CLAY SOIL PROBLEMS

sarahchall38

Hi, I am new to gardening and a lot of my border plants this year have died in spite of putting a bit of compost and top soil around the roots when planting, plus watering and regular dead-heading. I have clay soil which can be a bit like glue when digging a deep hole!  Do you suggest a soil testing kit, if so which is a good one and also how do you know which plants will thrive and which wont when viewing them all outside retail shops please? Thank you.

Fairygirl

The way to work with clay is to add lots of organic matter before you plant anything. That improves the structure, and enables plants to thrive. 
It's by far the best medium because it has lots of nutrients, but if you don't do that, you'll have to just plants which will suit it - ie happy to be wet over winter [and autumn/spring depending on location] and dry and cracked in summer - again depending on location. In cooler, damper areas it never dries out completely.
If you're constantly watering, and have added topsoil, you've probably exacerbated the problem.
A soil testing kit won't do anything other than telling you the pH. 

GardenerSuze

@sarahchall38 A new plant needs to push it's roots out into the soil, your plants will work through the added compost then stop when they hit the clay. Plants with poor roots cannot take up water so well when it is dry, and can drown when it is wet. 

sarahchall38

Yes it's the darned clay that's the problem   

sarahchall38

Fairygirl said:

The way to work with clay is to add lots of organic matter before you plant anything. That improves the structure, and enables plants to thrive. 
It's by far the best medium because it has lots of nutrients, but if you don't do that, you'll have to just plants which will suit it - ie happy to be wet over winter [and autumn/spring depending on location] and dry and cracked in summer - again depending on location. In cooler, damper areas it never dries out completely.
If you're constantly watering, and have added topsoil, you've probably exacerbated the problem.
A soil testing kit won't do anything other than telling you the pH. 

That's very helpful, thank you, I will buy some quality organic stuff. 

Fairygirl

It's not the clay that's the problem as such - it's the condition of it. 
Without the right prep, it's pointless adding plants that won't cope. Better to keep adding organic matter until it's in better condition before adding any more plants. 
If you have a solid clay pan lower down, it needs broken up, and then the organic matter added.
If you do that, it'll be a better medium by autumn. 

punkdoc

Just try and remember, clay is a great growing medium, as long as you do as suggested.

Liriodendron

The problem with buying plants displayed outside retail shops (presumably you mean on trolleys outside supermarkets) is that the staff are very unlikely to know anything about them - and a lot of the plants are not properly labelled with the name, let alone any useful info on how to look after them.  Ideally you want to do a bit of research before you buy, to find out what is likely to do ok in your garden's conditions, eg all-day sun, shade of trees etc as well as the soil.  There are lots of plants, roses for example, which like clay soil though they all need humus - such as manure or garden compost - to thrive.  Clay soils, as @Fairygirl says, are fertile, but without improvement with a thick layer of organic matter they are pretty well impossible to dig, and most plants (grown in pots of ideal compost, fed and watered to get them looking their best) will turn up their toes when planted out in wet clay.

If you can cover the soil with a thick layer of well-rotted manure (available in bags from a garden centre), or composted bark, or spent mushroom compost, or garden compost (some local authorities sell compost made from their green waste collection) in the autumn, it will start to be incorporated into the soil by worms etc over the winter.  At least 5cm thickness, but more if you can afford it.  It's a long process but you'll see results if you keep at it!

What sort of plants do you want to grow?  Where approximately are you in the country?  Is your garden sunny or shady?  What plants do you admire in your neighbours' gardens?  If you can give us a bit more info that might be helpful.   

sarahchall38

Liriodendron said:

The problem with buying plants displayed outside retail shops (presumably you mean on trolleys outside supermarkets) is that the staff are very unlikely to know anything about them - and a lot of the plants are not properly labelled with the name, let alone any useful info on how to look after them.  Ideally you want to do a bit of research before you buy, to find out what is likely to do ok in your garden's conditions, eg all-day sun, shade of trees etc as well as the soil.  There are lots of plants, roses for example, which like clay soil though they all need humus - such as manure or garden compost - to thrive.  Clay soils, as @Fairygirl says, are fertile, but without improvement with a thick layer of organic matter they are pretty well impossible to dig, and most plants (grown in pots of ideal compost, fed and watered to get them looking their best) will turn up their toes when planted out in wet clay.

If you can cover the soil with a thick layer of well-rotted manure (available in bags from a garden centre), or composted bark, or spent mushroom compost, or garden compost (some local authorities sell compost made from their green waste collection) in the autumn, it will start to be incorporated into the soil by worms etc over the winter.  At least 5cm thickness, but more if you can afford it.  It's a long process but you'll see results if you keep at it!

What sort of plants do you want to grow?  Where approximately are you in the country?  Is your garden sunny or shady?  What plants do you admire in your neighbours' gardens?  If you can give us a bit more info that might be helpful.   

I would love to grow trees like bamboo or willow along my back fence to give some screening for the strong winds across the wide open fields at the back of my house and I'd also like some plants/grasses to give height around my borders and some colour as well. I only have a small garden, about 25 ft x 30ft most of which is grass but the  borders are flat and boring, I never know what I can plant to make them interesting. The garden is a sunny spot in the afternoon. I live in Clacton on Sea in East Anglia  

sarahchall38

Fairygirl said:

It's not the clay that's the problem as such - it's the condition of it. 
Without the right prep, it's pointless adding plants that won't cope. Better to keep adding organic matter until it's in better condition before adding any more plants. 
If you have a solid clay pan lower down, it needs broken up, and then the organic matter added.
If you do that, it'll be a better medium by autumn. 

Would you suggest buying a tiller because yes, it's very thick clay deep down, rock hard on top, and I have bad arthritis in my thumb joints. Digging is almost impossible for me with soil like this.  

GardenerSuze

@sarahchall38 I have clay soil and some grasses grow well for me . However there have been improvements to the soil over the years. I could make suggestions but you could still have losses. Perhaps an email to Knoll Gardens for their thoughts might help might help.