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Texas Gardening

Suggestions please: Improving clay soil in dallas

9 years ago

In the spring I grew mustard as a cover crop to improve a small portion of my yard. I've bought green sand just now and was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions about improving soil quality. Thanks all :)

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Comments (9)

PKponder TX Z7B
9 years ago
Clay soil is a beast to dig but it contains lots of nutrients, especially the black clay. When I gardened in black gumbo, I used a lot of soil conditioner/landscaper mix on top of the clay and kept it mulched and fairly moist. To my surprise, a few years later, I could easily dig with a hand trowel in the beds that I improved like that.

Are you trying to overcome the PH with greensand?

Another useful tip when excavating for a shrub or tree is to spray the area with soapy water a day before digging. I'm not a chemist, so cannot state why this works but something happens to release the clay particles and it's easier to dig and doesn't stick to the shovel.
bjb817
9 years ago
Compost compost compost!
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From what you describe, the lasagna method might be preferable, but I would do at least one bed built from purchased soil and compost. You will want to cover the ground well with some kind of barrier to prevent the existing vegetation from growing up through your beds, cardboard and multiple layers of newspaper are favored materials. You should start accumulating lasagna materials now, and if there is not too much snow on the ground, could in fact start the building process. The "green" material will likely freeze, and therefor remain "green" until warmer temps allow the decomposition process to start. In the lasagna beds, you will be able to grow tomatoes and squashes (and some other things) without having to incorporate much actual soil, they can survive the processes of decomposition going on below them, The beds built with soil and compost will be better suited to those crops that require a more mature soil, and those that prefer a finer tilth... salad greens and root crops spring first to mind. Other plants might be most advantageously started in pots until the lasagna beds have reached a stage of decomposition that is less injurious to tender roots. The pots could be situated in areas where you plan future beds, thus providing a way to kill the existing vegetation in the soil beneath them without having to dig (which you seem to want to avoid) or sacrifice ground. There are big differences between (and among) purchased composts and soils. Be careful that what you are buying is truly what you want. You don't need a lot provided your native soil is relatively healthy, though the texture may not be ideal. If you have a native population of earthworms, they will eventually create the soil you will benefit from most, if not, introducing them, from a near-by source, when you start your beds, will go a long way towards creating better tilth. And skip that liquid stuff for now. If you want to buy something in a bottle for your garden, I'd recommend a nice crisp white to accompany the salads and grilled veggies you'll be enjoying this summer.
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Soil improvement for clay?
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I think leaf litter can be the cheapest, best part of the overall organic matter + native clay equation. Fully rotted to be mixed in, partially composted as a top mulch. Tree species obviously matter, but I'm not expert enough to do more than generalize. The gigantic cottonwood up the street has been a huge help to me - dude lets me rake up as much as I want in Fall (and wishes I would do it more) and I use it everywhere, in my strange coffee grounds/bouganveilla bracts/pine needle/leaf litter mix I'm fond of using throughout the garden. I would use cover crops as a secondary method of improving my clay soils. Just growing regular veggies and then turning new OM in the soil between crops has done wonders for some of my previous problem areas. And engineering isn't to be overlooked - building raised beds and giving up on that alumino-silicate muck can certainly work too. And good drainage to assure that your trees and shrubs aren't rotting in standing water.
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newbie help with improving clay soil
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Comments (27)
I was in your shoes last year so I can only imagine what you're feeling now :). My whole backyard is full of rock hard Californian clay soil (also with lots of rocks I have to pick out, and concrete chunks, and roof tiles, you name it!). During spring and summer it's like one giant brick, it's impossible to dig and you can see huge deep cracks everywhere. So as someone who knows what you have to deal with, my recommendation is lots and lots of organic matter! As much as you can possibly get your hands on! And like others have mentioned never leave the soil bare, any mulch you have on top will help retain moisture and slowly improve the structure of your soil. Slowly but surely you'll build a population of earthworms which will help you out (I also had 0 last year). You'll have to keep adding stuff every year too. I thought I had added enough organic matter to certain locations in my backyard only to find it had disappeared this year! (The soil was still clay, but it was much easier to dig since I'd already done it last spring). I would suggest making paths in your garden so you don't step all over the soil you worked so hard to improve and compact it, as clay so easily does (the oxygen you introduced while digging is important for root development). I also recommend not working the soil when it's too wet (and sticks together) and if it's too dry letting the water soak in will make it much much much easier to dig. The upside is, clay usually has lots of nutrients and once structure is improved will be wonderful stuff! Raised beds weren't an option for me (I live at home and my mom didn't want any) but I've only heard wonderful things about them from other people with clay soils so you might want to go that route (a lot less/no digging for you). You won't be stepping all over the soil compacting it either. And the last thing that comes to my mind is try seeing if you have a local community compost place. I had NO idea I could pick up FREE compost at my local recycling center (I can get up to 1 truckload a week!) until this year. Sometimes it has little bits of plastic in it, or maybe a golfball or some other random object but it's helped my backyard out immensely now that I haul in as much compost as I can carry per week free :) Our community compost gets tested too, so I'm not worried about diseases or anything. Whew, that was a long post! I hope that helps! Happy gardening! :)
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Suggestions for improving soil?
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Comments (13)
I agree with everyone about the shredded leaves - great stuff!! I go a bit further and mix in some used coffee grounds which attracts the worms and does a wonderful job. Even though I have just over 2/3 acre, I never know if I'm going to be dealing with sandy soil or clay in new areas, but mulching with this combo has done wonders for the soil. It's not an instant thing, but it does work. In regards to composting, no protection is required. There's no mention of what zone you are in so if you have a winter, undoubtedly your compost will freeze at one point in time. You can also build compost bins cheaply out of pallets, wire fence material, etc. if you wish. I have four pallet bins and several open piles. The open piles are hidden by huge boulders and are not managed as is the compost in the bins, yet the end product is very nice! Along with Dee, I would also encourage you to visit the S&C Forum and read, read, read. All sorts of great ideas, debates, and differing points of view, but as Ryanzone over there says, IALBTC!! (It all leads back to compost.) :O)
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klem1
9 years ago
Ã¢ÂÂ¢Posted by bjb817 8 TX (My Page) on
Wed, Jun 18, 14 at 10:54
Compost compost compost!

Then add some more compost.
TexasRanger10
9 years ago
I'm not in Dallas but I found my best results were to mix both a lot of organic material and a lot of coarse sand. I did kind of an equal ratio of sand, existing clay and organic. When I just added organic, the texture was still a problem. The addition of coarse sand along with organic made a dramatic difference. Water soaks in faster and the drainage is much improved.
mrs.wiggley
9 years ago
Might check out a product called Medina. Also might look at this link.

Here is a link that might be useful: improving clay soils
mrs.wiggley
9 years ago
Might check out a product called Medina. Also might look at this link.

Here is a link that might be useful: improving clay soils
Debra Vessels
9 years ago
NachtSprite,
I found this article on the Web several years ago, 2011 to be exact, I followed it as well as I could, due to availability. I love the Soil mender products, the pecan mulch I dug in really helped to loosen the clay soil. I also add a bag of fine gravel and gypsum.. My raised beds and other beds are getting better every year, and I have thousands of earthworms that feed off of the compost ect, they in turn feed and aerate my soil. I can't tell you how much this has improved my soil.
Debra

Here is a link that might be useful: Arlington Organic Garden Club
bossyvossy
9 years ago
You have gotten excellent advice from all posters but do keep in mind that the amendments will not fix your soil overnight. It takes time for the microbial activity in the compost to do its thing. Yes you can plant right away but that ability to "practically dig w/ your hands" will take a few years.

To repeat---compost, compost, compost, compost, compost and did I say compost??!
Debra Vessels
9 years ago
I agree compost is the most important thing you can add whither it is from a bag or homemade, but many other things need to be added as well. I think the green sand is very important, and any other organic matter. Some that breaks down fast and some that break down slow.

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