How do you break down clay base in soil in a residential setting?

Answer 1

Adding Gypsum is the treatment of choice fro breaking up clay soils. Certainly adding organic matter will improve any soil, but it won't do much for the clay.

Answer 2

Clay can be a fertile soil, you might not need to do anything with it other than to fertilize it. If I had to deal with it, I'd try rototilling the clay, then putting down topsoil or composted manure 2 inches at a time and rototilling it in, and then add another layer on top, rototilling it again. This mixture will settle down after a while and the result will be a better top 3 inches or so and improved drainage. I don't know if the grade around your house allows this or not.

Answer 3

Love that answer Redon --
I agree about the gypsum-- and if you put a layer of that on turned over soil in the fall-- it will break those clay molecules apart-- the winter rains plus the gypsum-- such a good pair! If your clay is as "tight" as mine-- pretty tight!-- you can use the gypsum fairly freely. I understand that clay has all the nutrients a garden needs-- they are just stuck together and the plants can't get what they want-- so the gypsum makes sense.
good luck

Answer 4

I haven't had any luck breaking down the clay-base soil in my yard. The only thing I have been able to do when planting is dig down deep, get rid of the clay I dig out, then fill in with top soil. It's a long, tough process, and buying top soil isn't cheap, but it's the only way I can plant trees, shrubs, etc., and get them to survive.

Answer 5

You need to till it up. You can't really get rid of the clay, but you can make the soil better. You need to add more organic matter to the soil. So you could add compost too it; till in leaves, grass, etc into it; till in manure into it; or add top soil.

At my parents' house we had a garden that had the most awful clay soil. Each year we tilled in a bunch of rabbit manure. It is some of the most fertile black soil you'd ever see now. The tomatos grow really big on it.

Answer 6

Garden gypsum is WONDERFUL. I have heavy clay soil and it made all the difference in drainage and being able to work the soil. I highly recommend it. Just till it into your exisiting soil along with any organic matter you're adding.

Answer 7

How to Fix Bad Soil



No matter how poor your soil is, you can have rich, fertile planting beds with no digging and no tilling.

Steps:
1. Mark off your site in late summer or early fall, using stakes and string, a rope or a garden hose as guidelines. Leave the turf in place. Trample any tall weeds, but you needn't cut them.

2. Lay a 1-inch (2.5-cm) layer of newspapers over the site, overlapping the edges as you go. Wet them down thoroughly. Spread 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) of peat moss over the paper.

3. Cover the peat with 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) of organic matter such as compost, well-cured manure, leaves, dried grass clippings, seaweed, shredded paper--or any combination thereof. Avoid oils, fats and animal protein.

4. Add alternate layers of peat moss and organic matter until the bed has reached 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) high. (Image 1)

5. Water until the material is saturated. By spring, your heap will have decomposed into 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) of rich soil.

6. Sow your seeds or set in your plants, and mulch with compost, peat moss or dried grass clippings. As the plants grow, continue to mulch with the compost, peat moss or clippings. As the newspaper disintegrates and the organic matter decomposes, the layer of loose, rich soil will extend deeper into the ground (thanks to earthworms, bacteria and other soil-dwelling organisms).

Answer 8

Gardners Gypsum. Available at most garden centers.

Answer 9

get a troy bilt and till it. that's the best way, i would guess