Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
There is a man on youtube who turned his clay soil into top soil in just a 2 years. All he did was put wood mulch on top of clay. And a few years later, the clay soil magically turned into top soil. Pretty amazing.
So basically any mulched planter bed will eventually turn the clay into topsoil?
That might happen over a period of several years and only create a half inch or one inch of top soil. It would take many years and many feet of organic matter to have any effect on converting clay to topsoil.
As stated, diluting clay with organic sand granular material with a tiller will change the characteristics of the clay soil.
Have an area of my yard where I would love me to plant some perenials and the soil is mainly clay. I guess I need to amend the soil and I have received many different suggestions on what to use from compost to top soil to soil conditioner with vermiculite, black soil and or peat moss.
Could some suggest what to condition with and how to determine an approximate percentage amount to strive for? Thanks
I have rock hard clay, with lost of rocks, and roots. I've put in over 1,000 plants in the 7 years I've owned this house, where there was nothing but a couple ugly trees.
When I put in plants I amend the soil going in the hole with manure, garden soil and some of the clay soil unless the plant requires something very specific, and even then, I usually don't follow that to a T. Sometimes I'll add some peat moss, all depends on what I have around, usually what I've bought on sale/clearance.
If I can plant in this crappy soil, anyone can! Heck, I use to kill silk! I now consider myself a true gardener!!!!
So basically any mulched planter bed will eventually turn the clay into topsoil?
That might happen over a period of several years and only create a half inch or one inch of top soil. It would take many years and many feet of organic matter to have any effect on converting clay to topsoil.
As stated, diluting clay with organic sand granular material with a tiller will change the characteristics of the clay soil.
This is not accurate. Natural processes, freeze thaw cycles, earthworms and such, will mix things to a surprising depth.
Adding sand is probably the least efficient thing you can do to improve the soil. It needs organic matter. And, given that sand is just ground quartz (maybe with a bit of feldspar), pure rock, how can sand ever be "organic"?
Most of what I plant and are more concerned with are shrubs planted in the Virginia clay, more than perenials. For perenials, it's much easier to just till a section and amend the soil, however I cannot till ever time I plant a shrub.
To date, I have planted about at least 12 different shrubs and a small tree or two which are all still living but it has been less than 12 months so time will tell.
Here is my main dilemma:
We had six trees and shrubs planted by a nearby local nursery, the largest in the area and the owner came along with his crew. I asked him why their not amending the soil for the root ball.his response, look at all of the trees on the mountain side, they live, grow and thrive in this clay. If you ammend, the roots will do fine in the amended soil but they will not extend into the clay, the plant will become root bound and eventually die. So basically they dig a hole and plant the tree without fertilizer or amending the soil!
Meanwhile, another nursery recommends ammending the soil with compost, some black soil and a planting fertilizer, no peat moss or sand because they claim it causes the clay to compact and be denser than it was originally. Clay and sand does make brick.
I would really like to know which method is the right way to plant in order to have the best chance of survival. I have a good planting record and really get upset in the event that one of my shrubs or tree dies, not to mention the financial loss! Thanks
I myself never amend a planting hole just for the first reason you gave. What I will do is top dress it with some compost and mulch, followed by a good watering regiment.
Shrubs are different from annuals/perennials/vegetables in a variety of ways. Biggest, of course, is size and permanence, but also adaptability. You mulch shrubs for a different reason - to slow soil dryness in the early years, and as weed suppression. Most of the time, the roots can deal well with heavy soils as long as there's enough drainage.
Regarding the landscaper, I suspect he was just saving effort, but I must say I never saw a difference between the shrubs where I just dug and dumped versus amended. More important is to remove any covering of the root ball - don't leave burlap on - and spread the roots, unwinding those that are wrapped.
BTW, "black soil" is terrible advice. It could be most anything, but will no doubt be weed filled.
Wonder where nurseries and landscapers get these "advisors" from?
Again, agricultural extension agents are great advisers. They do know what they're doing.
So basically any mulched planter bed will eventually turn the clay into topsoil?
That might happen over a period of several years and only create a half inch or one inch of top soil. It would take many years and many feet of organic matter to have any effect on converting clay to topsoil.
As stated, diluting clay with organic sand granular material with a tiller will change the characteristics of the clay soil.
According to the video, he dug 16 inches deep and saw no signs of Clay soil.
Many feet of organic matter? lol. He layered a few inches of wood chips.
Here is one of the comments from the video. Stating that mixing clay soil with other soil achieved nothing impressive. Just 1 year of layering 2 inches of wood chips did more to the clay soil than the hard labor of tilling the clay soil.
----------
This is my sixth year gardening, the first 2 years I plowed and tilled the earth, since then I have been using wood chips (an inch or 2 inches deep) and layering with leaves (mulched) , grass clippings, hay, rabbit and chicken manure (starting last year) , let me tell you this, the first year I drove U-posts with a 3 pound hammer and folded up the ends on most posts to get them in the ground 1 foot deep . Now I can simply step on the majority of them with my foot and sink them in the ground a foot deep ! I'm a believer , lol
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Planting in clay
