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#16
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East Facing UK Garden + Clay
Jeff Layman wrote:
On 10/08/2012 00:27, David Hare-Scott wrote: Kay Lancaster wrote: Treat clay soils with respect... they're difficult to grow on. yes indeed. D A commonly held and vastly mistaken view, IMHO. Difficult to work maybe. But they are not difficult to grow on at all, if you keep to a couple of simple rules. Firstly, never try to plant anything when they are soaking wet. Secondly, never try to plant anything when they are bone dry. Clay is far more suited to growing many plants than sandy soil; even those naturally found in sandy environments will often more than just tolerate clay. I have grown heathers without problem, and grown and fruited blueberries on clay (pH 6 - 6.5). I have even been able to move plants which are said to really dislike being moved because a great lump of clay sticks to the roots, and, to all intents and purposes, the roots really haven't been disturbed at all. Try that with sandy or even "highly desirable" loamy soil. The one plant I have given up with on clay soil is grass. Where it is constantly wet, a lawn simply ends up a mess, often with more moss than grass. The previous owner of the house I moved in to had so much trouble he installed land drains, but even those couldn't make a meaningful difference and in the end I had the lawn removed (no great loss as I can't stand lawns anyway). I live in the Sussex weald, and have been gardening on clay for over 25 years. And, believe me, Sussex clay is real clay. I have about 10 inches of claggy "soil" over a solid clay subsoil (solid with ironstone lumps, that is. Even a pickaxe fails to penetrate some parts. and I have to resort to a hammer drill if I want a deep hole). The most difficult thing about gardening on clay is digging the damn stuff; it is /very/ hard work. It even sticks to stainless steel spades with a vengeance. And when dry, don't even bother with a hammer drill - it's not worth the effort. Wait until it's workable again. But when it grows stuff, it is brilliant. It holds moisture; it holds nutrients; it anchors. It tends to help withstand frosts much better than lighter soils. My situation is similar to yours, a layer of topsoil over plastic clay, though I suspect my topsoil is naturally better. I agree that clay soil holds water and nutrients well and can produce great crops. Every time the region goes into drought I thank my stars for the clay underneath that acts like a big sponge and keeps my pasture growing for months without rain. Having had very sandy soil (that I was always trying to build up) and very clayey soil that I have to break down I will take the clay. BUT You have to have (or to make) actual soil. Clay by itself ( I mean the plastic stuff you can mould into complex shapes) is hopeless. The process of amending it takes years of effort and some skill. The choice of plants has to be considered carefully as many will die in a wet spell due to lack of drainage and it is impractical (for me anyway) to landscape the whole garden for drainage and to amend all its soil to prevent the problem. As it is all my fruit trees grow in mounds and my vege garden has raised beds with drain paths running down-slope: at considerable effort and cost. Clay is not for people who just want to plop something in the ground and see it grow. I thought it interesting that in response to "Treat clay soils with respect... they're difficult to grow on." you first deny that it is so and then go on to explain all the difficulties that have. :-) David |
#17
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East Facing UK Garden + Clay
David Hare-Scott wrote:
.... My situation is similar to yours, a layer of topsoil over plastic clay, though I suspect my topsoil is naturally better. I agree that clay soil holds water and nutrients well and can produce great crops. Every time the region goes into drought I thank my stars for the clay underneath that acts like a big sponge and keeps my pasture growing for months without rain. Having had very sandy soil (that I was always trying to build up) and very clayey soil that I have to break down I will take the clay. if you have a properly planted pasture with some alfalfas and red clovers the tap roots from those go down quite deep. even for more sandier soils they can make the difference between a nice top and barren brown scraggly yuck. then again, also important is to not overgraze. BUT You have to have (or to make) actual soil. Clay by itself ( I mean the plastic stuff you can mould into complex shapes) is hopeless. The process of amending it takes years of effort and some skill. lasagna gardening isn't too bad, pile it on and let time/worms/critters do most of the work. i just wish i had enough space to do here that wasn't surrounded by gravel pathways and prone to flooding once in a while. The choice of plants has to be considered carefully as many will die in a wet spell due to lack of drainage and it is impractical (for me anyway) to landscape the whole garden for drainage and to amend all its soil to prevent the problem. As it is all my fruit trees grow in mounds and my vege garden has raised beds with drain paths running down-slope: at considerable effort and cost. without the raised beds here many of the gardens out back would be too soggy for too much of the spring to get the soil warm enough. that is one of the problems with clay that hasn't been mentioned yet (that it stays cold longer). for some crops this is good, for others not so good (tomatoes, peppers). Clay is not for people who just want to plop something in the ground and see it grow. I thought it interesting that in response to "Treat clay soils with respect... they're difficult to grow on." you first deny that it is so and then go on to explain all the difficulties that have. :-) i keep working more organic material in when i have a chance to do it and the garden is in between crops/covercropping. still i'm not down very far in some gardens because we keep rotating the heavier feeders and i don't have a huge amount of extra time and energy to dig in more stuff or hunt it down. so far mixing in partially decayed wood chips along with some sand if i have it has been the best results for working, if i could convince myself to get a breathing rig set up so i could fire more charcoal in clay lined pits i think that was even a better result for workability. i agree with the points about proper drainage being very important (or a good landscape design) for clay. until i got the drainage situation improved here it didn't make much sense to plant certain gardens early. for root vegetable beds out back (and the tulips) i put in raised beds with french drains and drain tiles to keep the water moving downwards or away instead of perking the clay back up to the surface. i put landscape fabric down too before i put the topsoil/sandy topsoil mix in. i didn't want to make it easy for the worms to channel into the clay and mix it with the topsoil either. today these were the only gardens that didn't get flooded much. songbird |
#18
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East Facing UK Garden + Clay
"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
Having had very sandy soil (that I was always trying to build up) and very clayey soil that I have to break down I will take the clay. I seem to recall an old gardener's saying of "Sand, heartache, Clay, backache". |
#19
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East Facing UK Garden + Clay
On 10/08/2012 22:42, Kay Lancaster wrote:
On 10/08/2012 00:27, David Hare-Scott wrote: Kay Lancaster wrote: Treat clay soils with respect... they're difficult to grow on. yes indeed. D A commonly held and vastly mistaken view, IMHO. Difficult to work maybe. But they are not difficult to grow on at all, if you keep to a couple of simple rules. Firstly, never try to plant anything when they I, too, have been growing on clay for about 40 years now... first the clay subsoil that was all the builders left when they stripped the top soil and sold it at my childhood home in Iowa, and now out here in Oregon -- both yellow clays, though the Oregon clay is calcium poor, rocky and nearly free of worms (there are no native worms out here), Is that normal? I don't know anything about Oregon Clay, but would have though that if there are almost no worms, more-or-less nothing could grow as recycling of plant material couldn't take place, and aeration would be non-existent. What happens with the native plants out there? Or is the area basically a clay desert? so it compacts easily and often requires mechanical aeration-- the Iowa soil did not require much mechanical aeration and was calcium rich. It wasn't until I moved to an area with a lovely, deep prairie topsoil that gardening became fun. There, I could stand barefoot on bare soil and wiggle my feet a bit and dig myself in ankle deep, the soil was that friable and loose. Stick a plant in the ground and it grew. But that's too easy. Don't you want a challenge? ;-) Though clay holds soil moisture well, it's often not as available to the plants as water in sandy soils, e.g.: http://ag.arizona.edu/turf/tips1095.html which is a special problem in drought. Interesting article. Grass, though... -- Jeff |
#20
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East Facing UK Garden + Clay
On 11/08/2012 00:12, David Hare-Scott wrote:
Jeff Layman wrote: On 10/08/2012 00:27, David Hare-Scott wrote: Kay Lancaster wrote: Treat clay soils with respect... they're difficult to grow on. yes indeed. D A commonly held and vastly mistaken view, IMHO. Difficult to work maybe. But they are not difficult to grow on at all, if you keep to a couple of simple rules. Firstly, never try to plant anything when they are soaking wet. Secondly, never try to plant anything when they are bone dry. Clay is far more suited to growing many plants than sandy soil; even those naturally found in sandy environments will often more than just tolerate clay. I have grown heathers without problem, and grown and fruited blueberries on clay (pH 6 - 6.5). I have even been able to move plants which are said to really dislike being moved because a great lump of clay sticks to the roots, and, to all intents and purposes, the roots really haven't been disturbed at all. Try that with sandy or even "highly desirable" loamy soil. The one plant I have given up with on clay soil is grass. Where it is constantly wet, a lawn simply ends up a mess, often with more moss than grass. The previous owner of the house I moved in to had so much trouble he installed land drains, but even those couldn't make a meaningful difference and in the end I had the lawn removed (no great loss as I can't stand lawns anyway). I live in the Sussex weald, and have been gardening on clay for over 25 years. And, believe me, Sussex clay is real clay. I have about 10 inches of claggy "soil" over a solid clay subsoil (solid with ironstone lumps, that is. Even a pickaxe fails to penetrate some parts. and I have to resort to a hammer drill if I want a deep hole). The most difficult thing about gardening on clay is digging the damn stuff; it is /very/ hard work. It even sticks to stainless steel spades with a vengeance. And when dry, don't even bother with a hammer drill - it's not worth the effort. Wait until it's workable again. But when it grows stuff, it is brilliant. It holds moisture; it holds nutrients; it anchors. It tends to help withstand frosts much better than lighter soils. My situation is similar to yours, a layer of topsoil over plastic clay, though I suspect my topsoil is naturally better. I agree that clay soil holds water and nutrients well and can produce great crops. Every time the region goes into drought I thank my stars for the clay underneath that acts like a big sponge and keeps my pasture growing for months without rain. Having had very sandy soil (that I was always trying to build up) and very clayey soil that I have to break down I will take the clay. BUT You have to have (or to make) actual soil. Clay by itself ( I mean the plastic stuff you can mould into complex shapes) is hopeless. The process of amending it takes years of effort and some skill. The choice of plants has to be considered carefully as many will die in a wet spell due to lack of drainage and it is impractical (for me anyway) to landscape the whole garden for drainage and to amend all its soil to prevent the problem. As it is all my fruit trees grow in mounds and my vege garden has raised beds with drain paths running down-slope: at considerable effort and cost. Clay is not for people who just want to plop something in the ground and see it grow. I thought it interesting that in response to "Treat clay soils with respect... they're difficult to grow on." you first deny that it is so and then go on to explain all the difficulties that have. :-) Did I? Read my post again. You are confusing "growing" with the act of digging or cultivating. For the latter, good loam or even sandy soil wins every time, as the job is easy. But once in, plants grow much better in clay without a lot of additional help such as watering and use of fertilisers. -- Jeff |
#21
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East Facing UK Garden + Clay
On 11/08/2012 07:02, Farm1 wrote:
"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message Having had very sandy soil (that I was always trying to build up) and very clayey soil that I have to break down I will take the clay. I seem to recall an old gardener's saying of "Sand, heartache, Clay, backache". LoL! I'll have to remember that one. -- Jeff |
#22
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East Facing UK Garden + Clay
On Aug 11, 3:54*am, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 11/08/2012 00:12, David Hare-Scott wrote: Jeff Layman wrote: On 10/08/2012 00:27, David Hare-Scott wrote: Kay Lancaster wrote: Treat clay soils with respect... they're difficult to grow on. yes indeed. D A commonly held and vastly mistaken view, IMHO. *Difficult to work maybe. *But they are not difficult to grow on at all, if you keep to a couple of simple rules. *Firstly, never try to plant anything when they are soaking wet. *Secondly, never try to plant anything when they are bone dry. *Clay is far more suited to growing many plants than sandy soil; even those naturally found in sandy environments will often more than just tolerate clay. I have grown heathers without problem, and grown and fruited blueberries on clay (pH 6 - 6.5). *I have even been able to move plants which are said to really dislike being moved because a great lump of clay sticks to the roots, and, to all intents and purposes, the roots really haven't been disturbed at all. *Try that with sandy or even "highly desirable" loamy soil. *The one plant I have given up with on clay soil is grass. *Where it is constantly wet, a lawn simply ends up a mess, often with more moss than grass. *The previous owner of the house I moved in to had so much trouble he installed land drains, but even those couldn't make a meaningful difference and in the end I had the lawn removed (no great loss as I can't stand lawns anyway). I live in the Sussex weald, and have been gardening on clay for over 25 years. And, believe me, Sussex clay is real clay. *I have about 10 inches of claggy "soil" over a solid clay subsoil (solid with ironstone lumps, that is. Even a pickaxe fails to penetrate some parts. and I have to resort to a hammer drill if I want a deep hole). The most difficult thing about gardening on clay is digging the damn stuff; it is /very/ hard work. *It even sticks to stainless steel spades with a vengeance. And when dry, don't even bother with a hammer drill - it's not worth the effort. *Wait until it's workable again. But when it grows stuff, it is brilliant. *It holds moisture; it holds nutrients; it anchors. *It tends to help withstand frosts much better than lighter soils. My situation is similar to yours, a layer of topsoil over plastic clay, though I suspect my topsoil is naturally better. *I agree that clay soil holds water and nutrients well and can produce great crops. *Every time the region goes into drought I thank my stars for the clay underneath that acts like a big sponge and keeps my pasture growing for months without rain. Having had very sandy soil (that I was always trying to build up) and very clayey soil that I have to break down I will take the clay. BUT *You have to have (or to make) actual soil. *Clay by itself ( I mean the plastic stuff you can mould into complex shapes) is hopeless. *The process of amending it takes years of effort and some skill. *The choice of plants has to be considered carefully as many will die in a wet spell due to lack of drainage and it is impractical (for me anyway) to landscape the whole garden for drainage and to amend all its soil to prevent the problem. *As it is all my fruit trees grow in mounds and my vege garden has raised beds with drain paths running down-slope: at considerable effort and cost. Clay is not for people who just want to plop something in the ground and see it grow. *I thought it interesting that in response to "Treat clay soils with respect... they're difficult to grow on." you first deny that it is so and then go on to explain all the difficulties that have. *:-) Did I? *Read my post again. You are confusing "growing" with the act of digging or cultivating. *For the latter, good loam or even sandy soil wins every time, as the job is easy. *But once in, plants grow much better in clay without a lot of additional help such as watering and use of fertilisers. -- Jeff Cites, please? I am interested in following this up. TIA HB |
#23
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East Facing UK Garden + Clay
Higgs Boson wrote:
Cites, please? I am interested in following this up. East facing UK garden: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/...e-when-praying |
#24
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East Facing UK Garden + Clay
Higgs Boson wrote:
On Aug 11, 3:54 am, Jeff Layman wrote: On 11/08/2012 00:12, David Hare-Scott wrote: Jeff Layman wrote: On 10/08/2012 00:27, David Hare-Scott wrote: Kay Lancaster wrote: Treat clay soils with respect... they're difficult to grow on. yes indeed. D A commonly held and vastly mistaken view, IMHO. Difficult to work maybe. But they are not difficult to grow on at all, if you keep to a couple of simple rules. Firstly, never try to plant anything when they are soaking wet. Secondly, never try to plant anything when they are bone dry. Clay is far more suited to growing many plants than sandy soil; even those naturally found in sandy environments will often more than just tolerate clay. I have grown heathers without problem, and grown and fruited blueberries on clay (pH 6 - 6.5). I have even been able to move plants which are said to really dislike being moved because a great lump of clay sticks to the roots, and, to all intents and purposes, the roots really haven't been disturbed at all. Try that with sandy or even "highly desirable" loamy soil. The one plant I have given up with on clay soil is grass. Where it is constantly wet, a lawn simply ends up a mess, often with more moss than grass. The previous owner of the house I moved in to had so much trouble he installed land drains, but even those couldn't make a meaningful difference and in the end I had the lawn removed (no great loss as I can't stand lawns anyway). I live in the Sussex weald, and have been gardening on clay for over 25 years. And, believe me, Sussex clay is real clay. I have about 10 inches of claggy "soil" over a solid clay subsoil (solid with ironstone lumps, that is. Even a pickaxe fails to penetrate some parts. and I have to resort to a hammer drill if I want a deep hole). The most difficult thing about gardening on clay is digging the damn stuff; it is /very/ hard work. It even sticks to stainless steel spades with a vengeance. And when dry, don't even bother with a hammer drill - it's not worth the effort. Wait until it's workable again. But when it grows stuff, it is brilliant. It holds moisture; it holds nutrients; it anchors. It tends to help withstand frosts much better than lighter soils. My situation is similar to yours, a layer of topsoil over plastic clay, though I suspect my topsoil is naturally better. I agree that clay soil holds water and nutrients well and can produce great crops. Every time the region goes into drought I thank my stars for the clay underneath that acts like a big sponge and keeps my pasture growing for months without rain. Having had very sandy soil (that I was always trying to build up) and very clayey soil that I have to break down I will take the clay. BUT You have to have (or to make) actual soil. Clay by itself ( I mean the plastic stuff you can mould into complex shapes) is hopeless. The process of amending it takes years of effort and some skill. The choice of plants has to be considered carefully as many will die in a wet spell due to lack of drainage and it is impractical (for me anyway) to landscape the whole garden for drainage and to amend all its soil to prevent the problem. As it is all my fruit trees grow in mounds and my vege garden has raised beds with drain paths running down-slope: at considerable effort and cost. Clay is not for people who just want to plop something in the ground and see it grow. I thought it interesting that in response to "Treat clay soils with respect... they're difficult to grow on." you first deny that it is so and then go on to explain all the difficulties that have. :-) Did I? Read my post again. You are confusing "growing" with the act of digging or cultivating. For the latter, good loam or even sandy soil wins every time, as the job is easy. But once in, plants grow much better in clay without a lot of additional help such as watering and use of fertilisers. -- Jeff Cites, please? I am interested in following this up. TIA The reason is that clay contains a lot of colloidal (ie very very small) particles that have a high surface area and a surface charge. This has two consequences. One that they bind water, this accounts for behaviour of clay soils in that they swell when wet and shrink when dry. So a soil with a modest amount of clay will hold water much better than just sand or pebbles whose surface area is much smaller and don't bind water. If you have a reasonable amount of clay this is advantageous to growing, especially active annuals like cucurbits that wilt on hot days if the soil doesn't supply enough water. In my case I have another benefit that the solid clay sub-strata acts a reservoir evening out the erratic rainfall of the region. It takes up water during wet spells and gives it back in dry. Two that clay binds minerals. The cation exchange capacity and total exchange capacity is much higher than sand. So clay soils don't leach minerals nearly so easily and stay more fertile for the application of a given amount of fertiliser than sand. The disadvantage is that if you have undesirable minerals such as sodium ions these will bind and displace desireable ions like calcium, magnesium etc. This sodised soil is unfertile and very hard to remedy. Provided you take care not to work it when too wet or too dry and deal with drainage issues soil with a reasonable amount of clay will be more productive than that with very little or none. I think Billy has some tables of the desireable amount of clay in garden soil. David |
#25
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East Facing UK Garden + Clay
On Aug 11, 7:49*pm, "David Hare-Scott" wrote:
Higgs Boson wrote: On Aug 11, 3:54 am, Jeff Layman wrote: On 11/08/2012 00:12, David Hare-Scott wrote: Jeff Layman wrote: On 10/08/2012 00:27, David Hare-Scott wrote: Kay Lancaster wrote: Treat clay soils with respect... they're difficult to grow on. yes indeed. D A commonly held and vastly mistaken view, IMHO. Difficult to work maybe. But they are not difficult to grow on at all, if you keep to a couple of simple rules. Firstly, never try to plant anything when they are soaking wet. Secondly, never try to plant anything when they are bone dry. Clay is far more suited to growing many plants than sandy soil; even those naturally found in sandy environments will often more than just tolerate clay. I have grown heathers without problem, and grown and fruited blueberries on clay (pH 6 - 6.5). I have even been able to move plants which are said to really dislike being moved because a great lump of clay sticks to the roots, and, to all intents and purposes, the roots really haven't been disturbed at all. Try that with sandy or even "highly desirable" loamy soil. The one plant I have given up with on clay soil is grass. Where it is constantly wet, a lawn simply ends up a mess, often with more moss than grass. The previous owner of the house I moved in to had so much trouble he installed land drains, but even those couldn't make a meaningful difference and in the end I had the lawn removed (no great loss as I can't stand lawns anyway). I live in the Sussex weald, and have been gardening on clay for over 25 years. And, believe me, Sussex clay is real clay. I have about 10 inches of claggy "soil" over a solid clay subsoil (solid with ironstone lumps, that is. Even a pickaxe fails to penetrate some parts. and I have to resort to a hammer drill if I want a deep hole). The most difficult thing about gardening on clay is digging the damn stuff; it is /very/ hard work. It even sticks to stainless steel spades with a vengeance. And when dry, don't even bother with a hammer drill - it's not worth the effort. Wait until it's workable again. But when it grows stuff, it is brilliant. It holds moisture; it holds nutrients; it anchors. It tends to help withstand frosts much better than lighter soils. My situation is similar to yours, a layer of topsoil over plastic clay, though I suspect my topsoil is naturally better. I agree that clay soil holds water and nutrients well and can produce great crops. Every time the region goes into drought I thank my stars for the clay underneath that acts like a big sponge and keeps my pasture growing for months without rain. Having had very sandy soil (that I was always trying to build up) and very clayey soil that I have to break down I will take the clay. BUT You have to have (or to make) actual soil. Clay by itself ( I mean the plastic stuff you can mould into complex shapes) is hopeless. The process of amending it takes years of effort and some skill. The choice of plants has to be considered carefully as many will die in a wet spell due to lack of drainage and it is impractical (for me anyway) to landscape the whole garden for drainage and to amend all its soil to prevent the problem. As it is all my fruit trees grow in mounds and my vege garden has raised beds with drain paths running down-slope: at considerable effort and cost. Clay is not for people who just want to plop something in the ground and see it grow. I thought it interesting that in response to "Treat clay soils with respect... they're difficult to grow on." you first deny that it is so and then go on to explain all the difficulties that have. :-) Did I? Read my post again. You are confusing "growing" with the act of digging or cultivating. For the latter, good loam or even sandy soil wins every time, as the job is easy. But once in, plants grow much better in clay without a lot of additional help such as watering and use of fertilisers. -- Jeff Cites, please? *I am interested in following this up. TIA The reason is that clay contains a lot of colloidal (ie very very small) particles that have a high surface area and a surface charge. *This has two consequences. One that they bind water, this accounts for behaviour of clay soils in that they swell when wet and shrink when dry. *So a soil with a modest amount of clay will hold water much better than just sand or pebbles whose surface area is much smaller and don't bind water. *If you have a reasonable amount of clay this is advantageous to growing, especially active annuals like cucurbits that wilt on hot days if the soil doesn't supply enough water. *In my case I have another benefit that the solid clay sub-strata acts a reservoir evening out the erratic rainfall of the region. *It takes up water during wet spells and gives it back in dry. Two that clay binds minerals. *The cation exchange capacity and total exchange capacity is much higher than sand. *So clay soils don't leach minerals nearly so easily and stay more fertile for the application of a given amount of fertiliser than sand. *The disadvantage is that if you have undesirable minerals such as sodium ions these will bind and displace desireable ions like calcium, magnesium etc. *This sodised soil is unfertile and very hard to remedy. Provided you take care not to work it when too wet or too dry and deal with drainage issues soil with a reasonable amount of clay will be more productive than that with very little or none. *I think Billy has some tables of the desireable amount of clay in garden soil. David (Awed) I sit at your feet! Question: Why equate clay to sand? Isn't that going to extremes? My soil is, AFAIK, a good loam (I see that term is still used). The clay- ey (adobe) soil characteristic of this area has been greatly modified by application of various Good Things over time. I inherited pretty good dirt from the sellers [censored] years ago, and have continued to apply compost and worm castings, as well as small amounts of Other Stuff, so it's nice and friable. |
#26
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East Facing UK Garden + Clay
On 11/08/2012 18:51, Higgs Boson wrote:
On Aug 11, 3:54 am, Jeff Layman wrote: You are confusing "growing" with the act of digging or cultivating. For the latter, good loam or even sandy soil wins every time, as the job is easy. But once in, plants grow much better in clay without a lot of additional help such as watering and use of fertilisers. -- Jeff Cites, please? I am interested in following this up. TIA HB Try he http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/...e.aspx?pid=179 Selected quotes: "Clay soils have over 25 percent clay. Also known as heavy soils, these are potentially fertile as they hold nutrients bound to the clay minerals in the soil. But they also hold a high proportion of water due to the capillary attraction of the tiny spaces between the numerous clay particles." "Sandy soils have high proportion of sand and little clay. Also known as light soils, these soils drain quickly after rain or watering, are easy to cultivate and work. They warm up more quickly in spring than clay soils. But on the downside, they dry out quickly and are low in plant nutrients, which are quickly washed out by rain. Sandy soils are often very acidic " IME there are certain areas of sandy soil in various parts of the world all well-known for nutrient problems. I believe the Pine Barrens in NJ have a very select flora, and most certainly the lateritic sands of Western Australia are extremely low in phosphates. So much so, in fact, that if normal (balanced) fertiisers are used on Proteaceae from this region you might just as well have given them a herbicide! -- Jeff |
#27
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East Facing UK Garden + Clay
Higgs Boson wrote:
On Aug 11, 7:49 pm, "David Hare-Scott" wrote: Higgs Boson wrote: On Aug 11, 3:54 am, Jeff Layman wrote: On 11/08/2012 00:12, David Hare-Scott wrote: Jeff Layman wrote: On 10/08/2012 00:27, David Hare-Scott wrote: Kay Lancaster wrote: Treat clay soils with respect... they're difficult to grow on. yes indeed. D A commonly held and vastly mistaken view, IMHO. Difficult to work maybe. But they are not difficult to grow on at all, if you keep to a couple of simple rules. Firstly, never try to plant anything when they are soaking wet. Secondly, never try to plant anything when they are bone dry. Clay is far more suited to growing many plants than sandy soil; even those naturally found in sandy environments will often more than just tolerate clay. I have grown heathers without problem, and grown and fruited blueberries on clay (pH 6 - 6.5). I have even been able to move plants which are said to really dislike being moved because a great lump of clay sticks to the roots, and, to all intents and purposes, the roots really haven't been disturbed at all. Try that with sandy or even "highly desirable" loamy soil. The one plant I have given up with on clay soil is grass. Where it is constantly wet, a lawn simply ends up a mess, often with more moss than grass. The previous owner of the house I moved in to had so much trouble he installed land drains, but even those couldn't make a meaningful difference and in the end I had the lawn removed (no great loss as I can't stand lawns anyway). I live in the Sussex weald, and have been gardening on clay for over 25 years. And, believe me, Sussex clay is real clay. I have about 10 inches of claggy "soil" over a solid clay subsoil (solid with ironstone lumps, that is. Even a pickaxe fails to penetrate some parts. and I have to resort to a hammer drill if I want a deep hole). The most difficult thing about gardening on clay is digging the damn stuff; it is /very/ hard work. It even sticks to stainless steel spades with a vengeance. And when dry, don't even bother with a hammer drill - it's not worth the effort. Wait until it's workable again. But when it grows stuff, it is brilliant. It holds moisture; it holds nutrients; it anchors. It tends to help withstand frosts much better than lighter soils. My situation is similar to yours, a layer of topsoil over plastic clay, though I suspect my topsoil is naturally better. I agree that clay soil holds water and nutrients well and can produce great crops. Every time the region goes into drought I thank my stars for the clay underneath that acts like a big sponge and keeps my pasture growing for months without rain. Having had very sandy soil (that I was always trying to build up) and very clayey soil that I have to break down I will take the clay. BUT You have to have (or to make) actual soil. Clay by itself ( I mean the plastic stuff you can mould into complex shapes) is hopeless. The process of amending it takes years of effort and some skill. The choice of plants has to be considered carefully as many will die in a wet spell due to lack of drainage and it is impractical (for me anyway) to landscape the whole garden for drainage and to amend all its soil to prevent the problem. As it is all my fruit trees grow in mounds and my vege garden has raised beds with drain paths running down-slope: at considerable effort and cost. Clay is not for people who just want to plop something in the ground and see it grow. I thought it interesting that in response to "Treat clay soils with respect... they're difficult to grow on." you first deny that it is so and then go on to explain all the difficulties that have. :-) Did I? Read my post again. You are confusing "growing" with the act of digging or cultivating. For the latter, good loam or even sandy soil wins every time, as the job is easy. But once in, plants grow much better in clay without a lot of additional help such as watering and use of fertilisers. -- Jeff Cites, please? I am interested in following this up. TIA The reason is that clay contains a lot of colloidal (ie very very small) particles that have a high surface area and a surface charge. This has two consequences. One that they bind water, this accounts for behaviour of clay soils in that they swell when wet and shrink when dry. So a soil with a modest amount of clay will hold water much better than just sand or pebbles whose surface area is much smaller and don't bind water. If you have a reasonable amount of clay this is advantageous to growing, especially active annuals like cucurbits that wilt on hot days if the soil doesn't supply enough water. In my case I have another benefit that the solid clay sub-strata acts a reservoir evening out the erratic rainfall of the region. It takes up water during wet spells and gives it back in dry. Two that clay binds minerals. The cation exchange capacity and total exchange capacity is much higher than sand. So clay soils don't leach minerals nearly so easily and stay more fertile for the application of a given amount of fertiliser than sand. The disadvantage is that if you have undesirable minerals such as sodium ions these will bind and displace desireable ions like calcium, magnesium etc. This sodised soil is unfertile and very hard to remedy. Provided you take care not to work it when too wet or too dry and deal with drainage issues soil with a reasonable amount of clay will be more productive than that with very little or none. I think Billy has some tables of the desireable amount of clay in garden soil. David (Awed) I sit at your feet! Question: Why equate clay to sand? Isn't that going to extremes? Equate no, contrast yes. Yes they are extemes, I said that to illustrate the difference not to recommend either. They are ends of the spectrum in particle size but also in minaral composition. Sand is largely silica which is almost inert with respect to water and minerals. Good soil is neither extreme but has both (as well as organic matter) avoiding the drainage and workability problems of too much clay and the poor water and mineral holding power of too much sand. Have a look at this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_texture Which shows the situation in three dimensions instead of the two that I used. It also has some practical tests so you can work out what you have. It is well worth learning and performing such tests on your soil. D |
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East Facing UK Garden + Clay
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Jeff Layman wrote: On 10/08/2012 22:42, Kay Lancaster wrote: On 10/08/2012 00:27, David Hare-Scott wrote: Kay Lancaster wrote: Treat clay soils with respect... they're difficult to grow on. yes indeed. D A commonly held and vastly mistaken view, IMHO. Difficult to work maybe. But they are not difficult to grow on at all, if you keep to a couple of simple rules. Firstly, never try to plant anything when they I, too, have been growing on clay for about 40 years now... first the clay subsoil that was all the builders left when they stripped the top soil and sold it at my childhood home in Iowa, and now out here in Oregon -- both yellow clays, though the Oregon clay is calcium poor, rocky and nearly free of worms (there are no native worms out here), Is that normal? I don't know anything about Oregon Clay, but would have though that if there are almost no worms, more-or-less nothing could grow as recycling of plant material couldn't take place, and aeration would be non-existent. What happens with the native plants out there? Or is the area basically a clay desert? Here, 70 miles north of San Francisco, we have heavy clay. We scratched at it for years before getting serious. The final solution was tilling in sand (probably %5), and organic material. On this was planted rye grass, and buckwheat, which break-up, and fills the soil with an amazing amount of roots. Lastly, we keep the beds mulched, which allow the worms to do most of the heavy work of turning, aerating (good soil is 50% air spaces), and draining the soil. For sure, plants like sequoias, oak, bay, and manzanita can punch through the clay, but east of here in the town of Sonoma, there is impenetrable hardpan (clay) a few feet below the top soil, which can prevent perennials from finding the water they need. Gotta work with wha'cha got. so it compacts easily and often requires mechanical aeration-- the Iowa soil did not require much mechanical aeration and was calcium rich. It wasn't until I moved to an area with a lovely, deep prairie topsoil that gardening became fun. There, I could stand barefoot on bare soil and wiggle my feet a bit and dig myself in ankle deep, the soil was that friable and loose. Stick a plant in the ground and it grew. But that's too easy. Don't you want a challenge? ;-) Though clay holds soil moisture well, it's often not as available to the plants as water in sandy soils, e.g.: http://ag.arizona.edu/turf/tips1095.html which is a special problem in drought. Interesting article. Grass, though... -- Welcome to the New America. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA736oK9FPg or E Pluribus Unum Green Party Nominee Jill Stein & Running Mate, Cheri Honkala http://www.democracynow.org/2012/7/13/green_party_nominee_jill_stein_running |
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