On Mon, 3 Feb 2003 20:24:39 -0000, "pp" wrote:


Can you suggest a simple solution to improve the drainage of my heavy clay
soil. The area is approx
6ft by 4ft and has a slight dip. Hence after some rain fall, there is a
pool of water.

I have read that I can mix a sharp sand with the soil which would do the
job. However, mixing sand
and clay .. will this not make the soil more solid ?

Thank you in advance for your response.


I tried that with my heavy clay soil ( using horticultural sand ), and
whilst it did lighten up the topsoil it didn't really improve the deep
drainage. Worked fine with a moderate shower, but once it really
rained I found the puddles formed again.

I had much better results mixing in organic matter - and even better
results by getting down to the subsoil and working it over ( with the
addition of yet more organic matter ). The organic matter tends to
increase the absorbtion capacity of the soil - and the addition of
grit will help to open up the topsoil even more.
Getting that subsoil opened up will mean that water won't be so
inclined to 'sit' in the topsoil.

You could also add soil conditioners. You can buy bags of this from
your local recycling depot ( i.e. to local tip ), or at least you can
from my local tip in Hants.
It's a lot cheaper than horticultural sand, and doesn't make the soil
feel quite so 'scratchy'.

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{who is at}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk