The Best Soil Amendments for Gardens With Clay

Clay soil is soil made up of over 50 percent of clay. If you have clay soil, things aren’t all bad. Clay soil holds in moisture well and contains a lot of nutrients, which your garden needs. However, clay soil also drains slowly and has very little air in it. There are soil amendments for clay soil that will improve the aeration and drainage of your garden over time.

Coarse Sand

Thick, coarse sand will improve drainage in clay soils and aid aeration by breaking down the clay soil’s bond with water. Add 4 to 5 inches of coarse sand for every square foot of clay soil in your garden, and work it into the soil to a depth of at least 8 inches for the best effect. Do not use fine-grained sand as it will just make the clay soil worse.

Compost or Aged Manure

One of the best amendments for clay soil is organic material. It adds air and helps break up clumps of clay. Compost and aged manure are both fast-working organic materials that will break down quickly and improve clay soil right away. For the best results, add 4 inches of compost or aged manure to every square foot of clay soil and work it into the garden to a depth of 6 inches.

Organic Mulch

Organic mulch is another form of organic material, although it will break down more slowly than compost or aged manure. However, as organic mulches such as pine chips, bark or sawdust break down, they amend clay soil by adding more organic material to the topsoil, helping create a rich airy loam. Do not try to work organic mulch into the soil; just allow it to work itself in over time.

Types Of Clay Soil

There are several categories of soil, and due to their unique characteristics, each provides different growing benefits and different limitations. The types of soil are sand, clay, silt, peat, chalk and loam. Clay soil is considered to be a high-nutrient soil. Although this soil can be a challenge with which to work, once you learn how to cultivate it, this soil will give you great results. Identifying clay soil is relatively easy to do. To the naked eye, all soil may look the same, which is why people often confuse the types of soil, but there are specific ways to differentiate them. Clay has a smooth texture** because of its small particle size. If the soil has large particles, this will give it a rougher texture, while the small particles in clay give it a smoother texture. There are four types of clay soil that differ in characteristics depending on the amount of clay in the soil. This type of soil has a propensity to form a crust, which makes the soil hard. This type of soil is generally easy to till, but you should not till this type of soil in wet conditions. It is very nutrient rich, but it cannot be tilled in wet conditions. All you have to do is break up the clay into separate crumbs, which will allow the water and nutrients to better reach the plant roots. Other plants that work well in clay soil include magenta-flowered blazing star, asters, goldenrods, black-eyed Susans, yellow-flowered coreopsis and ornamental grasses like switchgrass, Indian grass and big bluestem. You can grow vegetables in clay soil such as lettuce, chard, snap beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. If you're feeling adventurous and have the right climate, you can also grow rice in clay soil. Silt soil is light, has a high fertility rate, holds moisture and drains well. If you've ever wondered what silty soil looks like, this type of soil has fine particles, so it is known to wash away quickly if you don't add a different kind of organic matter to make it compact together in clumps. Loam soil is a mixture of sand, silt and clay soil.

Types Of Clay Soil

There are several categories of soil, and due to their unique characteristics, each provides different growing benefits and different limitations. The types of soil are sand, clay, silt, peat, chalk and loam. Clay soil is considered to be a high-nutrient soil. Although this soil can be a challenge with which to work, once you learn how to cultivate it, this soil will give you great results. Identifying clay soil is relatively easy to do. To the naked eye, all soil may look the same, which is why people often confuse the types of soil, but there are specific ways to differentiate them. Clay has a smooth texture** because of its small particle size. If the soil has large particles, this will give it a rougher texture, while the small particles in clay give it a smoother texture. There are four types of clay soil that differ in characteristics depending on the amount of clay in the soil. This type of soil has a propensity to form a crust, which makes the soil hard. This type of soil is generally easy to till, but you should not till this type of soil in wet conditions. It is very nutrient rich, but it cannot be tilled in wet conditions. All you have to do is break up the clay into separate crumbs, which will allow the water and nutrients to better reach the plant roots. Other plants that work well in clay soil include magenta-flowered blazing star, asters, goldenrods, black-eyed Susans, yellow-flowered coreopsis and ornamental grasses like switchgrass, Indian grass and big bluestem. You can grow vegetables in clay soil such as lettuce, chard, snap beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. If you're feeling adventurous and have the right climate, you can also grow rice in clay soil. Silt soil is light, has a high fertility rate, holds moisture and drains well. If you've ever wondered what silty soil looks like, this type of soil has fine particles, so it is known to wash away quickly if you don't add a different kind of organic matter to make it compact together in clumps. Loam soil is a mixture of sand, silt and clay soil.