Anyone who suffers with clay soil knows how difficult it is to work with and how much harder it is for plants to flourish. Clay soils are more compact and contain more minerals which bind the soil together making it difficult for oxygen, water and nutrients to get to plant roots. The high levels of minerals in clay soils usually makes the soil's pH alkaline so acid loving plants like azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias struggle.
Improving clay soils is quite a challenge and does need some hard work but I'm sure you'll agree the end results are worth it.
The key to breaking up clay soil is by working in plenty of organic matter. Using a garden fork break up any large clay clumps and loosely work the soil by stabbing with the fork and gently wiggle it in the soil.
Add a layer of compost or blended manure about 5cm deep to the top of the soil. Using the fork, turn the soil, mixing it with the compost.
Add another layer of compost or manure, again about 5cm deep and dig in. Try to breakup as much of the clay as possible while you mix in this second layer.
Finish by adding a layer of mulch 5 - 10cm which will gradually breakdown to prevent the soil from getting compacted again.
Tips
- When planting, dig a hole twice as large as needed and add fresh compost.
- Don't use sand to improve drainage, this will make the clay soil stick together even more.
- Each spring, add another deep layer of mulch.
