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#1
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What cheap material is good for adding to clay soil?
Anyone advise which kind of bagged compost or esily-available waste
vegetable-matter or mineral is best for adding to very heavy clayey soil, prior to sowing with grass seed? I'm going to need a a few cwt, so if it's cheap, I'll be happiest! TIA Al_n |
#2
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What cheap material is good for adding to clay soil?
AL_n wrote:
Anyone advise which kind of bagged compost or esily-available waste vegetable-matter or mineral is best for adding to very heavy clayey soil, prior to sowing with grass seed? I'm going to need a a few cwt, so if it's cheap, I'll be happiest! Gypsum is recommended as a soil improver, but appears to be sold in garden centres as a proprietary product costing over £6 for 2.5 kg. http://www.capitalgardens.co.uk/clay...er-p-6321.html On the other hand, I picked up a 25 kg bag of multi-finish plaster for under £5, and AFAIK this is essentially the same material. It worked well. Chris -- Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK Plant amazing Acers. |
#3
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What cheap material is good for adding to clay soil?
On 07/03/2014 19:15, Chris J Dixon wrote:
AL_n wrote: Anyone advise which kind of bagged compost or esily-available waste vegetable-matter or mineral is best for adding to very heavy clayey soil, prior to sowing with grass seed? I'm going to need a a few cwt, so if it's cheap, I'll be happiest! Gypsum is recommended as a soil improver, but appears to be sold in garden centres as a proprietary product costing over £6 for 2.5 kg. http://www.capitalgardens.co.uk/clay...er-p-6321.html On the other hand, I picked up a 25 kg bag of multi-finish plaster for under £5, and AFAIK this is essentially the same material. It worked well. Chris B&Q sell sharp sand labelled as "soil improver". Same stuff in a different bag is a building product. To be fair though, same price! It's incorporating the sand into the clay that's the problem. My favourite improver is vermiculite, but I imagine fly ash might have similar properties and be relatively cheap in bulk? |
#4
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What cheap material is good for adding to clay soil?
On Fri, 07 Mar 2014 19:15:42 +0000, Chris J Dixon wrote:
AL_n wrote: Anyone advise which kind of bagged compost or esily-available waste vegetable-matter or mineral is best for adding to very heavy clayey soil, prior to sowing with grass seed? I'm going to need a a few cwt, so if it's cheap, I'll be happiest! Gypsum is recommended as a soil improver, but appears to be sold in garden centres as a proprietary product costing over £6 for 2.5 kg. We used to buy gypsum from the agri coop for, well, cheap. Don't know if this is still possible. But it was effective in the veg garden. -E -- Gardening in Lower Normandy |
#5
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What cheap material is good for adding to clay soil?
Chris J Dixon wrote in
: On the other hand, I picked up a 25 kg bag of multi-finish plaster for under œ5, and AFAIK this is essentially the same material. It worked well. Chris Hi Chris, Wow - that's a cool tip that I haven't heard of before! Many thanks for that; I will buy some today. Al |
#6
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What cheap material is good for adding to clay soil?
stuart noble wrote in news:IhBSu.11032$Eo5.6870
@fx03.am4: B&Q sell sharp sand labelled as "soil improver". Same stuff in a different bag is a building product. To be fair though, same price! It's incorporating the sand into the clay that's the problem. My favourite improver is vermiculite, but I imagine fly ash might have similar properties and be relatively cheap in bulk? Thanks... Yes, I've often heard people say that using sand is a way to deal with clay, but, as you say, mixing it in might be a problem. Real, pure clay like mine, is incredibly hard to work. The only tome you can do much with it is when it has throughly dried out. Then you can pulverise it somewhat. What I have done, is break down the clods of clay into small (tennis ball and golf ball sized limpss, and leveled it all out with a rake. Now I will probably sprinkle a load of cheap compost (cheapest I can possibly find) over that and sow the seed into that, and trust nature to eventually break down the clay. Once I have a lawn crowing, I guess it doesn;t matter too much what is going on below the surface - except that I've noticed that if there is too much glay mixed in with the soil, rainwater tends to sit on it without soaking in. Thanks.. Al |
#7
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What cheap material is good for adding to clay soil?
In article ,
AL_n wrote: stuart noble wrote in news:IhBSu.11032$Eo5.6870 : B&Q sell sharp sand labelled as "soil improver". Same stuff in a different bag is a building product. To be fair though, same price! It's incorporating the sand into the clay that's the problem. My favourite improver is vermiculite, but I imagine fly ash might have similar properties and be relatively cheap in bulk? Thanks... Yes, I've often heard people say that using sand is a way to deal with clay, but, as you say, mixing it in might be a problem. The other issue is that you need a LOT. 100 Kg/m^2 is about the minimum that will have any effect, and that would not have much. Also, adding a lot of sand will raise the soil level. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#8
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What cheap material is good for adding to clay soil?
"AL_n" wrote
stuart noble wrote B&Q sell sharp sand labelled as "soil improver". Same stuff in a different bag is a building product. To be fair though, same price! It's incorporating the sand into the clay that's the problem. My favourite improver is vermiculite, but I imagine fly ash might have similar properties and be relatively cheap in bulk? Thanks... Yes, I've often heard people say that using sand is a way to deal with clay, but, as you say, mixing it in might be a problem. Real, pure clay like mine, is incredibly hard to work. The only tome you can do much with it is when it has throughly dried out. Then you can pulverise it somewhat. What I have done, is break down the clods of clay into small (tennis ball and golf ball sized limpss, and leveled it all out with a rake. Now I will probably sprinkle a load of cheap compost (cheapest I can possibly find) over that and sow the seed into that, and trust nature to eventually break down the clay. Once I have a lawn crowing, I guess it doesn;t matter too much what is going on below the surface - except that I've noticed that if there is too much glay mixed in with the soil, rainwater tends to sit on it without soaking in. I also garden on clay/silt and what will happen with your lawn is that the clay will pack down under your lawn and you will have constant problems with moss etc. It will also be too wet and soft to walk on for most of the winter. You need to do better preparation and mix in copious quantities of sharp sand ( a couple of inches deep) with a decent cultivator (they can be hired) so it's well incorporated in the top 6 inches of soil. That way you should achieve good enough drainage to have a beautiful lawn. One problem you will have now is that those lumps you mention will dry on the surface and become as hard as concrete so you will not be able to break them up this side of next winter. Never force clay soil, just wait until it's ready to be worked. BTW Gypsum, like lime, is not a permanent fix for clay. -- Regards. Bob Hobden. Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK |
#9
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What cheap material is good for adding to clay soil?
On Sat, 08 Mar 2014 09:20:42 +0000, stuart noble
wrote: On 07/03/2014 19:15, Chris J Dixon wrote: AL_n wrote: Anyone advise which kind of bagged compost or esily-available waste vegetable-matter or mineral is best for adding to very heavy clayey soil, prior to sowing with grass seed? I'm going to need a a few cwt, so if it's cheap, I'll be happiest! Gypsum is recommended as a soil improver, but appears to be sold in garden centres as a proprietary product costing over £6 for 2.5 kg. http://www.capitalgardens.co.uk/clay...er-p-6321.html On the other hand, I picked up a 25 kg bag of multi-finish plaster for under £5, and AFAIK this is essentially the same material. It worked well. Chris B&Q sell sharp sand labelled as "soil improver". Same stuff in a different bag is a building product. To be fair though, same price! It's incorporating the sand into the clay that's the problem. Roses are good at mixing clay with soil or sand. Steve -- Neural Network Software http://www.npsnn.com EasyNN-plus More than just a neural network http://www.easynn.com SwingNN Prediction software http://www.swingnn.com JustNN Just a neural network http://www.justnn.com |
#10
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What cheap material is good for adding to clay soil?
"Bob Hobden" wrote in
: I also garden on clay/silt and what will happen with your lawn is that the clay will pack down under your lawn and you will have constant problems with moss etc. It will also be too wet and soft to walk on for most of the winter. You need to do better preparation and mix in copious quantities of sharp sand ( a couple of inches deep) with a decent cultivator (they can be hired) so it's well incorporated in the top 6 inches of soil. That way you should achieve good enough drainage to have a beautiful lawn. One problem you will have now is that those lumps you mention will dry on the surface and become as hard as concrete so you will not be able to break them up this side of next winter. Never force clay soil, just wait until it's ready to be worked. BTW Gypsum, like lime, is not a permanent fix for clay. -- Hi Bob, I don't think I'll have any problems with moss, as I've done all this before on another section which I completed last year. On that occasion, I just dug a good deal of home-made compost into the clayey soil and it has been satisfactory anough. Today, due to lack of decent home-made compots, I probably commited one of the cardianl sins of gardening and dug several cwt of fresh horse-stable sweepings into the clayey soil (along with a load of gypsum plaster). I think it's probably unclayey-enough now. I just hope the stable sweepings and hoss-poo wasn't full of weed seeds... Hopefull it won't be since the horses were doing their munching at a time of year when dandylions etc, aren't typically producing seeds. Al |
#11
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What cheap material is good for adding to clay soil?
Won't digging in Gypsom alter the ph considerably?
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#12
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What cheap material is good for adding to clay soil?
"Pete C" wrote
Won't digging in Gypsom alter the ph considerably? Yes but if it's clay it's probably quite acid anyway. We can grow blueberries on our allotment where it's not been yearly limed and gypsumed. -- Regards. Bob Hobden. Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK |
#13
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What cheap material is good for adding to clay soil?
"AL_n" wrote in message ...
"Bob Hobden" wrote in : I also garden on clay/silt and what will happen with your lawn is that the clay will pack down under your lawn and you will have constant problems with moss etc. It will also be too wet and soft to walk on for most of the winter. You need to do better preparation and mix in copious quantities of sharp sand ( a couple of inches deep) with a decent cultivator (they can be hired) so it's well incorporated in the top 6 inches of soil. That way you should achieve good enough drainage to have a beautiful lawn. One problem you will have now is that those lumps you mention will dry on the surface and become as hard as concrete so you will not be able to break them up this side of next winter. Never force clay soil, just wait until it's ready to be worked. BTW Gypsum, like lime, is not a permanent fix for clay. -- Hi Bob, I don't think I'll have any problems with moss, as I've done all this before on another section which I completed last year. On that occasion, I just dug a good deal of home-made compost into the clayey soil and it has been satisfactory anough. Today, due to lack of decent home-made compots, I probably commited one of the cardianl sins of gardening and dug several cwt of fresh horse-stable sweepings into the clayey soil (along with a load of gypsum plaster). I think it's probably unclayey-enough now. I just hope the stable sweepings and hoss-poo wasn't full of weed seeds... Hopefull it won't be since the horses were doing their munching at a time of year when dandylions etc, aren't typically producing seeds. All of which breaks down over time, sand does not. -- Regards. Bob Hobden. Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK |
#14
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What cheap material is good for adding to clay soil?
In message , AL_n
writes stuart noble wrote in news:IhBSu.11032$Eo5.6870 : B&Q sell sharp sand labelled as "soil improver". Same stuff in a different bag is a building product. To be fair though, same price! It's incorporating the sand into the clay that's the problem. My favourite improver is vermiculite, but I imagine fly ash might have similar properties and be relatively cheap in bulk? Thanks... Yes, I've often heard people say that using sand is a way to deal with clay, but, as you say, mixing it in might be a problem. Real, pure clay like mine, is incredibly hard to work. The only tome you can do much with it is when it has throughly dried out. Then you can pulverise it somewhat. What I have done, is break down the clods of clay into small (tennis ball and golf ball sized limpss, and leveled it all out with a rake. Now I will probably sprinkle a load of cheap compost (cheapest I can possibly find) over that and sow the seed into that, and trust nature to eventually break down the clay. Once I have a lawn crowing, I guess it doesn;t matter too much what is going on below the surface - except that I've noticed that if there is too much glay mixed in with the soil, rainwater tends to sit on it without soaking in. Thanks.. Al Anything fibrous will help. Horse manure or similar is quite cheap. -- bert |
#15
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What cheap material is good for adding to clay soil?
In message , Pete C
writes Won't digging in Gypsom alter the ph considerably? No. Unlike lime the products of the chemical reaction are neutral. -- bert |
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