Improving Clay Soil

Its importants to know ways for improving clay soil,since soil supports plants, provides essential nutrients, and permit gas exchanges necessary for root respiration.

There is a lot of activity going on down there! Compaction and inadequate drainage are two difficulties that interfere with natural plant functions. If you are searching for ways of improving clay soil, we have gathered information to help.

Long before you plant your first crop, soil quality should be assessed. Once the plants are established in the ground, soil improvement is much more difficult. The looser the garden's soil is, the better it drains and the more readily the roots can spread. Plants with an expansive root system have a greater ability to absorb water, oxygen, and nutrients from the soil. Amend heavy clays with plenty of organic materials like compost before you plant.

Green manures are good to use for amending clay soil. Clovers and comfrey are ideal at breaking up clay with their taproots, allowing water to sink down deeper instead of sitting and impacting the soil further. It is important to note that about 85 percent of a plant's roots are found in the first 6 inches of topsoil. This means that you do not have to work organic material into the soil very deeply when improving clay soil. Never work wet soil, particularly a heavy clay one. 　

Soil Improvement

Follow the soil improvement schedule below to loosen clay soil:

* In the spring, use a tiller or a hand tool to break up the subsoil layer. Till 2 to 4 inches of compost, rooted manure, mushroom soil, or other organic material into the top 6 inches of soil.

* Cover the entire garden area around the plants with 4 to 6 inches of organic mulch from May or early June until the end of the growing season.

* In the fall, till under the organic mulch and plant a cover crop, preferably a legume such as alfalfa or vetch.

* The following spring, till in the cover crop. Spread 1 to 2 inches of compost over the entire garden. Add mulch when the soil warms up. Repeat the entire cycle each year.

* If you use black plastic to heat up your early spring soil, simply lay it right on top of the cover crop to thaw the soil.

Cover Crops

A clay soil that is cover-cropped is less likely to be hard and unmanageable at spring planting time. The cover crop's roots are useful in improving clay soil by aerating and providing drainage channels as the plants decay. Cover crops also known as green manures are plants such as winter rye that is sown in the fall after the harvest is completed.

Compost

Compost can be used effectively in improving clay soil. Soils containing high percentages of gray clay often drain very poorly. They also tend to compact and turn hard in the middle of the hot summer. The best way to solve the problem is to add large volumes of organic materials. Compost is the very best supplement of all.

Adding organic matter such as chopped leaves, straw, or peat moss will ease soil compaction and drainage problems. Finished compost does not deplete soil nitrogen since it is already completely decomposed. Every gardener should have an adequate supply of compost on hand. The benefits it offers are numerous such as improving clay soil, improves drainage, adds nutrients, corrects pH, and encourages earthworms.

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