Re: Amending clay soil?
- To:
- Subject: Re: Amending clay soil?
- From: M* T*
- Date: Wed, 19 May 1999 02:39:15 -0400
Well, I've added sand and I've added compost and gypsum in varying
quantities to my red Maryland clay over the years.
I've found that too much sand gives you a sandy soil that dries out even
more quickly than usual; never had it create concrete in my soil. That
said, silty soils, no matter how lovely and black they are, do turn to
concrete when dry...found this out with some topsoil ordered in once. So
the key with sand is in the size and shape of the individual grains - need
to be large and sharp, not fine and round.
Gypsum, in the quantity needed for my garden is outside my budget; may work
nicely in a small space.
Generally, clay soils need rough organic matter to improve their texture
and drainage qualities - you can, as Paul noted, add sharp pea gravel or
granite grit (that's really nice, but does get expensive, too, for large
areas.)
In the past several years, I've had a lot of woodchip piles and have found
that when these get sufficiently rotted, they make a grand amendment for
clay soil because the "chips" are relatively large - at least a lot of them
are. I've also used fine chip bagged mulch..works a treat, too. Peat is,
IMO, only useful if you are preparing an area for acid loving plants or a
peat bed; fine chip mulch is better for improving clay soil.
If your soil does not drain well, IMHO, you ought to add rough organic
material (as opposed to finely sifted stuff or peat) and probably some
coarse sand or grit. Make sure your drainage problem is soil based and not
due to hardpan or underlying rock. If hardpan or rock is an issue, you
won't get decent drainage no matter what you add to the soil....have you
done a pit test to check drainage?
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
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>
> Allan wrote:
>
> I'd appreciate some advise on amending a heavy soil. Some suggest sand,
> certain types
> of sand, compost, gypsum and mixtures of these....
> My soil is quite heavy. Compressed in a fist, it forms a solid ball.
> It's black and breaks
> apart, but doesn't drain well. I think it has a lot of clay, but isn't
> all clay.
>
> I was thinking about 4" of "builder's sand" and 4" of well decomposed
> compost tilled in
> well. Is this a good idea? The gypsum also seems like a good idea.
>
> Thanks,
>
> -Allan
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