Hairnet root plants for sand

Hi everyone

I am working on a project in sandy soil in Cfb climate (USDA 8b), 7000 sq meters (1.7 acres)
I would like to find good plants to create structure in the soil and prevent the organic matter that we are going to input to wash off downward in the depth of the sand.

Can you advise what are the best plants to achieve this (ground covers and bushes) ?

Thanks

One of the most recommended plants for erosion is Vetiver Grass.

Here are some threads you or others might find interesting:

https://permies.com/t/20793/Vetiver

https://permies.com/t/26103/Feedback-vetiver

https://permies.com/t/90062/Vetiver

How sandy are we talking? Sand dunes sandy or bad soil sandy?  I'm going to assume bad soil sandy but let me know.  If you have enough soil for them to root in, birch trees might take hold if there's water available.  I'm also assuming you don't want a monoculture since that's been a huge problem for China.  One disease wiped out decades of plantings because they planted the same exact thing for 20+ years.  

What's actually growing in your area now?  Look at fence rows and vacant lots to see what's doing fine "in the wild" with similar conditions.  Talk to your county's agricultural extension office.  They should be able to point you to places where you can get suitable native plants.  

Don't be afraid to use some mechanical means of managing soil.   Low tight fences around smaller plots help reduce wind-driven evaporation and block blowing sand.  I also seem to recall that a lot of burlap bags were used to bury organics around the plantings, forcing the plants to grow toward the nutrients.   https://www.science.org/do/10.1126/science.abh0329/abs/ma_0212_nf_greenwall-preview.jpg

Look at some of the beach area natives for those super sandy spots.  It might not handle the cold weather but it will take the heat and sand so you can treat them like annuals.  Even if the plant itself dies at the end of the growing season, the roots should persist through the winter.  

Don't underestimate native vines like Railroad Vine, either.  Vines, when allowed to go across the ground can cover space quickly.  There's a reason that a lot of landscapers use jasmine for erosion control.  You don't have to plant jasmine but don't overlook native vines from your area.  That might be a wild grape or native honeysuckle.  Native honeysuckle isn't nearly as invasive as its Asian cousins.  

Also, check out the local sages and mints.  Sages (Salvias) and Mints (from bee balm to pennyroyal) are some seriously tough plants.  I've yet to see a place they won't grow if you find the right varieties.  Antarctica maybe but I wouldn't be surprised to find some that figured out how to grow under the ice.  

Louis Romain wrote:I am working on a project in sandy soil in Cfb climate (USDA 8b), 7000 sq meters (1.7 acres)
I would like to find good plants to create structure in the soil and prevent the organic matter that we are going to input to wash off downward in the depth of the sand.

Louis, could you give us a general area that you are planting in?  We have a lot of folks who live around the world.

Just something general so we can recommend plants that might work for you.

What grows for me in Texas might not work for Canada thus the recommendation for a general vacinity.

Louis, I rain across this thread and thought about your planting in sand so I thought this might be of interest:

https://permies.com/t/186140/Turn-barren-sand-food-forest