Clay Soil

[Nylah]

I'm trying to find info on how to improve clay soil. I dug a new bed in front of the garage on the weekend where the soil is composed mostly of clay. I added a TON of compost and organic top soil and worked it into the clay as much as I could.

I planted there yesterday and today with all the rain, I noticed the water is still just running off the top of the soil [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif[/img] cause it just cant penetrate effectively.

any suggestions to improve the soil quality?

[loops]

Re: Clay Soil

how about adding sand and maybe some peat too? definitely sand tho

[Nylah]

Re: Clay Soil


i ran out there in the rain, and big clumps of clay are forming [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif[/img]

i never thought of sand [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70402-thinking.gif[/img] that should help make it more porous.

i'll try some this weekend and see how it does.

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Clay Soil

To drain clay add Gypsum. That is what is used in golf course greenss.

[Nylah]

Re: Clay Soil



i am growing manily vegetables in that bed. would gypsum be safe for the them? I want to be as organic as possible.

[loops]

Re: Clay Soil

but won't gypsum add too much lime to the soil?

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Clay Soil

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: loops</div><div class="ubbcode-body">but won't gypsum add too much lime to the soil? </div></div> You can always nutralize that after you get it drained.

[Nylah]

Re: Clay Soil


okay, i am confused. I have never heard of adding gypsum to soil so i dont know anything about it.

if i add it to the soiland then have to drain it, is it used just in times when it is rainy and the soil is being waterlogged? or can it be worked into the soil and left there to improve overall soil composition?

plus, i already have some seeds planted in the area already. can i just work around those?

[Nylah]

Re: Clay Soil



found this:

"Gypsum (calcium sulphate di-hydrate) is an abundant natural mineral. It originates from the drying out of ancient seas and is quarried (or mined if deep) in many parts of the world. Gypsum does not occur in New Zealand. Winstone imports our gypsum from Australia.

Gypsum enjoys a growing application in agriculture and horticulture. It is used as a 'clean green' soil conditioner and also as a fertiliser. Gypsum has an advantage over certain other minerals of being pH neutral.

Gypsum is particularly useful for treating heavy (clay) soils where it is used to improve the soil's texture, drainage and aeration. Gypsum also has applications in the remediation of soil that has been damaged through compaction (heavy stock, machinery), in the recovery of sub-soils exposed by earth movement (contouring, slippage) and in soils affected by salinity (estuarial berms, dairy effluent).

Gypsum is also used extensively in the building industry (wallboards, cements, plasters etc) and in the manufacture of paper, food and beverages and pharmaceuticals. "

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Clay Soil

Trade secret, because they don't sell it as gypsum. they call it soil conditioner.

[loops]

Re: Clay Soil

ph neutral...that's interesting

when you said gypsum....all i could think of was drywall.

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Clay Soil

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: loops</div><div class="ubbcode-body">ph neutral...that's interesting

when you said gypsum....all i could think of was drywall.

</div></div> you probably use it more often in dfferent products then you realize.

[Nylah]

Re: Clay Soil


after some googling:

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Improving clay soil requires the addition of both gypsum and organic matter. Gypsum is a naturally occurring substance that bonds with the clay molecules to open it up so that it drains more freely and plant roots can get down into it. In the garden, a 22-kg (50-lb.) bag will treat approximately 18 square m (200 sq. ft.). Top-dressed or tilled in, this is a one-time application that just has to be watered into the clay for it to start working, although the visible results are not instantaneous.

The second step is to amend the soil with large quantities of organic matter, which builds up humus in the soil. Tilled in and/or used as a mulch, annual additions of aged wood chips, finished compost, mushroom manure, coco fibre or leaf mould will eventually add up to a deep rich soil. Use different amendments every year, and test your soil every few years to make sure you're not adding too much of any specific nutrient. (It's easy to do with composts or manures.)

When working to improve clay soil, it's important to address the entire garden and not just the planting hole, as this results in a "bathtub" effect as the hole fills with water and it doesn't move to the surrounding clay soil. It's also best not to work the soil when it is wet as this compresses it.

Sidestepping the problem of clay soil by building raised beds is often the first choice of busy or impatient gardeners. A foot or two of imported topsoil, the most that can practically be contained in a raised bed, allows enough root run for most annual vegetable crops and shallow-rooted fruits such as strawberries. It is surprising how deeply rooted many plants are, however, and these plants will very quickly encounter the clay that still exists under the raised bed. The clay layer will interfere with drainage and root growth, leading to perennials and shrubs that do well for the first year and then go downhill.

A combination of the two methods - a layer of gypsum on the existing clay and a raised bed built over it - can offer the best of both. The gypsum will have done its work by the time the roots get down that far, and plant growth can continue uninterrupted.

Beautiful gardens are entirely possible on clay soils, with the added bonus of less frequent watering than if you have fast-draining sandy soil. </div></div>

[7777]

Re: Clay Soil

my soil is clay too Nylah, an over the years, adding bags of storebought compost didnt help much.
I had the soil tested and found it was acidic bad, bad, and all I could do with it was grow blueberries and potatoes...[img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70394-bawlout.gif[/img]

what i did was to start composting, and I have been steadily adding to the gardens, and that has what has helped in amending my soil immensely...

when u mow the law, you can add that to u claysoil, and turn it in, as long as u dont add Scotts, and those lawn treatments to u lawn.
U can also turn in de leaves off the trees into the claysoil, as long as its not pine needles.

What also works is adding bloodmeal..

Yes, organic gardening is a good ting! [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70409-waytogo.gif[/img]

[Nylah]

Re: Clay Soil

thanks for the tips 7777. I sohuld have thought to post in here before i started planting on the weekend.

For now, I put in mainly vegetables seeds in the plot: swiss chard, lettuce, carrots, butternut squash, spagetti sqaush and spinach.

I added some marigolds and green onions to help with pest control and then some sunflowers and chocolate leaf begonias near the garage door. I have no idea how any of it will do but I will soon find out.

along the shady part of the garage I planted some potatoes because i thought it would help break up the soil. dont know if that will work but i will give it a try.