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| Clay Soil |
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Clay soil has a smearing quality when squeezed in your hand, and is sticky in wet weather.
It tends to drain slowly, hold water, and reacts slowly to temperature changes, staying cold for longer in spring.
There are many ways to improve clay soils.
Aerating clay soils is essential, pore spaces between clay particles are often filled with water, a situation that is worsened on compacted soils.
In autumn ‘rough’ dig the area and then leave the soil in coarse lumps to over winter.
The action of the winter weather will break the clods into a friable material.
Add a mulch of organic matter such as farmyard manure, straw or composted bark.*
* add some form of nitrogen if using bark, because when it is decaying it removes essential nutrients from the soil.
Fungi will decompose the organic matter and help to bind the clay grains together, which in turn improves drainage and aeration.
Regular manuring or composting is essential to maintain this process.
Digging in sharp river sand or grit combined with organic matter will also improve the texture.
Before adding lime, consider what is to be planted in the area, adding lime will produce fewer benefits than adding organic matter. Lime will bind the clay grains together and raise pH,
If it is deemed necessary to alter the pH add Gypsum (calcium sulphate) instead of lime (calcium carbonate) this will preserve the acidity.
When planting anything out in such conditions, excavate a planting hole that is five or six times larger than the intended plants rootball then backfilling with good soil / compost
n.b. a little dried blood topdressed onto the mulch will aid decomposition.
Alternative considerations;
Treat clay soil areas as features, e.g.
Forming pools or ponds
Create a bog garden for moisture loving plants
To avoid walking wet areas, use stepping stones or a system of duckboards
Build a patio
Form raised beds with walls of brick filled with imported soil.
Similarly build a raised rockery.
Use containers.
Form a ‘Kitchen garden’ many vegetables will tolerate clay soil.
To avoid walking on vegetable beds form 1.2m -1.5m (4ft -5ft) wide beds and use the paths formed between them for access.
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