend Bluebonnet Lupinus havardii. one foot x one foot. Perennial.