Clay in soil?
Question:i've been gardening- and we have a great garden, and this area; its very rich, and has heaps of worms- problem is that we built a back house near it, and if i dig more than a handspan innit its a mix of clay and dirt, but still stuff still grows on it, but it got me thinking; if i come across a chunk of clay - this brown, water resistant piece of sod, should i just take it out and throw it away? is there a way for me to do it on a large scale? i.e get rid of the clay? should i even be worrying about clay? coz we grow tropical fruits (btw i counted 100 lemons/grapefruits on our grapefruit tree today!)
i live in australia; i dont think aeration is a problem, the worms are there and seem to be loving the place, but the clay is still there, should i introduce a different kind of soil to break up the clay composition?
Answers:
The best garden soil is generally considered to be a loam - a mixture of sand (large, coarse particles), silt (tiny, but still visible particles) and clay (microscopic flat mineral sheets) particles. The reason that loam works so well is the physical structure of the resulting soil: the macropores between the larger particles allow water to drain through it readily, while the tiny micropores created between the finer particles retain moisture and provide a large surface area for the microorganisms to grow on. About an equal part of sand, silt and clay in loam is considered ideal, but a rough equivalent works too.
It sounds as if your soil does have a mix of particle size (you mention dirt), although the clay appears to be in lumps. The soil also sounds rich, for existing plants flourish and worms (which require significant organic material) are present. If you have pure clay under the topsoil, look out for saturated soil, which prevents oxygen from reaching the roots.
I would say that you should consider retaining the clay lumps as long as the drainage seems okay. You may want to mechanically break up the lumps and incorporate the clay into the soil. If there is too much clay, you can discard some of the lumps.
Also think about adding compost or other organic material, which almost all soils can benefit from. This will further open up the soil, improve the moisture retention ability, encourage the growth of woms and beneficial microorganisms, provide a bit of nutrients, and increase tilth (good soil structure). Place the compost on the surface and work it in. Don't overwork the soil - just do it enough to coarsely blend the material, not so much you reduce it to powder and destroy the soil pore structure.
Good luck!
Part of my garden is clay bed also. I mixed some top soil and peat moss, and eveything is fine... Any large chunks that won't break down , I would get rid of. I find digging down deep and adding the peatmoss/top soil directly into the clay and mixing well , lightens it up a bit.
My garden grows well and there is no problem with fruit or veggies.
Hi mate, I'm a garden/landscape maintenance contractor on the north coast and what you are describing is normal for most parts up here. I would suggest that you dig in some gypsum to break up the clay. You can also get some wetting agent which will help your soil retain moisture and help in breaking down the clay from one of the hardware/gardening stores EG: Bunnings, Miter 10 etc.
Hope this helps.
Rosco
Hey there!!
I live in USA, in the state of Georgia, the soil here is almost all clay and clay variants, the vegetations here is very lush during the summer and it seems not to be a problem for many plants, however if the root system of your plats are fine, spider web like, then clay will be a problem due lack of drainage, this causes rot in the roots. Here we usually mix some kind of perlite or form of anti-caking substrate to maintain the clay loose, we also use lime to maintain ph less acid since clay tends to be very acidic, so lemons and oranges will love it. since you have such a large yard, tilling to mix the upper layer into the clay will be a good idea, mix whatever you have available to prevent hardening of the clay and you should be on the roll.
Hope this help.
Al
It sounds like you have great growing soil. The fact that there are worms indicates organic material, a key ingredient for growing plants.
I wouldn't worry about the clay unless you are having problems with your garden or growing a lawn. It sounds like you have great soil which isn't affecting the plants too much.
If you are concerned about the clay in the soil, the easiest way to deal with it is to add amendments. Since it sounds like you already have organic material in the soil, then adding more won't necessarily help break up the clay.
I suggest adding gypsum. Gypsum is commonly used by landscapers to deal with exactly the kind of soil you are talking about. Soil with organic material but clay. The gypsum will help break up the clay blending it with the rest of the soil.
The usual process for adding gypsum is to generously add it to the soil and blend it in with a rototiller. You don't need to go down too deep. Only the first 12 inches or so.
Gypsum can be bought at most nurseries.
Good Luck!
More Related Questions & Answers...