How do I improve the workability of clay soil?

Hi all...I am hoping someone can give me some advice on how to improve my clay soil!I'm a beginner gardener with lots of enthusiasm but very little experience.I have some shrubs planted in a bed,but want to improve the soil before I add any more.Thanking you in advance for any help and advice

 

Hi @marley028,

To the forum .

I too have clay soil so I feel your pain. Dig in plenty of well rotted horse manure & some compost that should help to improve your soil
You can buy farmyard manure from the garden centre but if you know anyone with a horse ask if you can have a few bags of poop! Just make sure you dig deep in the muck heap & get the oldest stuff! Fresh horse poop will burn the roots of your plants
Good luck & I look forward to seeing you around the forum

 

Hi Becky76 & JWK thanks very much for your advice.I've never used anything like this before and was little apprehensive about posting..maybe a silly question but by adding organic material will the ph of the soil change in any way? Our soil appears to be acidic, (I've never tested it) but my skimmias are doing well in it..do I need to add grit to help with drainage or will the organic matter be enough?

 

Also when is the best time to start adding the manure? I'm assuming this is going to be an ongoing job?!

 

Hi Marley and welcome to the forum

You can add manure at any time of the year although it will have a better impact if added in the summer months.Please make sure though that it is well rotted down as others have said or else it will scorch the roots of your plants which could be fatal

Another thing you can add to the clay soil is wood ash from bonfires and also if you can get hold of any grit that will help with breaking up the clay and the action of working the soil should help as well.

 

Thanks Kandy..never would have thought about wood ash?!great to know...I'm soo glad i found this place

 

@marley028
This thread may be helpful.
http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/improving-clay.21951/

 

Thanks ever so much NigelJ.a really interesting read and great to see the before and after pictures...lots of hard work and plenty of patience is needed!!

 

To be honest, I wouldn't put too much manure in to start with, you need to break up the clay and to do so cheaply and effectively you just need organic matter. My local council tip has free compost made from our green bin garden waste, you can also try and get hold of spent mushroom compost. To be really effective you could do with double digging the area if it's not too large an area and I'd do it in the summer when the ground is not too wet. Manure is ok if it is full of straw, if it's not it can just bind the clay making it heavier rather than lighter. Make your own compost too as this will also help lighten the ground and adding grit to bottom of planting holes prior to planting can help improve drainage.

 

Thanks Bernie & JWK!I stupidly have just been turning the soil over but never adding anything ,never when it's wet though! how great your council provides compost Bernie,we're lucky we get our bins emptied here!!I would love to make my own compost but I haven't a clue where to start with composting.we have huge amounts of cut grass (takes 2 hrs to cut our lawns) sitting in a pile in a corner of our garden and I don't know what to do with it! I like the thought of nature giving a hand in the garden JWK,worms seem to be a gardener's best friend!
You both have given me plenty to think about huge thanks!..I shall now go and investigate how to make my own compost!

 

@JWK excellent read,fantastic instructions!!...will composting bring rats that's my only concern I can cope with anything other than rats...just typing the word makes me shudder!