My soil is sandy and on the acidic side. I try to mix in compost to help the water retention and provide nutrients, but I have planted some in straight soil and they seem to be doing fine. My biggist problem is keeping the water on the plants long enough for the to absorb is. The water drains so incredibly quickly so I actually build birms around the plants or water in trenches along the rows. Eventually I want to get everything on drip. That will make life much easier.
I pot my irises in a mixture of Kellog's organic soil (heavy on the wood chips) and topsoil. I'm finding it drains too quickly so I need to try something else. Superstition told me they only trust Miracle-Gro soil...but I don't know which type.
Good for you Richard on using the alpaca manure. I used to have llamas and they too have excellent soil amending abilities!
