Advice on clay soil continued?

Question

Thanks for all your answers, our soil as i said is very hard clay and the grass nr the edges of the borders is always wet so its like walking on soggy grass even in the height of summer. The house is around 50yrs old and is sort of established with lots of trees and loads of connifers however hardly any other plants will grow, I'm not sure if its down to the clay or to the roots of the connifers. We have been here 5yrs and have been trying for the past 3yrs to get something decent to grow, certain plants that don't have deep roots do ok but not brilliant

Answer 1

You have several problems here.

1 - clay soil is 'dead', it needs to be aerated (air allowed in).
In the Autumn (Fall), use a garden fork, the full length of the tines, to prick holes all over the grass; this will allow air and frost to get in and help break up the clay.
Clay soil has no worms so try introducing them, they break up the soil a treat.
Add compost or fertiliser in the Spring and brush it well in.
**It may take a couple of seasons but you should see a gradual improvement.

2 - drainage may also be a problem - you can get drainage pipes to bury which will drain away the water.

3 - the areas under conifer trees becomes acid (pine needles are the cause) and very little will grow there. Some acid loving plants and those that don't require much light might cheer the place up.

It has nothing to do with the tree roots.

Hope some of this helps - and good gardening.

Answer 2

The combination of clay and surrounding conifers is not very conducive to other plants being able to survive. You can dig the clay and work in lots of organic materials like peat and manure which will help to loosen the soil and make it easier for new plants to establish themselves. The conifers have two main things that will affect other plant life They will take up most of the moisture from the ground to the disadvantage of the other plants and they will cause a lot of shade will again the majority of plants don't like. Assuming that you don't want to remove any of the trees you can only try to improve the soil and to try and pick the brightest spots to try a few plants. You have a choice of shrubs,perennials and annuals. I would try annuals firstly as you will be able to see more quickly if you are succeeding. Perhaps something like geraniums which can survive drier conditions than a lot of other summer plants and give a lovely splash of colour. It's all a matter of trial and error over the next few years.

Answer 3

The quickest way to improve soil quality and drainage for a clay soil is to dig in as much sharp sand and/or grit as possible.Do not use soft sand as this will probably make the problem worse.
You can get 1 ton bags delivered.I got this advice from Alan Titchmarsh on the TV and it made an immediate difference.The soil started to break up quite easily which mean't I could dig it over and weed the beds without much trouble.
Obviously don't just stop there.Adding as much organic matter as you can,such as compost will also add nutrients and further improve soil structure.
You might also want to try this on the lawn adding small amounts after spiking it first.The sand will gredually work its way into the soil and improve the drainage of the lawn.

Answer 4

You could start by digging the ground over and mixing compost in, do it on a regular basis and it will eventually break down the clay, alternatively rather than dig it yourself, if you have a couple of teenagers in the house with nothing to do, get them digging it.

Answer 5

Rhododendron, azalea and camellias are all shallow rooted and will give you a decent diaplay of colour.

Answer 6

put fresh soil to your borders