What to do in heavy clay soil?

[Guest423]

i grew massive skunk moms in pure clay on top of a rock quarry, needed a good spot with alot of sun and i was in a hurry...i figured the soil would be good since there was a field about 50 yrds away but when i got there and started to dig i found all clay....i had no choice so i dug it up and broke it up as good as i could and hoped for the best..they grew into 8ft bushes and yielded 1/2 lb a piece so you can grow in clay, but they came out of 3 gal. pots so there was some good soil in there i guess.

with that being said, it isn't the ultimate plan though......if you bring a tub of some pre-mixed soil and keep some clay in there it would be perfect, a little clay won't hurt. don't worry about the big hole holding water because thats what you want outdoors, with your new mix it will dry out just fine and you should grow some monsters in a 3x3 hole with a decent mix.

 

[Guest]

Is that a tree planting guide for TExas? Texas isnt a good representitive for growing much more than cattle and sagebrush. This is what my clay,sand and manure garden creates.













Seed

 

[Fast Pine]

Damn...Looks nice....

Im amazed..

Texas can produce some baddass bud...I dont live there, but the fact that its texas,cali, new mexico or arizona....It doesent matter,,,,The info provided is General information....

Have ya been 2 texas...They have some nice green areas that have some large crops...

(link deleted)

 

[The Doc.]

we grow some nice crops down here for sure. Clay is a problem though, I usually dig planting holes, use pots, or a raised bed... depending what I'm growing (Cannabis or veggies) and where I'm growing it

 

[Guest]

I must also state that I have left info out...
Since I live in a high wind area, a harder soil surface is preferred. Water WILL pool on the surface so I sub- surface irrigate. All of my watering lines are buried which eliminates this. So many times I have seen organic gardeners add SO much soft stuff that when there plants get heavy or tall they fall over. I've even know a guy that had to tie his corn together in a big bunch to prevent this. I guess it all comes down to what a person preferres and what problems they want to avoid and are willing to deal with.
Myself? I am a competitive giant veggie grower. I grow the giants and wind is my greatest enemy. That makes sand and clay my friend.lol

Seed

 

[PazVerdeRadical]

i am a newbie, and over a year ago i used sand to get some clayish soil more drainage, man, after 2 weeks the soil became real hard, almost like a brick. i think it also depends on how much the kind of clay you are dealing with absorbs water and sand... i mixed cow, horse and sheep manure, composted, plus a few shreds of wood and enough lime along with the clay and sand... now i stay away from clay and sand

nice veggies Spreading Seed! btw, i also learned from experience what you described about wind and how it relates to holding the weight of plants. i planted a tangerine tree on nice soil i mixed, it was soft but firm enough to hold the tree as it grew up and became settled in the ground, but i also planted a pine tree in a softer soil i mixed, and the wind tipped it over, so i had to tie it to keep the wind from knocking it down, now it has rooted more deeply and it is back up in good shape
peace!

 

[lookimrory]

i work at a mulch/soil conditioner/stone yard, and i know that the simplest cure for clay soil is peat moss....at least thats what we're instructed to tell people

 

[CarharttKidd]

Most soil will be very rich and ready for planting with 1 yard of mushroom compost per 100 sq. ft., 25lbs gypsum, and 20 or so cubic ft. hort. grade perlite. Till the gypsum and compost in as deep as the tiller will go. Mix in the perlite with the soil you remove from your 3x3x3 hole with fertilizers and coco. Add a little more compost to the soil that you will fill the hole with. DONT WALK DIRECTLY ON THE SOIL!!! This defeats the work you did tilling. Use a board. Your plants will get big and the soil will drain well.

 

[muddy waters]

if i were you i'd order a truckload of compost, an equally large quantity of sand, layer those two on top and hire someone with a rototiller. i have dealt with a similar situation on a 1600 foot plot i was managing, with great results.

it's not the most ecological way to do it (tilling can destroy microfauna) but 1+ year from now you'll be able to plant there, in the ground, no problem. continue to amend it with compost every year and you'll have a place to plant forever.

 

[CarharttKidd]

1. How many yards in a truck load? 2 yards took up a good portion of a flat bed.

2. Sand for drainage?

 

[Guest]

Hi Cart,
You don't want the sand for drainage. You want it for overall soil stucture. A standard truck will hold about 10 yds of material. Compost or manure will be sufficient. I agree with Muddy Waters on the fact that your plot wont really benefit until next season.
If you have the $$ to do it right, depending on how heavy your clay is---1 yd. sand and 1 yd. organic material per 250 sq ft. of space. Add mycorrihzae, gypsum (1lb. 100sqft.) Til the hell out of it. This fall plant a cover crop. (annual rye, borage, hairy vetch, peas) Till the cover crop under in late November. Come Springtime you will have an excellant start to a good year.

Seed

 

[lester gas]

mix sand with clay soil and grow in a container and yes itll plug right up and have bad drainage. but in the ground, in heavy clay, if you go radical and use alot of sand, the mix itself will drain, but whats the point if the hole is just a solid clay tub-- a heavy rain will fill it up and make water stand till it slowly drains. also, if you go with just sand it will have to be more than half sand and who wants that labor? the organic matter you add with the sand is the break up factor that really lets air and water in the ground. in super heavy clay where a hole is just a big pot in the ground you either layer and raise mix on top of the clay or provide underground drainage. I did this 10 years ago in semi-solid decomposed granite and added a vermiculite-sand-clay-manure mix that I still use today. I chipped the hole out in the hillside and then trenched downhill from it, filled the trench with jagged fist sized rocks and covered it over with native dg. the drainage trench only goes about half way to the bottom of the grow hole but thats enough quick drainage for the plants health( Im sure in heavy rains water stands in the bottom of the hole for half a day at least). the point is the main root crowns dont sit in water when its rainy yet the hole retains moisture like a mofo. This sounds rad but for small scale it was reasonable: the drainage trench is only four feet long and a foot and a half deep, with no purchased products and its working fine this year--its tenth. What I no longer will use is vermiculite in the ground; it may be permanent and it may work but its not needed. all you need is the right blend of sand,clay and compost\manure.

 

[CarharttKidd]

I guess it depends on the type of gypsum. The powder I have acess to says to apply at 25 lbs per 100 sq. ft. The granular says 10 lbs per 100 sq. ft. These are greenall products.