I was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. My dad grew such beautiful gardens. Of course we used lots of water and shade was very important.

Hey man I am currently studying environmental systems engineering and I wanted to say I love this video and the topic! I wish permaculture practices would become more mainstream

If you get a good scrubby native to grow it then attracts the birds and they constantly fertilise and seed. The more birds you can attract the more nitrogen you can bring in.

I was able to send $7 to fund your book on its first day and subscribed, thanks to DiamondDave’s heads up. I’m in coastal S Florida. I moved into a rental with a 50 yr old live oak in the back yard 6 yrs ago. I started with a 50 x 80 sparsely weeded sand fill back yard that was one gigantic big headed ant nest. They have disappeared with the increased leaf cover. My landlord wanted me to seed with grass! I laughed at him! I’ve allowed the leaves to lie, mowing once at the end of each October, finally developing a stable leaf layer with mycelium present. I have a knickerbean vine volunteer that has started taking over a section. Talk about thorny; this coastal dune native has millions of cats’ claws like thorns on every stem, branch and leaf. I wouldn’t be surprised to find them on the roots, too! If I stay another year, I will seed more shade hardy groundcover as you recommend and lift the oak’s crown all the way up, removing all interior branches. Thanks for the tips videos!

Coming from Los Angeles CA, although the weather is nice here, lots of dry sandy lots that need some loamy love

I am in South Texas with lots of compacted sand and Mesquite Trees. We have a very limited water supply (825 + or - a week) this goes for chickens, dogs, cats, and house hold needs. I have a very small garden which has been struggling with the heat and lack of water (growing in sand and a small hand ful of soil from transplanting). How do I keep ants from killing my plants so soil can be built? I also have either moles or voles which doesn't help either. Is there a way to get rid of the moles/voles so soil can be built?

We just bought an old farmhouse and barn on 3/4 acres. The back area around the barn we think was used as a pasture because of the sandy soil and very little plant variety for grass. We are starting on it with chop and chop plus we have a small flock of chickens we will be using to help make fertilizer to add over time. Now, I need a wood chipper/shredder for all the tree and bush trimmings we need cut up for additional compost and mulch materials.

Youre an inspiration Matt Powers!

David the good has a youtube channel where he talks alot about growing in the Florida sugar sand. He has a few good books on it as well. I use a lot of wood chips and container garden while my soil fertility improves. I've planted hearty fruit trees 19 so far. Root knot nematodes are an issue as well. Choosing the right variety of trees and veges is the key. I only have 1/4 an acre of growing space. The lawn is disappearing.

Do you mean to mix sand with compost and start growing perennial plants like Moringa ? I am in Saudi Arabia, what plants do you suggest?

We have an old horse riding rink that is full of sand. There's a thin layer of patchy weeds. I think the previous owners put two inches of loam on top, but for the most part, it's pure sand. I like the no till practices, but am wondering if in this case tilling once the first year makes sense to introduce the land to organic material. My thoughts would be to till in 6 inches of compost first and then lay 2 inches of loam on top. Do you have recommendations?

Hey brotha great work iv been getting into this. This is the most important thing going on right now people don't know. I may grab something.👍😄

Wonderful video Sir - thank you! Stay bright out there. Dk

This vid is perfect and needs to be broadcasted in every public school. This could be our last hope at humanity's survival

How would benignity clay ( kitty litter) go for this ? It can be put through a seeder or desolved in water. Also is that NM

How do you grow vegetables in sandy soil? I put down a bunch of compost and wood chips and the next year it just turns to sand. And it won't retain any water. Vegetables will grow but they're not high nutrient dense.

i bought some land in mid-florida. i did some clearing and the soil is white powdery sand. Native trees like pine, oak and saw palmettos of course love it. I clear a driveway and pad by hand, but when i tried to drive in i got stuck a few times. The sand looks so pure and i think could be a great building material. I looking for a cheap way to stablize so I can drive in and out without having to worry about it. Tradditional thinking it spend 2k on shell rock. but what aobut mixing it with portland cement ? laying something to stablize it?

Thanks Matt, very beneficial information! I have few questions/concerns, if you may: 1- will the process you explained converts sand to silt over years/decades? Or just a way to plant on the sand surface forever? 2- in Saudi we drink coffee more than tea, can coffee grounds do as well as tea in the compost mixture? 3- do you think volcanic ash will help improving fertile if added to the compost? 4- if you may, could you lookup “wax coated sand” ? It has been experimented in west Saudi Arabia by researchers from King Abdullah university, would like to know your opinion and comments if any 5- sand dunes are continuously moving, so if limited spot planted, it’ll be buried in few days! Any thought about that? 6- would artificial fog (water vaporization) help to survive trees and plants from extreme heat? (Note that vaporizing water can be almost zero cost using glass dome, a mini model of the one under development in NEOM project for The Line City) 7- Is ground plants are the good start before trees? Or both at once? 8- If ground plants make the nitrogen fixation around their roots, how would deeper root trees get the same fixation quality?

Stupid question but can't the people in the desert just use humanure for compost? They can grow beans and grass for mulch inside as well to use as mulch around the trees.

Matt, how does this apply to compacted clay deserts, like the American southwest high desert? I understand focusing on plants that are native and used to the conditions and placing them densely, but most lose no leaves to contribute to the soil mass. Can this be accomplished with cactus? I'm unsure of the deep root system with them because of their water storage ability. Drainage is so important to the growth of beneficial fungi, but I'm a bit lost with how to maintain the fungi with no leaf litter and no drainage. I understand the 5 cousins, and the benefit of clay breaking roots such as diakon and fodder beet, and may be able to attain enough moisture to support that with a swale/berm system, at least during monsoon season. Deserts are so very different from each other. Any thoughts on this are appreciated, or even a direction to go for books and research. Thank you so much for all that you share.

I have a small patch of land in my backyard garden but it's only sand how I can turn sand into fertile soil

Hi, my name is Carlos and I live in Puerto Rico and am not an expert in planting, but is it possible to clean beach sand in order to mix it with soil hace success with root formation of cuttings? Saludos!!! 😁

how long does it take for this process to happen? I'm sure the more you work it and the more you add to the sand the quicker it happens, but what's the average time table to convert it?

I feel like I know nothing 🤣 I want to buy land and plant trees my guy this sounds hard 😂🤣

can i add wood chips on top of vetch? should i wait till it's sprouted?

Thank you so much, Im trying to grow tomatos but the problem is, im in the middle of the uae

I'm in OREGON high desert,,I need help. Thank you GOD BLESS FROM CHRISTMAS VALLEY OREGON

What's a good full spectrum microrhizofungi innoculant product you would use here for improving sandy soils?

In FL with sandy soil, which AMF product would you suggest purchasing ?

I live near central Florida and live on 5.5 acres. There is limited shade. It use to be an orange grove but all the trees are gone. The soils is so Sandy. I have a lot of prickers and lime doesn’t help. Cactus grow wild. I drag an old blanket behind the mower to try to collect the prickers so my dogs can walk. How can I fix this?

I live on a tiny island. I have coral (very alkaline) and sand. I want to grow food! Needing advice!

Thanks for sharing very important tips...clay desert and sand desert not same.👍

Matt think about it.When we do soil tests,the sand sinks to the bottom because its density is bigger than that of silt and clay.That is the problem with sandy soils.The dense sand cannot let anything penetrate it .Its dense structure means it has not many pores to absorb water.Only rock dust and roots can penetrate it.If organic matter and clay can penetrate the sand then this likely means it is such small size that as a particle it is denser than sand.

Kindly let me know If we have desert sand which is better To put compost or manure on top of sand Or to mix compost with sand?

I live in Southern Florida. Rain not a problem. I live in a sandbox. What works in Saudi Arabia won’t work here. How to adapt to my environment. TY

I can’t wait for your eBook! Some of your big permaculture terminology you use in your videos goes right over my layman head. Haha! Love it though! I’m from Florida and the sandy soil vid was great.

Hi..I just watched your video few minutes ago though you have made it a year before...but still hoping for your reply..what if I mix kitchen organic waste like egg shells,banana peels,and many others ...would it help to convert sand into soil....

Eastern Oregon here. very rocky, sandy and dry.

I'm interested in starting some studies within culm, and old coal mined areas to cultivate vegetative growth and speed up the reclamation process.

Thank you

Thnks for sharing.

Living in the middle of buttfuck nowhere NM this is extremely helpful. Ive basically done the method of chopping and dropping local legumes (mainly mesquite) into the sand over the last 2-3 years. Im curious about how you described seeding the sand with fungi to promote that composting of the plant material below. How would one go about that? Im decently familiar with deep rooting agents used for pecan fields, and I know they promote that relationship between fungi, bacteria, and the roots of the tree. But ive never heard of being able to seed the soil directly. Im looking more into it but its difficult to find this information sometimes!

I know I probably sound like a broken record, but what about utilizing loaded biochar and ash to help retain moisture and provide extra nutrients? I remember hearing Bob Wells talking about using it in his Massachusetts soil to help him in place of clay. Also, considering the NanoClay is proprietary tech, those that might not be able to afford the cost would be able to utilize downed timbers from things like hurricane disasters and other biomass for their carbon and mineral content, not to mention the nanopores throughout the surface acting as an adsorptive agent. Again, I apologize if I sound like a broken record, but I thought it might be another useful tool in someone’s arsenal.

So I have some money, can I mix in Black cow? I have very sandy loose soil. Clay worked in my front yard , I think because I aerated it.

what would you recommend when it comes to spiky legumes that are native to California?

Do you have an online forum where we can connect with you

if NanoClay has to be bought how do we turn sand into soil with no money?

this guy is good

Bocashi with clay and sand mix activated biochar and manure to mix all to regenerate it to make substrates. with hugkt bed method with local tree wood and chops n drops in the base to hold wather for making beds to plant food. Y think trees are first in sand área too. 🌞🤠🌡🌲🌱🌿🍁🍂💦

You are the best

Where can they get water for all this Middle Eastern desert?

I've got the surface of the moon but I've got no money...

I'll ship kudzu roots to the people overseas just water it and stand back it will take over

i liked you Jolly nature man ! that is as natural as jungle air.

Saludos desde Cuba.

Could you refer us to the Saudi guys to have a closer look of what they are doing.

Holy soils of Sri Lanka magic to plant earth peace and love to the world ♥️🌎

Save soil Movement by Sadhguru

I live in sri lanka the heart of the earth I am planning the biggest purmercultre project in the history of Sri Lanka pls get in touch with me 🌎🙏✌️♥️

#savesoil

The fertile crescent could be fertile again but first we need to stop killing each other. Maybe then we can begin to heal the land.

Those places are naturally desert. Not everywhere is naturally green

I am in kuwait

Dude I know you’re trying to help but some terms and the way you said things completely went over my head. It was way to technical. I didn’t really learn anything

Pls pls get in touch with me 📞🌎sri lanka the heart of the world 🙏✌️❤️