Add Organic Matter And Compost
To increase the volume of clay soil, you can add organic matter like compost and rotting vegetation to your yard. This will help increase the volume of your soil, which will improve its physical consistency and structure. You should also try to aerate your soil as much as possible to improve its drainage capacity.
For example, if you want a soft texture and good water holding capacity, add large amounts of organic matter while not adding enough compost to make it too wet. You should also add peat moss to create a good texture.
When Your Clay Soil Wont Drain
Cultural management is sometimes all thats needed to solve a problem with clay soil drainage. Growing in raised beds is sometimes the simplest solution. Construct low walls of wooden planks, bricks or stone and fill them with soil mixed with compost, or mound up the soil for your beds so that its several inches higher than the surrounding ground. Dont build beds that are too wide to reach into the middle comfortably.
Adding plenty of organic matter also helps with drainage by improving soil structure and water infiltration. Spread a layer of compost, leaf mold, or aged manure 3 to 4 inches deep over your planting beds in fall or spring, and dig the organic matter in to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. Alternatively, spread a mulch of wood chips, sawdust or bark chippings on the soil surface, and they will eventually disappear into the soil naturally.
Growing cover crops helps to improve drainage in heavy clay. Cover crops are plants that are grown to improve the soil condition by increasing the proportion of decaying plant material. Borage , and timothy hay , hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8, are two cover crops that can be sown in fall and dug into the soil in spring.
Apply A Fertilizer To Improve Clay Soil For Lawns
Apply fertilizer once again once you have added the clay soil back into your lawn. This will help improve the number of nutrients in your soil and boost it to perform better than before.
The most effective way to apply fertilizer is by using a fertilizer spreader on top of your existing grass area. You can also mix the fertilizer with the clay soil before adding it back into your lawn area if you prefer. This will let you avoid applying too much of anyones fertilizer and ensure that the entire area benefits.
Read Also: How To Kill Brome Grass In Lawn
How To Loosen Clay Soil
Asked by: Roger Kemmer
The best way to loosen and improve clay soil is by adding lots of organic matter. Organic matter consists of the decaying remains of plants and animals. It does a good job of binding clay particles together . This results in improved drainage and aeration as well as sofer and lighter soil.
Add Gypsum To The Clay Soil
Gypsum is naturally occurring calcium sulfate that you can use to break up heavily compacted clay soil on your lawn. When added to the soil, gypsum improves the texture by making the fine particles come together to make larger particles with improved drainage and aeration.
To improve clay soil using gypsum, apply 1 kilogram of gypsum per square meter of your yard and dig it well into the top 15 centimeters. Mix it well so that the soluble calcium can enhance the porosity and aggregation of the clay soils and improve air and water infiltration.
Pro tip: Clay soils are highly nutritious. If you opt to use gypsum to improve the soil for your lawn, avoid applying too much of it. Too much gypsum can eliminate essential nutrients, including aluminum, manganese, and iron.
Also Check: How To Estimate Lawn Mowing
Should I Add Gypsum Or Lime To Clay Soil
Gypsum is often recommended as a solution to improve clay soil. Applying gypsum to a compact soil usually works well if the clay has a high salt level, as it replaces this substance with calcium. Gypsum added to the ground helps erosion control, reduces water run-off, and helps with seeding. Gypsum is usually not suitable for sandy soils but is excellent in coastal or arid regions.
Take caution about adding too much gypsum or lime, which can be more problematic than beneficial. Both gypsum and lime add calcium to the soil, and lime will help break up clumps in compact soil, but too much lime makes the soil too alkaline. Lime is typically recommended as a solution to alter acidic soil.
Improve Clay Soil Drainage With Raised Beds
There are several ways to improve the drainage of your clay soil. Raised beds are a good way to improve clay soil.
A raised bed is a quick and effective way to improve the drainage of your soil. Another option is to plant more plants on top of the soil.
In order to get the best results, you need to choose a solution that works best for your garden. You can use a combination of methods to improve clay soil.
The organic matter will also improve the drainage of your clay soil. You can even grow plants in the soil if you add a few organic materials.
If you dont have a lot of space for a garden, you can use a compost bin to keep the soil moist. You should also add some organic matter on top of the soil to avoid compaction.
Recommended Reading: Microclover Lawn Pros And Cons
Recommended Reading: How Do You Get Rid Of Voles In Your Lawn
How Was Clay Discovered
Ceramics is one of the most ancient industries going back thousands of years. Once humans discovered that clay could be found in abundance and formed into objects by first mixing with water and then firing, a key industry was born. The first examples of pottery appeared in Eastern Asia several thousand years later.
Avoid Walking In The Beds
After all the work youve done to improve your clay soil, the last thing you should do is walk in the garden bed and cause compaction all over again.
Garden soil is very expensive when you think about all of the time youve taken to improve it, purchase soil amendments, and collect and disperse organic material.
Create garden beds narrow enough that you dont have to walk in them to manage all sides.
When I started gardening, 4-foot-wide beds were a great size for making the best use of space in my small garden. But I quickly learned how frustrating it was to not be able to reach all areas easily. Ive settled on three feet wide as my favorite bed size for my personal reach.
Whichever size bed you decide on, be sure you dont have to step on your rich, pampered soil.
As you can see, even though heavy clay soil can be frustrating, there are a lot of ways to improve it so you can garden with ease and grow crops that thrive.
What are your favorite ways to improve clay soil?
READ NEXT:
Also Check: Where To Get Lawn Signs Made
It Is Possible To Improve Clay Soil For Lawns
What’s Inside:
Many homeowners think that clay soil is a death sentence when it comes to growing grass.
And that can be true in certain situations. If you do not take the time to improve the clay soil in your lawn, it can result in stunted roots, weakened grass, and even greater numbers of insects and weeds.
However, there are a few simple steps you can take to improve the existing soil. Read on to learn how you can improve your clay soil and grow a beautiful and lush lawn.
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. We only include brands we use and trust. See the full disclosure in the privacy policy.
Clay As A Soil Textural Class
Soil texture refers to the makeup of the mineral particles of clay, sand, or silt. Sand has the biggest size of about 2.0mm to 0.05mm which is easy to see by the naked eye. It is followed by silt from 0.05mm to 0.002mm and lastly microscopic clay which measures less than 0.002mm.
Most soils are a combination of these three and the relative percentage of each mineral creates 12 different textural classes which can be illustrated using a soil textural triangle.
Read Also: How Do I Add Nitrogen To My Lawn
Compacted Clay Inhibits Healthy Growth For Grass And Other Plants
The same properties behind clay’s benefits also present its biggest challenge. The small size of clay particles means they fit closely together, leaving less room for air, water and nutrients to moveespecially when pressure compacts them. The particle shape increases the likelihood of compaction, too. Clay particles are flat, like plates, instead of rounded like grains of sand.
Clay becomes compacted for many reasons. Walking on your lawn or garden when its wet is a common cause. Heavy, beating rains also drive clay particles together. Once compacted, clay restricts water, nutrient, and air movement, leaving plants vulnerable to root diseases and nutrient deficiencies.1 And, like your garden shovel, tender new roots hit a wall of hard clay when they try to grow. Salts from fertilizers and winter de-icing solutions build up in heavy clay as well.
Aeration helps relieve soil compaction by creating holes that allow water and nutrients to penetrate.
Amend Clay Soil With Humic Acid
Humic acid is one of the highly recommended amendments for compacted clay soils in any yard. But how does it work? It generates and activates microbial activity that helps restructure compacted soil.
You should, however, not expect humic acid to break down clay soil that is heavily compacted. You may want to use other organic methods such as tilling and adding compost to the soil for this problem.
Other great clay soil amendments similar to humic acid include Aerify Plus Liquid Soil Aerator and Soil Conditioner, which can help break down compacted clay soil on the lawn.
Don’t Miss: How Do I Make My Lawn Greener
Add Soil Amendments To Clay Soil
Add soil amendments immediately following aeration so that the rain can wash them into the holes and soften the clay. Youll need lots of organic matter at first to really change the structure of the soil.
The following types of organic matter attract microorganisms that speed up soil improvement by developing tunnels and pooping a lot .
Would you like to learn more about improving the quality of your soil, reducing maintenance, and increasing yield?
Youll find loads of information just like this in my award-winning book, The Suburban Micro-Farm.
Some Amendments to Consider for Clay Soil
Compost:Homemade compost is an excellent soil conditioner that improves drainage. Learn how to build a compost bin thats right for you.
Unfortunately, herbicides can contaminate both home compost bins as well as store-bought compost. Learn how to:
Green Manure:Cut green plant matter from other areas of the garden and spread it evenly over the soil for a nutrient-rich amendment. Herbal compost teas can also be used.
Leaf Mold:Pound for pound, the leaves of most trees contain twice as many minerals as manure. Fall leaves are both a valuable mulch and soil builder.
Leaves that have decomposed for a year or two are considered to be leaf mold, a rich and crumbly black gold for garden soil.
> > > Browse my favorite soil amendments in my .
Leaves composting into leaf mold, a rich garden amendment.
Field Test For Textural Classes
These tests are inexpensive and can be quickly done in the field. However, it requires practical knowledge and experience to give valid results.
Ball test
Take a handful of soil. Wet it with water. Strongly squeeze it in your palm. If the soil takes and retains the shape of your hand, you probably have clay. If it does not, it has a high proportion of sand particles.
Ribbon test
Get a small amount of soil in your hand. Make sure to remove any gravel, stones, and other debris. If it is dry, wet it slowly with water. Make a ball of about 3cm. If it cannot make a ball, then it is sandy.
Otherwise, gently roll it against a surface to make a shape similar to a sausage. If the sausage reaches up to 15 cm long, slightly bend it and see if it retains the shape. If yes and it does not crack, you have clay.
Jar Test
This test will give you an idea of how much clay you have in your soil sample. Put a quarter-full of soil in a jar. Fill the jar with water and mix it thoroughly. Set aside and wait about an hour. The water will become clear once all particles have settled.
The difference in the size of sand, silt, and clay will create a distinction. Clay being the finest, will be at the topmost layer followed by silt, and sand at the bottom. If the clay has the largest proportion, then you have clay soil.
Read Also: How To Do Soil Test For Lawn
Aerate To Break Up The Soil
Clay soil is compacted and has very little air space, so aerating your lawnis a great way to improve the clay soil.
Clay is composed of microscopic particles that are stuck tightly together, which inhibits oxygen, water, and nutrients from flowing freely throughout.
- Aerating compacted clay soil will help the air, water, and other nutrients you tested reach your plants roots and foster valuable soil-building microbes.
- Aerating needs to be done once a year, preferably in the spring or fall , to maintain your lawns wellbeing year-round.
For an easy DIY method to aerate your lawn, you can simply poke small holes throughout the lawn with a fork by starting at one side and poking the holes every four to five inches until the entire lawn is done. This can be time-consuming and tedious but works well for small areas.
If you have a large yard you may want to purchase spike aerators or pull-behind aerator to break up your compacted soil faster and easier.
Five Steps To Improving Clay Soils:
Don’t Miss: Where Can I Dispose Of My Old Lawn Mower
Maintaining The Quality Of Improved Clay Soil
The soil improvement process requires patience and unwavering commitment. Its not a one-time big-time event but a continuous effort of learning, building, and conserving everything thats in the soil.
This may include routinely adding soil amendments for clay soil such as compost and mulches or simply spending hours creating air pockets with your broad fork. Below are some practical ways you can also keep in mind to prevent coming back from a heavy clay state.
Soil Amendments Such As Organic Matter And Gypsum Improve Heavy Clay And Relieve Compaction
Amending your soil properly can overcome heavy, compacted clay and get it back on track for healthy lawn and garden growth. Adding materials such as organic compost, pine bark, composted leaves and gypsum to heavy clay can improve its structure and help eliminate drainage and compaction problems. Avoid adding sand or peat moss to clay they can make those problems worse.1
Your soil test or extension agent can help you determine the right amount of organic matter for your soil. As a general rule, when possible, add a layer of 3 to 6 inches of organic matter on your soil before planting, and work it down into the top 10 to 12 incheswhere most roots grow. In following years, build on your efforts by adding 1 to 3 inches of organic mulch as a topdressing each year.1 As it decomposes, it continues to gradually improve clay soil.
Gypsum is easily applied to the soil surface with a regular lawn spreader. It’s an ideal amendment for improving soil structure and relieving compaction in existing lawns and gardens. Lilly Miller Garden Gypsum starts working immediately starts working immediately to help loosen compacted clay soil, increase water penetration and improve drainage, correcting soil conditions to allow for better plant root growth.
Gypsum enhances soil without affecting soil pH and provides calcium to prevent blossom end rot disease.
You May Like: How Do I Stop Clover From Taking Over My Lawn
Clay Soil On The Other Hand Will Have These Characteristics:
Clay feels smooth when rubbed between your thumb and finger.
You can shape a moist fragment of clay into a ball and then into s sausage shape without it cracking.
Clay feels slightly dense and sticky.
When you roll clay soil into a clay sausage and its moist surface will be shiny when you rub it, it is likely that you have what is called heavy clay.
Don’t Let Clay Soil Keep You From Having A Beautiful Garden There Are Many Easy Ways To Amend Heavy Soil
Peggy Anne Montgomery has 35 years of experience in horticulture in the Netherlands and the U.S. She owned a landscape design firm in the Netherlands. Upon returning to the United States she worked in sales and marketing for Bailey Nurseries, Inc, followed by a position at Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware, studying native plants. Later, she began a consulting firm and represented American Beauties Native Plants before taking on the role of Executive Account Manager at the Garden Media Group. In her new role at GMG, she represents Dutch Royal Anthos, a consortium of Dutch bulb exporters in the U.S.
There is no doubt about it working in heavy soil is a pain in the back. It sticks to your shoes and is sometimes considered even more challenging than gardening with sand. But for all the hard work, clay soil has its benefits. Namely, it can harbor life-giving plant nutrients and retain moisture better than other soil types. With some soil amendments, you can turn your sticky clay into the humus-rich, fertile goodness that your plants will thank you for.
Also Check: How To Spray Lawn For Weeds
