How To Improve Caliche Soil (Desert Gardening)

Caliche soil offers a lot of challenges and makes gardening extremely difficult. Learn how to naturally improve your caliche soil with organic products in 4 simple steps! #caliche #soil
We have another round of “What’s That Plant?” at the end of the video! If you can guess the correct name and variety of the plant, you win a FREE bag of Blend! Watch now and try your odds - Good Luck!
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 Intro
1:52 Caliche Makes Gardening Difficult
2:42 Apply Organic Soil Sulfur
4:28 Apply Concentrated Organic Matter
6:42 Apply Maximize & Nourish-Biosol
9:04 What’s That Plant?
Recommended Videos:
Fall & Winter Lawn Fertilizer - • Fall and Winter Lawn F...
Is Chemical Fertilizer Bad For Soil? - • Is Chemical Fertilizer...
How To Apply Blend - • Organic Soil Amendment...
How To Apply Penetrate: • Organic Soil Amendment...
soil, garden, gardening, garden soil, organic, garden tips, compost, soil food web , johnandbobs, soil life, soil based gardening, permaculture, caliche, desert soil, las vegas, soil fertility, sand to soil, desert farming, amend clay soil, amend caliche soil, hard soil, improve soil fertility naturally, las vegas soil,
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• How To Improve Caliche...

[@JohnandBobs]

What's That Plant? SUBMIT ANSWER by clicking the link below: airtable.com/shrjAMu607LZNAg1M

[@ValidityJ]

Darn...link for the trivia is no longer available. I'm curious to know: The plant up against the fence, is that a Guava tree pruned in espalier style?

[@JohnandBobs]

@@ValidityJ It's a SemiDwarf espaliered Grapefruit 😁

[@cynthiaw.6037]

​@@ValidityJis it a 😅black 😅 5:30

[@Clean97gti]

Vegas resident here and I've had really good luck with Star Nursery organic compost and a tiller. If you're starting from a bare backyard, cover it with several inches of their compost (as thick as you can afford) and use a tiller to work it in. Organic matter is crucial here because of the salt pan we live on. If you can afford to repeat the process the following year, do it. And mulch like crazy. You'll also need more water than you think. Soil temperatures get really high, so thick mulch and water are crucial. Pine straw is great here if you can get it. Once you've got the soil established after a couple years, you don't need to keep tilling. Just grow on top and add mulch.

[@Splendid123456789]

Great video, thank you! In about the last 10 years, the problem I've seen with store bought composts, like steer manure, mushroom compost, MiracleGro... is that it's all made these days of primarily wood chips. Used to be that good old store bought steer manure was actually just manure and it did wonders to bring a garden to life. Now, you may spread that liberally on your soil, see a pop of color come to your plants and think, "Hey now, I'm on the right track". What'll happen maybe halfway through the season is that the forest products that are in those composts will bind to the small amount of manure and this is basically what they make adobe out of, it creates an impermeable top layer so water can no longer get to the roots of plants, kind of like wax on a car, your water will run off the top of the soil & plants will suffer. By the next season the soil these days is generally dead because once the little bit of manure that was in those mixes has leached off, you now have made the caliche under the now grayed, spent looking wood chips are seemingly sterilizing your ground, Getting plants to grow now is next to impossible and now ypu have the added complexity of having to haul out all of that excess matter to try to start again, but please don't buy any big box store products because if you read the labels, ALL of them are primarily made of "forest products" these days and you'll get yourself caught up in a perpetual cycle of disappointment in your garden. Thanks again for your video!

[@MickF04]

Sadly, the caliche in Central Texas (Edwards Plateau) is nearly impossible to work with because underneath the thin layer of caliche is mostly limestone, and lots of it.

[@violavicki]

As a Las Vegas resident, I was so excited to find your video. Thank you!!!!

[@armeijamies]

I live on a small hobby farm. Where weve kept and fed animals ive been impressed with how the caliche has softened up. Spreading compost or mulching with wood chips has helped. Also getting pasture grasses established slowly starts turning the land and softens it. Soil sulfer is for small areas agreed the best i know of or breaking soil w heavy equipment.

[@JohnandBobs]

Yes, it is possible to improve poor soil as you describe. Your techniques sound good! - John

[@lindawoody8501]

I live in the Mohave Desert in NW Arizona 3,000' elevation garden zone 8B, and am on a quarter acre house lot with a bit more than half of the lot not useable for gardening due to trees, house, sheds and septic field. I have owned the property 3 years and have gardened in the native soil plus raised beds and pots/planters. Fair for most but melons, lettuces, onions, garlic and cucumbers worked fine. Last year the green beans did OK in the pots but not in the soil. I tried corn and sunflowers in the native soil this year but did not have any corn harvest of 30 plants. So I will be amending heavily. Thanks for these tips. I also note hard pan soil and I practically need a mattock to break enough of the soil to dig a proper hole for planting. Even the electric roto tiller is hard.

[@infiniteadam7352]

Roses are my favourite flower. They are the perfect flower - beautiful in every way. I love the shape of roses and their beautiful colours. ... A white rose is the whitest white, a red rose is the reddest red.

[@JohnandBobs]

Roses are indeed beautiful - the color, the smell, the look! 🌹

[@infiniteadam7352]

Really appreciate all your videos, Im trying to get the park near me to buy blend, I have been taking care of the grounds there for a few years now, I love the space but it definitely needs some proper nourishment.

[@JohnandBobs]

Thanks for the kind words, we are so happy that you find our videos helpful! 😊 You should advocate that our products are 100% organic and nontoxic - ideal for a community space where children, pets, and people spend time.

[@MsDabree]

Thank you. I'm dealing with nightmarish soil in Temecula, CA

[@JohnandBobs]

Don't give up! I know that kind of soil can be tough to transform into a lively rich material.. but it is possible!

[@pearlintheoyster]

Hiyee wow ur were in my neighborhood. Thx 4 talking about soil caliche 😁

[@JohnandBobs]

Woo! 🙌 You're welcome. Thanks for watching :)

[@wdeahl]

Caliche is a four letter word, at my last house we excavated and removed with a backhoe and then amended the soil 36” to 48”. I may give this a shot as I’ve probed the soil with a 60” probe around my new home and we have it, but it’s deeper so a lot of soil to displace. I may give this a chance at the least it may make it easy to remove if we decide to excavate anyways. Thanks for the videos and great products!!

[@nathaliewilson1817]

Did you give it a try? And if, did it work out for you?

[@ValidityJ]

Excellent. Thank you so much. I'm in Las Vegas and YAH....Caliche is just awful. My roommate purchased a jack hammer when we *thought* we were going to start gardening and quickly discovered caliche. Jackhammering....we gave up on that quickly. Impossible. Who knew, you could just get some sulfer watered in it and that will solve the issue. Can't wait to try this.

[@nathaliewilson1817]

Did you try it and were you successful?

[@jhildebrand7447]

​@@nathaliewilson1817any success?

[@gilbertianrueda]

Very informative! Thank you. Is there something I can do that will soften the caliche fast so I can plant straight away? I bought the trees and don’t want to keep them laying around for a few weeks.

[@JohnandBobs]

That's very difficult! You can try 4 - (once every other day) applications of our Penetrate Liquid Biotiller at 8oz per 1,000sqft using a hose end sprayer. Depending on the specifics of your soil/caliche that might provide some very fast improvement. Thank you for your interest!

[@R0ddyP1per]

Your videos have given me hope. I have a lot of large rocks mixed in with the caliche. Will the elemental sulfur break down the rocks, or should I remove them? The rocks do look like they're made of calcium carbonate.

[@JohnandBobs]

The sulfur won't break down the rocks. If we can bring down the pH to acceptable levels and infuse the soil with beneficial life, the rocks aren't all that problematic. I never leave rocks on the surface because of aesthetics. Beyond aesthetics, rocks in the soil aren't a big deal. The real problems are pH and the absence of beneficial bacteria, fungi, protozoa, good nematodes, earthworms, etc. My recommendations address these real problems, but don't help the rock problem. - John

[@R0ddyP1per]

@@JohnandBobs Thanks so much for the info! I love your videos.

[@kellykiley]

I've used all sorts of organic matter, sulfur, and lime to amend the soil now I do have quite a lush garden on my 2 acres out by Meadview, Az. My concern is I planted a Chinese Elm from seed 16 years ago it grew to about 14 ft in height and then died, I had a 12 yrs old wisteria that was about 8 feet away from that tree and it died, I have since planted desert willow by seed in the same spot as the elm. It's 4 ft in height and 2 yrs old What would cause a tree to die or dwarf? I have a couple of trees that seem to have stopped getting any taller or expanding a canopy. Could it be that it hit a caliche bed away down under?

[@JohnandBobs]

Your theory of a subsurface unimproved caliche layer causing your tree stunting problem is the only thing I can think of. You might try mycorrhizae fungi which you can buy separately or it is in our "Maximize" and make sure to apply it slightly below the surface and right next to tree roots. Mycorrhizae attaches itself to roots and can be a powerful soil changer/borer. Another option, which might not be practical is to hire a company that bores holes for trees and bore 24" wide and 10' deep or so holes close to the trees. We have guys that do that here in my community, not sure if that is available in your area or if you have the access to allow it?

[@homelessbagabundo3948]

Very good information on this channel i wonder can i core aerate and power rake on southern california all year long ?

[@JohnandBobs]

Southern Ca is unique in that aerating and power raking is appropriate as needed all year long, because of its temperate climate.

[@homelessbagabundo3948]

@@JohnandBobs thank you for replying back

[@JohnandBobs]

@@homelessbagabundo3948 Happy to help! :)

[@dzroc]

How would this work in bulk? I have 12.5 acres in SW NM it's all caliche here sadly. I can deff grow tumble weeds though, best in the state I think hehe I could use some help but at the price of the Sulphur and other things it would be a fortune to repair this soil

[@JohnandBobs]

Sulfur is pretty affordable, but the rest of the protocol would be expensive over acreage like you cite. Over big areas I would use the sulfur as recommended(Arbico Organics has a good price) and then use only our "Optimize" at 3-5lbs per 1,000sqft, which will work slower, but will be effective and much, much less expensive. - John

[@ZE308AC]

What would you recommend for grass that dries or yellows during the summer?

[@paolomartinez2688]

H2o

[@StephanieS-tn1ud]

Hi John. I'm in the desert of Newberry Springs CA. I purchased 10 acres and would like to start farming. Do you have any advice for me in regard to bringing the acorn trees (windbreaks) and shrubs that are already planted back to life? It seems that nothing here was planted strategically and just watering is not working.

[@JohnandBobs]

Stephanie, I will recommend applying our Blend and Penetrate Liquid Biotiller very generously, but in your specific case it is important to know your soil pH first. Do you know it or can you determine it?

[@MrRandyj72]

Here in San Joaquin County Northern California and our hard pan is horrible. They use D11 Cats with 8ft rippers to break the soil here. Using the Sulfur is it ok to plant right on top of it or do we need to give it time to breakdown first?

[@JohnandBobs]

As per our video, it depends on your pH. If pH is less than 8 or so, then you can plant and apply our products w/ granular sulfur all at the same time. If pH is 8 or higher, I recommend lowering the pH w/ sulfur before applying our products because our products won't thrive in soil with excessively high pH.

[@robincook1852]

Can these treatments be used around trees and plants already planted to help improve the soil? I have a lot of caliiche in my yard.

[@JohnandBobs]

Yes, absolutely. These recommendations work effectively on existing gardens/landscapes with caliche and other soil challenges.

[@shotgunbettygaming]

The idea of putting sulfuric acid on the ground just to break up caliche blows my mind. What's the evaporation rate of sulfuric acid? How long does it loiter in the soil? How much microbial life is decimated with its addition? Does it meet the water table? Does it kill off pollinators? Dude, I've never heard of something so crazy in all my permacultured life.

[@JohnandBobs]

Do not apply Sulfuric Acid to soil! Sulfur is an essential mineral for plants and our protocol explained in this video involves applying granular, organic sulfur, not sulfuric acid. The applied soil sulfur combines with water, oxygen & soil microbes to produce a type of sulfuric acid in the soil that lowers soil pH. This is a slow biological process, not a rapid chemical reaction. Applying sulfuric acid to soil is toxic, applying granular soil sulfur can be very good for soil in certain situations such as caliche. -John

[@shotgunbettygaming]

@@JohnandBobs 03:32 I misheard hence misunderstood when you said this and it blew my mind😆Yes I have added sulfur to my gardens in the past which is part of why my eyes were bugging out of my head when I heard sulfuric acid. Having watched a few videos earlier in the day involving experimentation all I heard was sulfuric acid breaking up caliche😂Thank you for clarifying my mistaken comprehension. I had left this on my Watch Later list so I could give another view because SO much else of what you were saying I was vibing with😂 I do wonder, however, if maybe I should delete this comment in the off chance someone else misunderstands or misreads MY confused comment? If you think so, please feel free to delete this after reading! Thanks again John!

[@ourrockydreamontheelephant4188]

Can caliche be used as rock cover? Does it leach into the soil if exposed to sun and rain? Try to find some use for it here in AZ. Thank you for your help.

[@JohnandBobs]

Leaching isn't a big problem, but don't use it as a top dress around plants. I prefer to use a top dressing mulch that can improve the soil!

[@ourrockydreamontheelephant4188]

@@JohnandBobs mainly want to use as transition reinforcing on our swales. Thank you for your help and knowledge.

[@david.b4186]

What's name of introductory beat ?

[@JohnandBobs]

It's called "Jazzy Hip-Hop" 🕺. Downloaded from Envato Elements.

[@MsDabree]

I just listened and its the same one I used for my KZbin videos under my art account!! I AM BLOWN AWAY!!

[@cleoburrows]

Once sulfur has been applied and the ph is brought down to below 7.6 will it stay there or is this going to be an ongoing thing to keep caliche from coming back?

[@JohnandBobs]

Here is the premise and this works much of the time, but I would advise to keep checking. The pH will stay at a desirable level if you follow your pH lowering efforts with generous applications of our products or similar products to infuse your soil with life, food for life and attractants for life. Active, beneficial soil microbiology will moderate and optimize soil pH. So, get that pH down so soil life can thrive and then do everything possible so the soil life will thrive and maximize the health of your soil on an ongoing basis! -John

[@ianmackenzie686]

Is soil sulphur a product that can be used on a lawn to help the soil? I don't have calichi but the soil is a bit on the alkaline side.

[@JohnandBobs]

Yes, soil sulfur can be used on all soil for all kinds of plantings to lower pH. We have soil sulfur in our Soil Optimizer (Optimize) and our Blend. Also, our soil life enhancing fertilizer Nourish-Biosol will normalize pH over time as it feeds your lawn. This improving soil and pH while feeding lawn can't be said for almost any other lawn fertilizer.

[@Darth_SurgeYo]

2:03 TEXAS?? Hello?

[@JohnandBobs]

And yes, in Texas too!

[@LimitlessLivingOver60]

We recently moved to Tucson, AZ. Is the soil here also considered Caliche?

[@JohnandBobs]

As expected because of climate, Arizona does have quite a bit of caliche. However, there are a number of other soil types throughout Arizona. The most common soil condition in Arizona is high pH (alkaline soil). In many areas the high pH is combined with a very hard caliche layer just below the surface making very difficult gardening conditions as per our video. Soil sulfur, our "Blend" and our "Penetrate Liquid Biotiller" are helpful in addressing caliche. Fortunately, not all of Arizona is plagued with caliche, but it is quite pervasive.

[@1ireneaustin]

Espaliered

[@scribbling2much]

Pomelo

[@JohnandBobs]

One of my favs 💚

[@bubblesmckenzie4125]

Espalier

[@JohnandBobs]

👍🏼