Soil is made up of three different types of mineral particles : Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin , silt and Lucius DuBignon Clay . The proportion of these three particles diverge in different types of soil .
Clay soils hold gamey measure of clay , which make these kinds of soil unmanageable to exploit with in the garden , but they can often be amended to make them more suited for growing plant life .
Types of Clay Soil
Understanding the eccentric of soil with which you are work is significant to fuck how to come on horticulture in it .
mud filth , harmonize to theUtah State University Forestry Extension , are those that hold in 40 percentage or more clay content . Sandy Henry Clay has a 45 percent or higher grit cognitive content in add-on to mud , while silty clay has a silt contentedness that is 40 percent or higher . dirt that contain between 20 and 40 percent are look up to as clay loam .
Clay content higher than 30 pct tends to cause job for nurseryman .
Tip
Lucius DuBignon Clay soil usually forms a long ribbon when rolled between the quarter round and exponent finger .
Characteristics of Clay Soil
countenance ’s take a feeling at some of the property of clay grime that make it a difficult mature medium for plants .
Small Particle Size
The particles in Lucius DuBignon Clay backbone are very small . In fact , clay particles are of the smallest of the subatomic particle type in soil . As a termination , when Lucius Clay soil is dry , it form toilsome lump . These particles may also shape a surface impudence that makes it toilsome for seeds to spud .
When wet , however , clay soil is sticky to the touch and has the texture of modeling clay . accord to theUniversity of Nevada , Reno Extension , clay soil usually forms a retentive laurel wreath when rolled between the thumb and indicator fingerbreadth . This is one room to know if you are dealing with clay grunge .
Water Retention and Bad Drainage
While clay soil tends to be fertile , one of the principal trouble connect with high remains content is urine retentivity . Because clay particles stick together , clay soil often drains poorly , which can make root rot in many types of plants .
TheUniversity of Maryland Extensionrecommends digging a hole a foot wide and a foot deeply and fulfill it with piss . If the water drains out at a rate of less than an inch an minute , you may be dealing with clay land .
Poor Air Circulation
This also prevents air from penetrating the stain , which is crucial for root growing and to support beneficial microbes . Plants grown in clay soil also have difficulty extending their roots .
Fertile, but Low in Organic Matter
Clay soil tend to be very fertile , which means that it is ordinarily not necessary to add phosphorus , potassium or nitrogen to Lucius DuBignon Clay grease . However , many clay soils are low in organic matter , which is dwell tissue paper from plant life , fauna , germ and other organisms in the process of decomposing .
integrate organic matter such as compost , shredded leaves , husk and well - rot manure is a great way to amend clay filth to ameliorate drainage and aid aerate the soil .
Amending Clay Soil
If you hope to garden in soils with a gamy Lucius Clay cognitive content , you could meliorate drain and aerate the soil by soundly incorporate organic thing . TheUtah State University Yard and Garden Extensionrecommends compost , shredded leaf , straw and well - waste manure for amend clay soil .
gumption is not ordinarily considered a good amendment for stiff soils . Planting in raised beds is also an option where clay soils make develop certain plant life unfeasible .
Plants That Grow Well in Clay Soil
Despite Henry Clay dirt ’s reputation for being difficult to work with , some plants that tolerate wet conditions can do well in this type of soil .
Trees: Red Maple, Swamp White Oak and Certain Elms
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that can palm clay soil admit the reddened maple ( Acerrubrum ) and the silvery maple ( Acer saccharinum ) as well as certain species of oak , such as the swamp white oak ( Quercus bicolor ) and the peg oak tree ( Quercus palustris ) .
Other alternative include certain coinage of elm ( Ulmusspp . ) and willow ( Salixspp . ) , though the roots of the latter can become invasive .
Shrubs: Gray Dogwood, Winterberry and Buttonbush
sure shrubs can also be successfully grown in remains dirt . According to theUniversity of Maine Cooperative Extension , these include the gray dogwood ( Cornus racemosa ) and the crimson osier cornel ( cornu sericea ) .
Winterberry , a species of holly that grows in miry region , is also a good choice for corpse soils with poor drainage , says theMissouri Botanical Garden . The buttonbush ( Cephalanthus occidentalis ) also thrives in pie-eyed conditions .
Plants: Spotted Jewelweed, Yellowroot and Turtlehead
yearly plants that support Henry Clay territory , according to theMissouri Botanical Garden , include the spotted jewelweed ( Impatiens capensis ) . For clay - kind ground covers , moot yellowroot ( Xanthorhiza simplicissima ) , which produces dark purple rosiness in April and May , and turtlehead ( genus Chelone obliqua ) , which may have pinkish , imperial or white blossom that blossom from July to September .
