clay soil help!!

I have a very heavy clay soil and im keen to help it and potentially also cut in some beds if this works

I have read that gyspum is good to break up heavy clay soil, is there any difference between agriculatural/lawn gypsum and plasterers gypsum?

could I use plasterers gypsum on my lawn or am i mad lol all advice welcome

 

Do you mean it's a lawn you're trying to improve?
I've never used anything on my grass in any garden. They just get on with it. Heavy, wet clay soil in every garden I've ever had.
In planting areas, I only use organic matter - and especially good quality, well rotted manure, to amend it.

 

The best thing to improve clay soil (as i have here in Essex) is organic matter.
Home-made compost or some sort of rotted manure. Best of all is composted bark fines if you can get them.
Grit has almost no effect.

I've never used gypsum, builders or horticultural.
I'd wonder if builders gypsum has additives such as mould resistance etc, but I've no idea tbh.

 

Yes - grit is only of use in containers. We don't have the problem many people have of clay drying out and cracking in summer. If it happens, it's very short lived, even with these longer, hotter spells we're getting more frequently in summer. Lots of help is very important to get clay soil in good nick.
I think the OP is talking about a lawn though, and I can't help with that. We just stay off the grass over winter - and for a lot of other months!

 

I'd use whatever gypsum you can get cheaply and in quantity. However do check the label for additives, preservatives etc.
Personally I wouldn't bother for a lawn though, unless starting from scratch.
Save the material and energy for the beds.
If you need to cross the lawn frequently then put a path in.

 

Can't agree with the comments about grit not helping. Certainly for new borders, incorporating tons of organic material and a good quantity of grit to 50cm depth is an immediate and long-term solution and gives plants a super start. Organic material on it's own does work eventually, but it can take >20 years for real change.

 

After building works in 2019 I had loads of grey and orange clay to deal with in the front garden where I wanted to plant.
I followed this advice on the RHS Site and it worked very well.
I used lots of Composted bark fines from CPA Horticulture dug in around October and again in Nov. and the following spring the texture was OK for planting and the 12 pittosporums I planted are growing well.
I was very surprised how quickly it was broken down, with some help from winter frosts.

I think grit is useful for heavy soils, but not so much for heavy clay for the reasons given in the above article.

 

If the lawn is generally ok but just needs a bit of help, I wouldn't really worry too much about it being on clay. I'd just go with routine law maintenance, basically occasionally aerate it and top dress alternate years with sharp sand and fine compost.

 

I wouldn't add anything else than manure. Lawn grows fine on our Oxford clay, but it doesn't change the top of the soil because the grass roots don't go that far down. The best way to break clay in my experience is to plant it with plants. They will go down to a deepness that is generally used for most plants, and with it come earthworms. I leave the roots of annuals in the ground and they will break the clay.

 

I think @New Irish gardener might need to clarify if it's just the lawn he's talking about, or borders - or both. As @Clueless 1 v2 says, generally improving drainage in a lawn with aerating and top dressing, is usually the easiest method.
I would need to constantly add grit on a regular basis for it to be useful, so that's an absolute no no for me. Heavy sticky clay isn't easily amended with that unless you have very deep pockets, and can add tons of it, and certainly not suited to the kind of climate we have round here. Organic matter can work very quickly if applied correctly, and if it's good quality. I've done it in several gardens. The type of plant used also has to be right, and woody shrubs/trees will help with moisture take up, far more than perennials.

 

thanks for the advice everyone the wealth of knowledge on these forums never ceases to amaze me

i should mention also that we have a lot of rabbits and over winter they have nibbled away at the grass and left massive patches where the moss has now started to grow!

I think i will feed the lawn and aerate and top dress with sand/compost as mentioned above and hope for an improvement next year!

 

The rabbits will save you having to mow.

They will also destroy anything you plant.

As to the moss, if you top dress with sharp sand, then gently rake, it will lift the moss right out, leaving the grass intact. The sharp sand will then also inhibit new moss growth, while also providing a favourable environment for the grass to grow stronger.