Desert Soil Problems

Raising roses in desert gardens has a few twists that are not common in other types of gardens.

Although there are some differences in raising roses in a desert garden, they are not insurmountable.

One of the problems concerns soil. Most desert soils have excess alkali salts that make the ground inhospitable for roses (and many other plants). Alkali salts, in addition to causing salt burn that can kill a rose in no time flat, also inhibits a plant's ability to intake iron.

Don't despair, though. There are some inexpensive and relatively easy methods for making the alkali salt more soluble and significantly reducing it from soils, increasing a plant's ability to intake iron and other necessary minerals, and helping the soil increase its water retention capabilities.

There are also methods for improving the quality of the soil. Be careful though! Barnyard manure has been used for ages on roses, but certain types of barnyard manure can actually harm your roses and reduce the soil quality.

Read about these and other soil solutions in the article: Desert Garden Soil Problems.