we have major water restrictions. what is a good way to keep my soil moist so it doesn't crack open?

Question

i live in melbourne australia, the soil is clay type and apparently it was a volcanic area many years ago. the ground cracks open approx. 20- 30 centimetres wide which in turn is bringing cracks into my home.

Answer 1

water it in the middle of the night when no one is looking. LOL

Answer 2

Sounds like a Bentonite type situation. Sorry I've forgotten the scientific name for the shrink/swell soil condition.....it's been a few decades.

You need to keep the soil evenly moist....not wet, just moist. By eliminating the shrink/swell you keep the soil stable Use soil mulches to reduce evaporation from the sun and retain moisture (what little there is), establish native plant cover so as to limit water use......use drip irrigation. Any roof runoff should be transported well away from the house.

I'm not a structural engineer, they may have techniques where the montmorillinite (hey, that's the word, but not the spelling) soil can be isolated from your house........sand trench around the house with a soil barrier at the interface.......I just guessing.

Answer 3

Get as much organic mulch as you can. Leaves, neighbor's grass clippings, even shredded paper. Dig down the 2-3 ft of soil you want to mitigate, and mix the materials with the soil, and re-fill the area. it takes time. If you do not have the ambitition to do that deep, just start with the top 6 in, and next yr, do another 6 in, and in several yrs, you will have very friable soil(meanining drainable, and fertile)

I did this, over 6 yrs, and the results were amazing. The nice thing is seeing how each yr the plants did better and better. Gardening is not a one-time thing. Gardening is for the long haul Good luck.

Answer 4

Mulch with organic matter, not only does it help keep moisture in but it will help break up the clay, I don't know if you can get gypsum there or not, but even mixing in regular sand with the soil will help, some groundcovers also help break up the clay subsoil (like clover, buckwheat, soybeans, etc. if you can get them to grow). The deeper you can get the clay broke up, the more nitrates you can release from the subsoil into the topsoil and more moisture it will retain. And I would seriously look into building a water condensor and underground storage cistern if I were you. We have had the opposite problem here the last year, wish I could send you some rain.

Answer 5

Lol, Kaylee, they are onto that one, people are getting fined and they're suggesting putting in water restrictors for repeat offenders.
Mulching is the way to go, maybe use some gypsum to break up the clay a bit - most of the Adelaide soils are like this and its a problem every summer. I use peastraw to mulch - it is good for the plants and the only weeds you get from it are pretty field peas (you can pretend you're growing them on purpose if you haven't time to weed!) buy it direct from a farmer if you can, the town prices for peastraw are outrageous.
Get yourself a rainwater tank ASAP - you can do what you like with rainwater.

Answer 6

try to cover with husk in wet format and pour it all round mixing sand is also not a bad idea after wetting the surface cover it with plastic so that water dosent get evoparated easily. bamboo shoots are best retainers of water but growing them may be difficult.

Answer 7

cover the ground with mulch such as wood chips or hay whatever moisture is there will stay there longer