3 Mar '04 1:12 am Hi! I've been stopping by this site on and off for more than a year. It's neat that you've added your own forums. I hope it's okay to post in here as I only see two people who use it regularly.
I've gotten Spring Fever even though it's still technically winter here in the US. I've recently gotten a number of house plants (the pictures are up at my website) to help quench my thirst for greenery.
Now I'm looking forward to planting time and wondering if you (or anyone on the forum) has any ideas for what will work for clay soil. We keep putting in different things and each year whatever we tried dies on us. Maybe we're not watering enough or watering too much or picking things that just don't do well in our soil. I'm at a loss. Our flowerbeds in front of our house look dismal. I hope I can find something this year that we can keep alive!
Eggy
webmaster & eldest son
Camberwell, London
Wanted : gardeners with pale green thumbs!
3 Mar '04 3:54 am Mopsie, anyone with self confessed pale green thumbs is welcome on our forums - just don't talk about terrariums too much or Moosey will want one
Thankyou for your posts - It's a lonely life posting to your own forums!
I hope someone with greener thumbs than myself can help you find some nice plants for your clay soil.
Angela
Guest
clay soil
4 Mar '04 8:04 am I live in the Uk so I don't know what would work neccesarily in your garden but over here we have gardening books that advise on what plants suit different soil types. Why not have a browse in your local bookshop?
I'm lucky and have light soil but as I understand it clay soil benefits from the addition of plenty of organic matter. Back breaking work
Mopsie
valued member
Virginia, USA
5 Mar '04 12:59 am Angela thanks for replying.
We have books like that too but I often find that they are assuming you've been gardening for a while or that you know what the heck you are doing. I am a very in-experienced gardener with horrible soil. Not a good mix.
I will check out the books again and maybe I can come back here and list the plants they suggest and find out from you all if they are plants that need a lot of upkeep or are good for beginners.
Bex
website manager
Camberwell, London
clay soil gardening advice
10 Jul '04 2:01 am Hey Mopsie & all clay soil sufferers!
I noticed that Sandra has some good advice for gardening with clay soil. Getting the worms to do the work instead of you - sounds much more up my gardening street!
pumpkin
compost executive
Auckland
17 Aug '04 9:30 am Also, there is a product here called Gypsum. I don't know if you can get it where you are but if you can try it. It helps with clay soil by breaking it down and 'sticking' it together.
Sounds weird as clay is so sticky its not funny, but it does work.
Apparently the clay is made up of very fine particles that do not bind into crumbs but is so dense it doesn't allow air to move through it...thats my understanding anyway
Clay is very good nutrient wise, so if you can add compost and gypsum to separate it into workable stuff you will have a great soil
harold
contributor
16 Jun '06 8:13 pm Take pumpkins advice that exactly how you should attack the problem
Faith S
Perpetually learning gardener
Alabama, USA
Plants for clay soil
27 Jul '06 6:54 am Mopsie, I feel your frustration with clay soil. Having lived in a number of different areas on the eastern side of the U.S. I have dealt with clay soil over and over again. Actually clay is not the worst type soil to deal with. It is good for holding moisture in the soil. However, the plants also need oxygen so you have to put some air spaces in the soil to give them that. The easiest way to deal with clay is to build up raised beds on top of the clay. Do this by incorporating all the compost, rotted manuer or leaf mold you can get your hands on. Till that into the beds, then start building up by adding layer after layer of composted material until your beds are at least six to eight inches above ground level. If you want to skip the tilling part, lay thick pads of newspaper on the ground, wet it down and then add your soil on top to six or eight inches. Earthworms will come up from the bottom and do the tilling for you.
Now, for plants that can tolerate clay. Check out plants that are native to your area. They are usually pretty accostomed to clay. And you can't go wrong with good old daylilies. They will grow anywhere you have full sun. Many ornamental grasses handle clay, but can be tough if they grow too large and need dividing. Hostas are also pretty good candidates if you have shade for them. Daffodil bulbs will grow in clay that seems like cement in the fall when they should be planted. Chisel out a hole, drop in the bulb, re-cover and watch them multiply.
All these strategies have worked for me in the past. Good luck.
