Curious issue of mine....Putting good soil in an area with clayish topsoil?

[Xtensity]

I know a lot of outdoor growers will bring their own soil in for whatever the native topsoil is lacking...

I've heard of people putting their own soil in areas were clay is abundant and drainage is crappy...

To give you an idea how thick the brown-clay in my area is.... I dug a hole, poured some what in it to see how fast it would drain. 1 gallon of water in the hole......... 5 days later...1 gallon of water still in the hole, not draining. The soil/clay is extremely tough and thick, yet it can be dug into with as much effort as digging a hole in normal soil.

A few weeks ago I had my plants sitting in pots, and those pots were partially in the ground to prevent them from getting knocked over by heavy winds or animals, while at the same time stopping some pest with the barrier of the container, also allowing for quick transport.

I notice when it rained a lot, the container would fill up with water almost like a bathtub.... The soil will kind of float in the pot and all the perlite would rise to the top....

If this happens in a container with drainage holes and is partially in the ground..... what is to stop this from happening if I dug a hole in the clay and put soil directly into the ground?

Would the same thing not happen? The water would fill up my hole of soil and not drain anywhere because of the clay barrier on the exterior.. Or would the plants suck up this gallon+ of water in a short time?

I know people have planted in clay areas with their own soil before... What is there to stop this from happening when you don't use a pot of some sort?

 

[liquidlight]

I would try and find somewhere else to grow. Alternatively just dig deeper and see if there is an end to the clay layer ... clay often doesn't go too deep and usually there is a layer of rock/shale underneath. If you can find a layer of rock underneath the clay then your hole can drain away. Or you can dig a deep deep hole and fill the bottom with rocks for some drainage but i fear with clay as dense as yours that your hole would still act like a bathtub.

 

[fishheadbob]

If this happens in a container with drainage holes and is partially in the ground..... what is to stop this from happening if I dug a hole in the clay and put soil directly into the ground?

Would the same thing not happen? The water would fill up my hole of soil and not drain anywhere because of the clay barrier on the exterior..

I think if you dug a bigger hole and filled it with good soil, all you'd be doing is building a bigger bathtub. The water would still pond up on you. There needs to be a way for water to drain away from your pots.
Maybe move dirt around into small hills or berms, place your pots into the elevated spots. Once you get them up they wouldn't be sitting in water.

 

[Panama Red]

Smart pots.

 

[shrpshooter]

gypsym and compost and u should be good shrpshooter

 

[Psyco G]

Dig a drainage channel fill it with gravel and cover it, take the drainage channel away from your area or dig a mini Rez lower than your girls. It's a lot of digging I know

 

[jay-toker]

.

 

[gorilla ganja]

raised beds are the way to go. if u are not planning on bringing in soil try scraping the top soil from a large area for your beds, the top 6" or so is usually decent soil with a few amendments. best of luck in your grow

 

[Bradley_Danks]

Generally you have 3 options with heavy clay soil

Plants in pots - Least amount of work / smaller yield

Raised Garden - Often guerrilla's forget raised beds are a great way of growing. I personally like this option best because you can place a raised bed directly on top of wet/swampy soil and never have to worry about drought.

Cultivate a large area - Rather than 1 hole per plant enough area for all or several plants is cultivated at once allowing for better drainage. With a large area for example 3'x6' 6'x6' or 6'x12' etc will distribute water evenly between the large footprint allowing for slow drainage without becoming a sump.

This.

Another option would be to get a soil lab test and recs. then till in the needed amendments to make the clay more viable over time.

 

[Kygiacomo!!!]

u guys are about 5 years to late for the advice for this fella lol but im sure it will still apply to others that is having this same issue