Clay soil can be difficult for gardeners, as vegetation struggles to grow in clay. However, with some work and planning clay soil can be improved. Clay also has some positive attributes, such as its high nutrient levels. So if all you have to work with in your yard is sticky, clumpy clay, don't despair, it's possible to enrich your soil and create a lush, thriving turf.
What is Clay Soil?
All soil is comprised of a balance of clay, silt and organic humus. Clay soil simply has a higher content of clay and silt than it does humus. Its texture is dense and clumpy, a frustrating factor in a yard, as this leads to poor drainage.
What is Organic Humus?
Organic humus refers to organic materials such as leaves and bark that are partially or completely decomposed. A balanced combination of clay and organic humus creates a crumbly and aerated soil.
Improve Clay Soil
First, you need to balance your soil content. Enrich your clay soil with organic humus. It's important to use humus to balance your clay soil instead of nitrogen-rich manure because you are not attempting to improve the nutrient content but simply to alter the soil structure. This is labor-intensive work, particularly for a large area of turf. However, the work will not need to be repeated each year. Once you alter the soil structure, it should stabilize into loamier soil over time.
Steps to Improving Clay Soil
To improve clay soil, add six to eight inches of organic humus. An organic humus mixture can be created with grass clippings, dead leaves, composted bark or any other decayed organic material.
Spread the organic humus over your soil, then, using a shovel, dig the humus in and mix it thoroughly with the clay soil base. You can also use a tiller to mix the humus.
Your yard will be a good few inches higher, but this should settle over the season. Plant your turf immediately, and watch the soil structure improve over time. Add more layers of organic material to the surface a couple times a year, but the heavy digging only needs to be done the first year.
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