peterlsutton wrote:
On a practical level how do you cope with applying manure to a
border with a bark chip mulch. If you want to manure and mulch
every year, does this rule out bark chips.

Thanks for your comments. The main reason for the interest in bark
chip is that I have just found an excellent source at a local saw
mill. There is a pile bigger than my house and they are chargeing
50p for a dustbin full. If I could get manure or compost at that
price I would use that. I understand that any decomposed organic
matter will improve clay, by binding the tiny clay particles
together
into larger particles. The tiny particle size being the cause of
all
the problems.

Peter

Right. Your binful will be more like a few shovelfuls when it's
rotted down properly, which takes for bloody ever unless you add
nitrogen. In small quantities, uncomposted timber waste won't do any
harm; but you can't compare it with rotted manure or compost. I
reckon 50p a binful is a swindle. You're doing them a favour by
taking the stuff away: what else are they going to do with it?

If the money doesn't matter too much, then you can mix it with the
cheapest source of nitrogen you can find or manage, and it will be
good -- certainly a lot cheaper than the loads of dubious topsoil
some of our enquirers seem to be happy to lash out on for no clear
reason. That said, I'd be happy enough to dig in lots of sawmill
waste, or straw or spoilt hay, if I had pure building-site clay; but
I wouldn't expect it to turn into ordinary soil for a few years, even
if I dug in a lot of sand and grit at the same time.

But having said _that_, I admit plants want to grow; so we shouldn't
worry too much about the conditions, but just keep on growing what
did well the year before, and add new ones all the time to see if
anything's changed. The very fact of plants growing in a soil will
improve it.

--
Mike.