Re: Cult: Clay Soil
- Subject: Re: [iris-talk] Cult: Clay Soil
- From: J* I* J*
- Date: Sun, 07 Jul 2002 18:58:18 -0700
I remembered several discussions about this previously and went to the
archives to see what I could find to refresh my memory.
First how to identify clay soil. When wet or damp squeeze a fistfull
and if is compacts into a firm mass andgets a shiny surface when wet,
you got clay.
Here in Northern CA my clay soil has a 6.8 PH. It is also highly
buffered so any attempts to change the PH are almost ineffective esp
over time. To have any major impact you have to use slow release
chemicals to moderate the PH (in either direction)
tmilchh@aol.com wrote:
>
> Dear Laetitia,
> Clay soil comes in many colors( gray, red or yellow),; it is very dense,
> holds lots of water, is heavy to move, but it is high in nutrients & grows
> good irises, if you can dig in some organic matter; don't put in sand or you
> will make concrete.
> Annette
Yes and no. Depends on the type of clay. Sometimes sand will work well,
sometimes it creates cement. I do not remember how to distinguish the
type of clay that one or the other. Try a bucketfull and see. Be sure
to let it dry out and compare to native clay that is dried out. When it
works sand does a great job.
Adding organic matter is always a winner, burt remember you have to
continue to add it year after year (or every other year depending on
your circumstances) because it breaks down.
The other thing to add is gypsum. An article I read said that gypsum
helps the individual clay particles clump together into larger
particles. Sounds counterintuitive but when the fine particles clump
into bigger ones, they create air and moisture spaces and giving you
better friability.
John | "There be dragons here"
| Annotation used by ancient cartographers
| to indicate the edge of the known world.
List owner iris-talk and iris-photos
________________________________________________
For your Iris gift needs, visit the AIS Gift Shop at:
http://www.AISGiftShop.com
USDA zone 8/9 (coastal, bay)
Fremont, California, USA
Visit my website at:
http://usjoneses.com
Vice Chairman, Region 14 of the AIS
Director, American Iris Society
Chairman, AIS Committee for Electronic Member Services
Subscribe to iris-talk at:
http://yahoogroups.com/subscribe/iris-talk
Archives at: http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/
Subscribe to iris-photos at:
http://yahoogroups.com/subscribe/iris-photos
Archives at:http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/
________________________________________________
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Free $5 Love Reading
Risk Free!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/Pp91HA/PfREAA/Ey.GAA/2gGylB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
