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#1
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improving clay soil
My soil is compacted clay, with hardly any worms. Have decided to try double
digging the borders. Is this a good idea? What should I dig in - I've got some sharp sand and compost. Will this do - I can't really afford grit . Would appreciate any advice Also what is the best technique for actually breaking up the great, hard lumps. Hitting them with a spade just seems to make them harder! TIA, Hayley |
#2
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There are many things you can do to improve your clay soil. If you
live near a sugar beet processing factory you could get a load of sandy soil delivered and spread it on top of the clay. This comes from the washing of the beet which is grown in sandy soil. You will probably find it has a slight molasses smell to it. Apart from that I would suggest you need to encourage worms to live in your soil and that you get as much compost or manure material into as you can lay your hands on. Don't go to the bother of digging in the compost though, just leave it on top of your clay soil and the few worms that you do have in the soil will start to feed on it and drag it down into the soil very soon making a good quality top soil. If you can get straw bales at a reasonable price try spreading straw on top of the clay and letting it rot down. With a thick enough layer it will also act as a mulch to depress weed growth. Once again the worms will drag the decaying straw down into the earth and improve the quality of your soil. |
#3
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H Ryder wrote:
My soil is compacted clay, with hardly any worms. Have decided to try double digging the borders. Is this a good idea? What should I dig in - I've got some sharp sand and compost. Will this do - I can't really afford grit . Would appreciate any advice The easiest way is to add a mulch of compost on top. And let the worms do the work of digging it in! Double digging may not help that much if the deeper subsoil is (as seems likely) even purer clay. Digging when it is not dry rock hard, wet enough to lubricate the spade but not to stick to everything thick layers makes life easier. Unfortunately there is a very narrow window where digging clay is easy. Also what is the best technique for actually breaking up the great, hard lumps. Hitting them with a spade just seems to make them harder! TIA, Wait until winter and let the frosts get at them. With or without the aid of a proprietory clay breaker to flocculate the clay. Loads of organic bulky material on the top will help a lot. Regards, Martin Brown |
#4
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Loads of organic bulky material on the top will help a lot.
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. Peter S |
#5
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peterlsutton wrote:
Loads of organic bulky material on the top will help a lot. 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. Good question. On the whole, I think it does. The best mulch for most plants is well-rotted manure or compost. Bark chips are a mulch for people, if you see what I mean. What I mean, of course, isn't mass burial of my fellow-subjects, but that a bark chip mulch isn't there for the benefit of plants, but of humans who haven't got time for weeding, or who have been trained by some public displays to think there has to be bare space between plants. I think it's often quite revolting. -- Mike. |
#6
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In article , peterlsutton
writes Loads of organic bulky material on the top will help a lot. 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. Why do you want the bark chips? If you're using the manure as mulch is there any point in adding bark too? If the bark is for decoration, then you'd re-apply on top. Bark doesn't last more than a couple of years before breaking down, anyway, at least it doesn't in this garden. Might last longer in a drier one. -- Kay "Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river" |
#7
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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. you could scrape back the bark, put down the manure, then put the bark back. Hayley |
#8
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Quote:
I might try some of the suggestions here, although I've pretty much given up trying to create a nice layer of topsoil. If you choose plants that don't mind clay soil and water well when they go in, you can create a lovely garden and save your back. Clay soil is pretty nutritious once a plant has settled in. I've found that aquilegia, ribus, astilbe and many others have been happy with just a potsized hole cut out of the clay and plenty of water in the first couple of weeks. Even a very mature wisteria I just put in is flourishing (and the way I put that into the ground was shameful considering the size of the plant!!) I'm going to get told off now for being so lazy..... |
#9
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"kate7" wrote in message ... H Ryder 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.- you could scrape back the bark, put down the manure, then put the bark back. Hayley I too have a clay garden. When the gas pipes were re-done round here they had to abandon their little diggers in some areas and get in the ground with spades!! I might try some of the suggestions here, although I've pretty much given up trying to create a nice layer of topsoil. If you choose plants that don't mind clay soil and water well when they go in, you can create a lovely garden and save your back. Clay soil is pretty nutritious once a plant has settled in. I've found that aquilegia, ribus, astilbe and many others have been happy with just a potsized hole cut out of the clay and plenty of water in the first couple of weeks. Even a very mature wisteria I just put in is flourishing (and the way I put that into the ground was shameful considering the size of the plant!!) I'm going to get told off now for being so lazy..... kate7 This isn't lazy, its gardening with what you have. You will be improving the ground as you go as well. I have clay, and the first thing I did when I moved here was to give up on those plants that need much work, like the transplanted hhp/a's. Hazel |
#10
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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 |
#11
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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. |
#12
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"H Ryder" wrote in message ... My soil is compacted clay, with hardly any worms. Have decided to try double digging the borders. Is this a good idea? What should I dig in - I've got some sharp sand and compost. Will this do - I can't really afford grit . Would appreciate any advice Also what is the best technique for actually breaking up the great, hard lumps. Hitting them with a spade just seems to make them harder! TIA, Hayley I have such a soil. Apply whatever organic you can, dried hops from breweries, spent mushroom compost, composted bark........... But dont expect miracles, it take a season or three. By the way, I dug mine in, its not worth it Hazel |
#13
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In article , H Ryder
writes My soil is compacted clay, with hardly any worms. Have decided to try double digging the borders. Is this a good idea? Probably not. The clay you have at the surface is as nothing to the clay you'll have two spits down. What should I dig in - I've got some sharp sand and compost. Will this do - I can't really afford grit . Would appreciate any advice Also what is the best technique for actually breaking up the great, hard lumps. A pickaxe. Hitting them with a spade just seems to make them harder! TIA, Spread a 6 inch deep layer of compost over your borders. Worm activity will incorporate the compost into the soil (they're fast breeders, and even though you don't have many to start with, you soon will once you start spreading compost). Meanwhile start a compost heap if you don't already have one, and continue spreading 6 inch of compost each year. This will be more effective than trying to improve the soil by a once- off digging in of compost and sharp sand. -- Kay "Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river" |
#14
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writes My soil is compacted clay, with hardly any worms. Have decided to try double digging the borders. Is this a good idea? Probably not. The clay you have at the surface is as nothing to the clay you'll have two spits down. What should I dig in - I've got some sharp sand and compost. Will this do - I can't really afford grit . Would appreciate any advice Also what is the best technique for actually breaking up the great, hard lumps. A pickaxe. Hitting them with a spade just seems to make them harder! TIA, Spread a 6 inch deep layer of compost over your borders. Worm activity will incorporate the compost into the soil (they're fast breeders, and even though you don't have many to start with, you soon will once you start spreading compost). Meanwhile start a compost heap if you don't already have one, and continue spreading 6 inch of compost each year. This will be more effective than trying to improve the soil by a once- off digging in of compost and sharp sand. -- Kay "Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river" I have a question for those that say to surface spread the compost. How do you keep it in place, the birds here spread it all over the place ? Hazel |
#15
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Hazel wrote:
writes My soil is compacted clay, with hardly any worms. Spread a 6 inch deep layer of compost over your borders. Worm activity will incorporate the compost into the soil (they're fast breeders, and even though you don't have many to start with, you soon will once you start spreading compost). Meanwhile start a compost heap if you don't already have one, and continue spreading 6 inch of compost each year. This will be more effective than trying to improve the soil by a once- off digging in of compost and sharp sand. I have a question for those that say to surface spread the compost. How do you keep it in place, the birds here spread it all over the place ? You don't. You have to put it back on the soil from time to time. The birds are after all the worms that the new material encourages. Same happens with bark chippings on the borders too. Nothing that a grass rake or rough broom won't quickly sort out though. Regards, Martin Brown |
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