What to Grow in Clay Soil

In agronomy, a Plot it defines itself clay when more than 18 percent of its texture is composed of clayA substance that causes some problems for those who grow it, but it also has important advantages: it has more nutrients, for example, and retains moisture well. The important thing is to know how to care for it and improve it, trying not to waste its strengths and minimize the effects of its weaknesses. Clay soil is one of the most difficult soils a gardener can deal with. Compact and slippery when wetIt's even more difficult to care for when it feels like a brick when dry. Clay particles are extremely small and tend to stick together, leaving no room for air or the necessary water circulation. This is why not all plants will be able to grow in clay soil, but many can, even helping to improve its characteristics. The first thing to do when dealing with clay soil is to try to improve the consistency of the soil With organic matter: compost, leaf mold, or manure will gradually improve the soil's structure, reducing compactness. Patience is required; this process will need to be repeated several times throughout the year.

Index of topics

What can be grown?

Choosing plants that can grow in clay is very important: plants that require well-drained soil are certainly not ideal. If you're dreaming of spring flower bulbs, you can forget about them; they tend to rot in this type of soil during the winter. The good news, however, is that clay tends to be much richer in nutrients than sandy soil.

Plants

There are some plants that are more suited to clay soil, and therefore produce better results. In particular: beet, equipped with rootlets that allow it to be comfortable in the clay; chicory, with its very robust roots; the Fava beans which always need humidity. And again: the dandelion, whose taproots break up the clay clods and the Andean lupine which even manages to improve the characteristics of clay soil. Finally, in this very particular environment the asparagus, zucchini, cabbage, celery, spinach, parsley, The lettuce and snuff.

Trees

The trees best suited to clay soil are the traditional ones fruit trees. Not peach trees, but pear trees, apple trees and plum trees. Even the apricots They are not suitable for clayey soils, as they have calcareous areas.

Features

Clay soil is defined as soil composed primarily of clay particles. To determine whether our garden has clay soil or not, we can do a simple test: if the soil sticks to shoes and garden tools Like glue when wet, or forming large clods that are difficult to separate, crusts, and cracks when dry, it is most likely composed of clay. Clay soil, however, has many positive aspects: thanks to the density of the clay, retains moisture well ed it is richer in nutrients compared to other types of soil. This is because the particles that make up clay soil are negatively charged, attracting and collecting positively charged particles such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Among the negative characteristics of clay soil, however, we must mention the tendency to compact easily making it difficult for plant roots to grow, the fact that it is often an alkaline soil, rich in limestone but poor in substances such as iron, potassium and sulphur, which are very useful for plants.

How to improve clay soil

Improving clay soil also requires specific work, but the good news is that much of the hard work can be done in advance, annually, making the soil more workable.

Starting from an entire area all at once

Advice is often given on how to improve individual patches of soil, but when we dig a hole in the ground and then plant a seedling in it, only affecting the surrounding soil, what we've essentially done is the equivalent of putting it in a pot. Eventually, the plant will begin to develop roots, but when they reach the edges of the treated soil, they will have difficulty expanding into the hard clay around them, and the plant won't grow as large and healthy as it should.

Plan ahead

Decide ahead of time how much space you'll need for your new garden. If you're improving an existing plot, you'll simply need to transplant any plants you want to keep and then get started. If you're preparing a brand new plot, prepare the soil first with a hoe, gently tilling the site.

Start improving the soil

Add 12 to 20 inches of organic matter to the surface: grass clippings (provided they're untreated with chemicals), shredded leaves, manure, and compost are all excellent choices. Spreading them over the soil by digging and mixing them with a shovel is the right method, as it moves a lot of soil without pulverizing the soil particles like tilling does. Once finished, the garden plot will be several inches higher than it was originally, so the soil structure will continue to improve while the microorganisms in the soil work to convert all the added fertilizer into nutrients. Seeds and bulbs can be planted almost immediately afterward, and we should be sure to repeat this process once or twice a year.

How to treat clay soil

To properly care for clay soil, you need to be generous with natural fertilizers. After a season or so, it's a good idea to collect a soil sample and have it analyzed to see if there are any nutritional deficiencies or pH problems. The results of the analysis will offer us suggestions on how to further improve our garden. As a good rule of thumb, however, it is certainly useful to add any organic fertilizers such as guano or mow Monocultures. Or even compost, manure, leaves, and dry branches. These will help improve the soil texture and make it harder for compact clods to form. All for healthy, lush, and strong plants.

What to grow in clay soil