Help! What do I do with clay soil?

[feminazi]

My backyard is a mess. The grass is splotchy and the soil has so much clay that in winter it turns into a swamp from the rains and lack of sun (northern California) and in summer it bakes to a hardness that I swear rivals concrete.

It's not a large plot of land and my plan was to leave grass in the middle of the yard (probably lay topsoil and some sod for that at some point since the current "grass" is so weedy) and remove the grass from the edges so I can replace it with a border of small stones or bark nuggets and container plants. That means digging up the grass/soil on the perimeter of the yard to get rid of it.

I spent last Sunday on the area that abuts the house. It took me hours to remove the grass clumps and less than an inch of clay from an area about 3'x20'. The soil is way too hard to get a shovel under to remove large chunks at a time. Wetting it with the hose just turns it to muck. I had to use a hoe and chop-chop-chop. Not a lot of fun.

I thought about getting a rototiller, but I have underground sprinklers and am afraid of hitting them. I have no idea how far down they are since the sprinkers were there when I bought the place.

Can any of you offer any advice? I'm thinking I may just have to "hoe" off the grass and a little clay and build on top of that instead of trying to recess it a few inches.

[politicat]

1. Make bricks.

Not really. But with clay, your three best friends are your garden hose, a water "aerator" and a thing called a garden claw. Use the aerator to get water about 10 inches down, then use the claw to break it up and bring to the top. Don't bother rototilling - the soil's too heavy when it has water in it, and too hard when it's dry. Or give up on the clay and lasagna method for a couple of years until you have real soil built up. (Don't bother with sod - it rarely actually attaches to the clay substrate, and if it doesn't, it will die and you'll just be out the money and water.) Yes, water turns clay to muck. Yes, it makes it heavy and slick. That's why it's clay. Amend the clay, and that will help a lot.

Have a ton or more of compost delivered, or if you have a vehicle that can handle it, go buy a ton of bagged mulch, compost, topsoil or a mix of the three. Mix 'em with the clay, or spread them on top of the clay, and level with the rake. Leveling is critical - you don't want dips and hills because that's a good way to break an ankle.

Once you have amended/topped the clay, buy earth worms and let them roam through your yard. Worms make the difference.

Don't put any sort of pesticide or herbicide down - you'll kill what worms are there. Use native grass seed and weed religiously. Water to establish, then let nature do as much as possible (thus, native seed. Don't use Kentucky Blue grass in CA - it needs water and shade, not the California sun. Contact your county extension for local grasses. Some are bunchy, so be prepared for a different look than a "lawn".

Good luck. We're clay too, and shallow clay at that -- we're about 3 feet from bedrock and coal seams. So between clay, iron and sulphur in the "soil", I'm stunned that ANYTHING grows in the area.

[NJCher]

3. lasagna garden, sawdust and gypsum

As the veteran of some clay soil battles, I'd say you have good advice from both politicat and ecumenist. I've done the things they describe above and can testify they work. The raised beds will get you off to a fast start and you won't have to worry to much about it once they're built. If at all possible, you might want to work some leaf mold and compost under the bed, if you can. That's just in case you ever decide to plant anything that has "down under" roots, like asparagus.

On the other hand, if you do decide to tackle the ground itself, two things I have to offer are to add gypsum and also wood shavings (from untreated wood). I added big bags of wood shavings awhile back and was astonished at the difference it made in the texture of my hard clay soil.

One year I decided to rid one level of my mountainous property of lawn. I did it the easy way, by layering chopped leaves over thick cardboard. Boy did that do the trick. The next year I was growing cleome that was 10' tall and had stalks that were nearly two inches thick.

Another thing you can do is add gypsum. I've done that, too. Here's a link that explains what gypsum does:

http://home.clara.net/tmac/urgring/faqsoil1.htm




Cher

[Ecumenist]

2. Feminazi...

You've got what is known affectionately as caliche... It really depends on what you want to do. Alot of people, when they want to grow veggies and the like, build raised bed and forget about dealing with the rock hard ground. THe best thing to do, if you're not interested in building raised beds, is to double dig the ground to at least 18 inches deep, turning humus, fine gravel, (just enough to "lighten" the texture of the soil, compost and well rotted manure. You want to make sure that you lay in a supply of worms and if I were you, order them from a worm farmer who understand just the type you need to do what you need them to do. There are different species that work at different depths of soils. Try not to use any kind of pesticide, herbicide or any other chemical because you'll not only throw the whole show for a loop but you will probably sicken your worms, if not outright kill them, as well as any benevolent critters that will hopefully move in to help things along. The only thing is if you have a hard layer underneath,(not at all uncommon here in central and northern California), you might have a problem with it becoming boggy in the winter and spring, as well as when you water deeply. Where in Northern California are you? I'm in the Sacramento Valley, soon to relocate to Tehama county. I'm VERY familiar with caliche or as more often called, hardpan. I spent my highschool years in Merced county.

[feminazi]

5. I'm in north San Jose

:hi:

I read your post about moving to Tehama. I've been thinking about checking into that area for retirement purposes altho I was considering more toward Redding/Red Bluff or maybe as far north as Shasta.

I hate the idea of leaving the ocean and moving inland. I'm right near the Bay now. But when I actually think about it, how often do I visit the ocean? Hardly ever.

[Ecumenist]

7. Our property is about 25 miles south-southwest of Red Bluff AND....

Where our property is there is a well known microclimate where we actually have a marine influence. We get strong eastbound winds in the morning and most of the afternoon and then the wind switches direction and blows to the west and I mean these are robust winds. Consequently, there is a substantial difference in temperature between where our property and even as close as 1.5 miles to the east. We're about 15 miles from the Mendocino county line. Let me know and I can directr you to property, if that's what you're interested in. We're about 8 miles west/southwest of Corning. :hi:

[Gormy Cuss]

4. Depending on how big an area ....

Whitney's "Clay Buster" amendment and plenty of steer manure and compost works wonders, as does planting perennials that send down thick tap roots. We do this for flower/shrubbery beds. For veggies, it's much more expedient to dig 18-24 inches (whatever level you can) then build a raised bed with rigid sides at least 6 inches above grade, but higher is better. Fill the bed with purchased loam and amendments. The caliche acts like a bottom on the bed. We have beautiful veggie beds that stay loamy this way.

My land is in SF East Bay,and the clay soil here is so pure that a friend fired a pot made from clumps in her yard. My neighbor called our soil 'adobe' with good reason. You probably need to work the soil in the next few weeks or give up until the fall.

[feminazi]

6. Actually, I started working on it last weekend.

I spent the morning looking for a claw and some water aerator per politicat's advice. I can find them online but not in any of the local stores. I went to 4 different places. The only thing I could find was gypsum so I may go back for that.

I'll definitely be ordering a claw online today. I have some other yard chores I can do while I'm waiting for the new toy to arrive. My sister and mom will be here in about 10 days and I plan on putting both of them to work in the garden with me. :evilgrin:

Thanks to all of you for all the good ideas.

[Ecumenist]

9. Hello, That's the way you do it.

Present this as an opportunity to put a legacy on the land, you know, kinda like when people go on those "retreats" to the working farms? Hopefully, they'll buy that.:rofl:

[Ecumenist]

8. Wow...just wow..

Oh my goodness. I wasn't aware that there was even caliche of any consequence in the East Bay and certainly, not as serious as what is common in the Fresno area. That stuff turns to CONCRETE, LET ME TELL YA, in the summer.

[Gormy Cuss]

10. Concrete... you betcha.

If we don't turn and amend by mid-May, it's a goner until the next rainy season. It certainly surprised us the first seasons we lived here.

[dcfirefighter]

11. It gets better:

In this part of Maryland, we've got red clay soil.

I started gardening last spring; I built hard-sided raised beds, and filled them with a purchased soil mixture. (Straight out of Square Foot Gardening) Things grew well, but the beds were too small for my ambitions, so I expanded a good bit in the fall.

In early October, I borrowed one of those old-school back-n-forth lawn sprinklers, and watered my plot for a few hours. Two days later, I double dug beds (3 beds 5'x17') and did without the siding. I had noticed that ants, slugs, and whatnot liked to live next to them. It would have been fairly expensive to buy soil mixture for my new beds, so I didn't. After I had dug the beds, I left them as broken ground for a few days. I then worked 1 bag of manure and 1 bag of sand into each one, plus the little bit of compost I had made over the summer. I then seeded them with a compost crop mixture from Bountiful Gardens, which grew over the winter.

In the early spring, I cleared half of one bed, and planted cool season veggies. The soil was still mostly clay, and most things haven't grown very well. Later I cleared and re-dug another bed, and just from the roots of the winter compost crop, the soil was better. A few days ago, I cleared the final bed, and the soil was practically loamy. I haven't dug it yet, just cut out the plants, and hoed out the stubble. (BTW, those pass-through hoes, shaped something like a stirrup, are well worth the money). This bed will hold sweet corn in a few days. This bed was the last one seeded in the fall, right before a few weeks of cold, heavy rain. It was by far the worst bed, as far as winter growth, but, from what I can tell, by far the best bed for breaking up clay.

As for the compost crop, most of the growth has occurred in the last few weeks, after I cleared the first (half) bed. But from the 1 & 1/2 beds that I let grow until a few days ago, I got 3 or so wheelbarrel loads full of nice green compost material. I layered this onto my compost pile with a half a bale of straw I bought from the garden store. My compost pile is now 4' high and 5' around - which will probably give me 7-10 cu ft of compost in the fall, or another 1/2" of compost to work in (I'll probably get another 1/2" from summer growth and kitchen scraps).

So, it may take a few seasons, but you can break clay.

[bleedingheart]

12. Patience is a must with gardening...

compost and tilling the soil with sand, manure, and other organic matter will make your soil rich. You can accomplish this more quickly depending upon how much money you want to spend now or you can do it over time with your own compost.

However the one thing that needs the most care...is the Soil..if the soil isn't good...nothing will grow but your frustration. So even if it means planting nothing...and just working on soil content all year...you will be rewarded when you are ready to plant.

[OnionPatch]

13. Our soil is clay too

We're in southern California. Our soil is so hard that you just CANNOT dig it without wetting it first. It's like cement when it's dry. But, last summer my husband dug 30, 3-ft deep postholes manually! The trick is to totally saturate the soil first. But then you have to let it dry awhile before attempting to dig or it's just going to be mud. We water the day before for a long time, totally saturating the soil. This means we stop when there's runoff then start again over and over until we're sure the soil is soaked down deep. Then we let it dry awhile. The next afternoon it might be ready to dig. Still it's not easy, but doable.

For growing stuff here: compost, compost, compost. My garden plot was this kind of cement, clay soil three years ago and we just keep dumping in compost, sometimes by the truckloads. If you dig into it now, it's black and crumbly and full of earthworms.

Your soil might be worse than ours (hard to imagine) so maybe this won't work for you. Let us know what you do in the end.

[Gato Moteado]

14. clay soil is good in that it's loaded with nutrients.......

....but it's bad, as you can see, because it's heavy and compacted. additionally, it tends to be alkaline.

i lived in austin texas and had thick black clay soil in my yard. i tilled it to loosen it and mixed in tons of compost, peat moss and decomposed granite sand. after that, i was able to grow anything i wanted (as long as i watered during the long drought periods).

the compost is the most important part. but, if you can find a good supply of decomposed granite sand, i suggest mixing a ton of that in as well. it not only improves the drainage but i've been told it improves other properties of the soil as well. it worked miracles in my yard...i had a subtropical rainforest for a garden with lush palms, bananas, and all sorts of wildlife attracting plants not often seen in central texas landscapes.

[OnionPatch]

16. Where do you find decomposed granite?

Is that something they would have at a landscaping place or a garden center? I should try something like that. The compost is really helping my garden immensely, but I always thought it could use a little sandy, gritty stuff. I bet it would make it better for growing root crops, like carrots and potatoes.

[Gato Moteado]

17. you can get bags of it at home depot in the garden department....

...but it's expensive to do it that way. best bet is call the landscaping and soil companies.

i was lucky.....when i bought my house in austin, the previous owner had made walkways and large patios in the yard with thick layers of the stuff. i scraped it all up, sifted it into my beds and replaced the walkways and bare areas with sod. i think i had the best soil in austin after that stuff and all the compost went into the beds.

[Retrograde]

15. Take up pottery?

I live in Palo Alto and am blessed with adobe. It's taken me almost 20 years to get my tiny 10'X10' lawn to look like anything but a patch of weeds. i don't even try to dig after the rainy season ends.

What I've done is work steer manure and compost into the garden areas, then mulch heavily after I plant (I start all my plants in containers and then transplant them: the seedling have enough problems without having to break through the crusted clay). Raised beds also help. I haven't tried straw bales because of the dryness in summer (Mr. Retrograde doesn't like the idea of bringing additional fire hazards home), but a master gardener friend in San Jose swears by them.

[feminazi]

19. Pottery????

You're soooo funny
:)

I've been watering it this week and I found some liquid aerator at a nursery on Sunday that I'm trying. So, at least I'm making a dent in it. I really don't want to finish it all this summer. Then what would I have to do next summer?
:shrug:

It took me 2 years to decide what I wanted to do with the backyard. I can wait another 2 years to finish it if I have to.

[Imalittleteapot]

18. LazyMan

I just bought and applied this stuff and don't have any results to report. It sounds soooo good.

http://www.outsidepride.com/store/catalog/Liquid-Soil-Conditioner-p-17888.html

For the not so lazy. Apply lots of compost to break up that clay.

[madmax]

20. Oh!! You must report back on this

My back and hands were killing me just reading about ammending clay soil. :evigrin: Well, I do have rhuematoid arthritis so I can over do the gardening thing. I need all the Lazy man/woman help I can't get. Thanks for the link.

[mod mom]

21. We had this problem in Central Ohio. We have mature oak, walnut, maple +

scyamore trees which we love and keep our house cool in the summer. We finally gave up on a regular lawn and have shifted to a grid of concrete pavers inlayed in in rocks. We have green areas with shade plants (hostas, ferns azaleas, etc) We dug up the soil and added peat moss to it prior to planting. We are very happy with the looks of our yard and we no longer have to mow, or re-seed every year.

[barb162]

22. I throw the clay under the deck where I put in garden beds

I got sick of trying to work with it. It seems no matter how many pounds of amendments one mixes in, it's still that rotten clay. It's easier to dig it up and replace with good soil