6 Ways to Fix Clay Garden Soil | EASY to HARD Methods

In this new series, we will look at different ways to fix heavy clay garden soils. The videos will help gardeners turn their clay soil into a loam which will improve plant growth. I cover six different ways to improve clay soils. Each method requires a different amount of work and a different amount of inputs. Find the method that works best for you or combine a few to get better results.
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[@sl5311]

KZbin award for root dance interpretation. A+

[@loganozarks4102]

I've been struggling with gardening for years;it's been driving me mad, I've felt unhinged, not anymore. Your door demonstration really unlocked it for me.

[@OrtoForesta]

Great video as usual Diego. However, please note that adding sand is a big mistake in most cases because you can create a worse situation (especially in humid climates, where clay tends to become concrete-like if mixed with

[@maryannemckay3606]

What is OM please?

[@christopherhickey5464]

@@maryannemckay3606 Organic Matter

[@maryannemckay3606]

@@christopherhickey5464 😂…ok!…thank you!…

[@mmmbrrr3232]

Agreed I personally wouldn't add any old sand my garden. Gypsum is great charcoal and ashs organic matter and I'm a big fan of baked clay or small rocks

[@Nuup3831]

This is absolutely correct. When I started years ago, I made this mistake with sand and ended up with almost concrete beds. Thank God I was young enough to fix it, no way I could move that earth around and pick it apart now. Gypsum and organic matter is the way to go in the midwest where I am, Missouri.

[@mkdorkov123]

I'm having a good laugh watching B-roll footage of Diego double-dig, broadfork, amend, what looks like perfectly good soil (compared to the crap I have) ....in this video about heavy clay soils. Lolz

[@joshuab738]

The raised beds do slowly change the subsoil. Over time the organic material and humic acid slowly work into the hard clay subsoil through planting, roots, and insects. Also, if you are not pulling up the roots of your plants (no-dig style) the roots that do make it down into the clay subsoil will rot improving the clay. Yes, it can take a year or two (or more) depending on how deep you need to improve your subsoil and how fast. Crops like carrot and large radishes really help to.... the first year they may even fail once they hit the hard clay if you only have a couple inches of compost on top, but each year will get better. Here in the red clay south, sand and clay make bricks on 100 degree days and will heat up way faster so I normally do not recommend it unless you are also adding some organic material too. Here, sand leveling is really popular for our Bermuda yards. Most people use only sand to level (because it is cheap). I used sand, compost, and peat. My neighbor wonders why in the mid-summer my yard is still nice and green while his yard is burnt to a crisp when we use the same watering schedule. Yes organic materials break down, but they do leave air pockets which are good for the soil and you should be adding more organic material all the time anyways to your garden to replace it (even if it is just on the top, it will work its way down --- the whole concept of no dig, no till, and heavy woodchip gardening)

[@southbridgeforestHOA]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/naC4l59qrZ2IiMU this video estimates slowly takes over 10 years. too slow for most.

[@sl5311]

I messed around with all this stuff for years. What finally worked? Digging down 2 feet removing the clay and putting in real soil.

[@aenorist2431]

Softball size? Thats cute. If I stick my spade in, any spade, I get a clod exactly as big as the spade ... if I manage to break and lift it. My garden is a garden-size clod that I can be happy to chip pieces out of :P

[@susanmyer1]

I thought the same thing. We are using cardboard, wood chips and cover crops to improve our soil. It takes time but is doable.

[@jasonfavrod2427]

Yes, I have heavy clay and it stays pretty moist with frequent rain - great lakes region. I'm amending with organic matter; mostly top soil. I agree that it's about a four on the one to five scale work scale if you're not in shape, but I'm thinking that combining with growing plants that's a decent approach for these conditions. I'm also thinking that adding sand is just going to trap the sand in the clay making the problem worse, so I'm not sure how much of an option that is.

[@crystalmorgan1959]

My soil was 40% clay and 60% rocks. Dug individual holes 8 inches deep, put lime in bottom, and because I didn't want pH too high, I also put in powdered sulfur. Then added slow release fertilizer. Placed 2 inches of soil, then planted a flower bulb, then filled in rest of soil. This was in fall because these were spring blooming. Removed 3 wheelbarrows total in rocks. The next spring, the blooms were beautiful. I found that the soil was easy to dig after this work. Made excellent flower beds.

[@annburge291]

I've got heavy clay soils in drylands Chihuahua Mexico. I find that planting seeds directly into the soil, watering with compost sludge and then covering with sawdust to avoid evaporation seems to work. The tap root from a seed can break through anything if it's accompanied with some michorrizal fungi. Transplanted plants don't work until I have managed enough organic matter and can provide shade for at least a week. I tend to add biochar rather than sand if I have it and I soak it in the compost sludge.

[@amysnipes4245]

Thanks so much. I am totally clay. Many plants croaked before I understood. Raised beds are always no problem In the ground beds require lots of deep rooted plants. Roselle, sunflowers and okra are my favorites. I use no till so roots stay in the ground.

[@skinnyWHITEgoyim]

If you're not in a big hurry it's easy to break up clay soil. Just till in a bunch of wood chips, shredded leaves, shredded paper or cardboard mixed with grass clippings and Alfalfa pellets. Let that sit till next spring and you got loose nutrient rich soil. You can also till bone meal and hardwood ashes while you're at it. Time will take care of the rest. Just be sure to mulch with either wood chips or shredded leaves. This is guaranteed good soil.

[@Bear_83]

Wont tilling kill off the micros.

[@priestesslucy3299]

​@@Bear_83yes, but depending on how bad your clay is it can be worth it. Some clay is too nasty to broadfork and too nasty for just about any roots to penetrate. When the clay is bad enough, it can take over a decade of mulch and soil biology working to make it workable

[@lifeisgood070]

@@Bear_83 only if not covered after. If you till and let the soil sit bare that is absolutely horrible! But if you keep it wet and cover it with thick mulch your soil will reover very very quickly and will have significantly more oxygen and greatly surpass not tilling within a couple months to a year. Everywhere I tilled and then covered is approximately 2 years ahead of where I just covered. And just covering with pure carbon is the worst. Try to add as much nitrogen as possible - grass, urine, coffee, anything you can find.

[@mar1video]

I would use perlite instead of sand. It’s lite weight, brings ton of air into the soil, and it’s still relatively cheap compared with compost. Great video Diego ❗️Thanks for educating us.

[@woodyriley2844]

I have heavy clay soil, a pickaxe literally bounces off it. I hated it for years and have tried everything to change it. Honestly nothing works. Over time rain and watering causes sand and other amendment to settle out in layers. I finally had an epiphany and now embrace the clay. What I do now is your option 5. I have over time added compost and sand loam on top and not tilled it in. The clay is good for potassium and phosphorus as well as a slew of minerals and water holding capacity (when you have a top layer) and the top layer of compost provides nitrogen. It's been working like a dream.

[@tesha199]

Yeah, few inches of good compost will provide growth for some plants, and their roots will penetrate clay over time and get deeper.

[@darked89]

You may need a bigger pickaxe... More seriously: dig when the clay is not dry/backed to resemble a rock.

[@Fedex-75]

have you tryed to cover the soil with grass mulch or straw? Compost and covering the clay soil make miracles. i think this is the best option. Covering it si crucial, so that when the rain came it does not beat the upper layer.

[@doncook3584]

Outstanding info. Just started using hay fork to broad fork with compost and chopped leaves on top. Making really good soil loose and rich

[@Theprofilepictures]

This is perfect. I have a large garden plot that has been used for horses for like 40 years. Its hardpan. I don't have the time to plant all of it, so I planned to just do rotational cover crops for a few years until I am ready. I don't want to do raised beds, this is a hobby so I would rather just fix the soil. Thanks for this!

[@renaissancewomanfarm9175]

This reminded me of an old timey method of breaking up clay soils. You do have to start the year before, and plant mangels, which leave a good sized hole. Once they are of a good size, you turn out pigs which will root them up and feed on them. Then the pigs go to freezer camp and the manure ages over winter. I have heard you could also use daikon radishes and just let them rot away over winter, so no pigs involved with that method.

[@KordTaylor]

A really nice, helpful video. Thank you. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@bluejay3945]

No easy solution to address compacted clay soil on my large turf areas until I discovered the Anderson’s humichar and biochar. My research indicated you could over apply both products without doing harm. I’m a lazy old guy so I went 3-4 times the recommended application. Amazing difference in the soil with definite soil aggregation and the biggest surprise was tons of earthworms in an area I had basically given up on . Can’t give results yet but plan on doing boogie brew compost tea applications to the area because you can easily supply the tea via an ortho hose end sprayer. Hoping the microbes will begin to totally change the soil environment

[@n.jorgji8101]

Thank you. Great video. Great help. Great experience. All around great. From Greece.

[@tomjeffries58]

I was always taught clay plus sand equals cement.

[@ronaldcummings6337]

It's all about ratio 70/30 sand to clay forever amended structure.

[@titosrevenger]

Pure clay and a bit of sand, sure. Sandy loam is mostly sand with equal parts clay, silt, and organic matter. If you had pure clay (unlikely) then you'd have to bring in a lot of amendments to get your ratios right. Likely adding any amendments will improve it, but it won't be perfect until you get your ratios right.

[@shellieperreault6262]

It DOES equal cement... I learned that the hard time.

[@BonnieBlue2A]

That is exactly what I was taught in the Master Gardener Course I took this past summer.

[@drewchristopher5056]

If we're getting real science-y and particular, cement is just adhesive (think rubber cement) that binds different aggregates together. So being semantical, what I think you mean here is concrete rather than "cement." All that said, compost and plants and compost and compost. Your soil already had everything it needs from a structure standpoint, it just needs life to change the texture.

[@changedtimes2016]

I came here for help and realised I've been doing all the hard work you've mentioned thanks I need to order a few tonnes of sand 😂😂

[@borracho-joe7255]

Very informative, thanks for the time.

[@hands2hearts-seeds2feedamu83]

I been adding last springs woodchips, leaves, pine needles & chicken and bunny poop. I hope it works very well. I hope to grow loads of vegetables this year

[@clancysharp5305]

Did it work?

[@hands2hearts-seeds2feedamu83]

@@clancysharp5305 It has helped. But it NEEDs a lot MORE than I have or could carry, if I had it. 😆 But I keep adding to it as I get more to add. It needs MORE animals 💩, and compost than I have had so far. I am working with what I have.

[@userbrentcarter]

Good video,great explanation Cheers

[@haroonebrahimi3456]

Thank you for the great information.

[@flubberghosted2472]

Love your locked-door root impression. 😄❤️💯

[@princesskileyrae]

I'm less than a minute in & this man has already broken down soil in such an understandable way 😮😮❤

[@happyhobbit8450]

Where I live we grow rocks so I'm building on top with tree debris since I have lots of trees. I got rabbits for their poop. I'm thinking of setting up rabbitats in my forest to help with the lack of animals around here. Right now the gophers have taken over Thank you for the video!!!

[@kevincurtright1692]

Great video, Diego. One question, what about adding gypsum ?

[@jamestyrer6067]

THANKS FOR THIS INFORMATION

[@garygill9322]

Love it, thank you very much sir!

[@patp4789]

Thank you for the helpful information, Diego! We recently moved into a new home with heavy clay soil plus large roots from a couple of oak trees. Unbeknown to us, the previous owners covered an extensive area that had been covered with small rocks, with bark to make it look better. Argh! It was so bad we hired landscapers to try to remove most of the rock. We're now trying to prep a couple of areas for more plants and was wondering about the use of a liquid soil conditioner, ie Groundbreaker by "Green as it Gets". When planting some tea roses in the newly cleared area, I had my husband dig an extra large hole, then I tried to make holes in the bottom of the hole before adding some of the liquid soil conditioner and then a mixture of the native soil plus purchased rose potting mix. Good idea or not?

[@pyrorc]

Good teacher

[@efelertaburu8901]

You are awesome way you explaining…

[@oldschoolfoil2365]

gypsum is good stuff i used it once to cure baldness in my garden

[@FeonaLeeJones]

Attempting to plant a garden in my LA clay in front of my apartment. Thanks for aharing

[@askjeevescosby2928]

O thank God.... this guy is gonna come fix it. Thought ide have to do work

[@taleinz1]

From Queensland Australia . I have layers of white clay . Dug a hole , filling it with a mixture of garden scraps , paper , gypsum , food scraps. Time will tell .

[@ericwalker227]

Bouncing off the wall was actually a great way to explain.

[@iamthewelcher]

I live on the side of a mountain, that is solid red clay, But, there is amazing soil to be found along the edges of the property, where year after year the leaves and organic matter have been allowed to just fall and lay. This soil looks like black gold/potting soil. These are typically more shady areas as well .

[@BrianTakita]

Thank you for the video. What digging fork are you using in the video?

[@stevefromthegarden1135]

Raised beds have been my main solution but I am combining several of these methods for improving my in-ground beds. Double digging is out though. Too much work. :)

[@ogkush1144]

good video

[@gavinjones3637]

You have clods? When I first moved to this house, I had a acre clod! Not even weeds could penetrate it. It would have taken tens of tonnes of sand. A broadfork couldn't penetrate it! To layer on top would have needed one acre times eight inches of compost. That wasn't happening. The only viable option I could see, was a combination of plants and tillage. Four years in and I am successfully growing veg. Mostly, I am just growing soil. Now I have the confidence and experience, I'm buying another acre, next to us, which is just as bad. I think I can turn this one around in three, if not two years.

[@myobmyob2215]

Mostly I am just growing soil- Most used phrase here

[@HoosierBenzo]

Love this video but beware adding sand to clay soil. A brief search revealed numerous articles from ag extensions explaining why that’s not a good idea, and why adding organic matter is better.

[@Nematodeparty]

Agreed. This has always been a "no no" in my research and experience. Clay + Sand = Concrete. That said, the truth is, if you can make 50% or more of the volume sand, then you are truly changing the texture, but this is not "amending," this is bringing in a new soil. One major thing I think is missing from this video is compaction. Any of these can be destroyed quickly by walking on your soil when it is moist!!!

[@HoosierBenzo]

Based on some of the other comments, this concrete thing may be somewhat of an internet myth. I’d be fine forking a bit of sand into clay soil but I think there are other, better alternatives to try to make the soil texture more loamy. Like the other things that Diego mentions in this vid…

[@mcraw4d]

@@HoosierBenzo I have 1st hand experience with adding sand to clay and by next season I was having to remove bowling bowl sized chunks that could only be broken up with a sledge hammer and extraordinary effort. One chunk in the rest went into a dumpster.

[@HoosierBenzo]

@@mcraw4d that’s no bueno

[@hermanhale9258]

@@mcraw4d Wouldn't they melt in a bucket of water?

[@thebraceletsisters.]

We are beginner gardeners and our new garden is rocks and clay and slightly sloped. I appreciate the solutions. Last year, we started adding organic matter.. manure and hay.. over the winter. Last spring we planted several different types of vegetables, but they only things that lasted were the watermelons and a few tomatoes. The watermelons did great and a racoon had a feast. Now we have covered the entire garden in several inches of hay... someone gave us their old bales that were no longer useful for feeding cows. So yesterday I planted the potatoes right under the hay, not digging into the soil. I doubt it will do too well, but hearing you say that just planting can slowly reach into that soil and change the structure has given me new hope for what seems like a hopeless bed. I do enjoy the garden and I am slowly learning about the soil and plants. I want tomatoes again, but I haven't decided if I'm going to build up or dig in... I'm leaning towards building up.

[@sunshine5349]

mixing compost in to the clay makese the compost last longer because the clay coats it.

[@sheilavogel8915]

We have solid clay in northeast Indiana. Due to age issues I am building 20" high raised beds, a couple more each year. Since we have a woods I fill the beds with the Hugelculture method ( spelling?) In other words, 6-8" logs on the bottom then stuff old alfalfa hay around the logs, then throwing everything but the kitchen sink on top. I have composted goat manure with hay and sawdust in it, leaves from the woods and yard, then top off with purchased garden soil like Miracle Grow brand and peat moss. It is amazing, 9 sweet potato slips produced 60lbs the first year. It's just too hard to fight the clay, we do grow sweet corn, tomatoes and green beans in the ground but slowly transitioning everything over to the raised beds. You won't regret the effort required!

[@tylorwallen4639]

All right Diego I've been watching you for a couple years now the soil that I'm on has a lot of limestone Rock so like for instance in the woods I noticed that the dirt has a lot of sand in it itself so having breaking down sandstone and limestone should I add still add amendments to it or do you think it's already got enough stuff like that in there with the the dematerializing sandstone and limestone

[@shazzbotz]

Did you say you have a separate gardening channel? I'm interested!

[@Junzar56]

Arizona clay! Ugh! We got a broad fork last year, it’s a game changer. Humate is also great.

[@jeffclarke5497]

Mate, great work, info and presentation. I'll buy the beer if you are ever in my area. What do you think about humic/fulvic acid additions to desert-like soil? I'm trying to improve a small-ish area around a tree that is "surviving" in a high-ish desert soil. Any thoughts you migh have would be valuable. Thanks and cheers!

[@birds771]

Thank you for teaching us that we can just use plants. I'm no longer strong. I'll plant and wait!

[@carolschedler3832]

I’m reading total opposite advice. Some say don’t use sand and some say always use sand for clay. Always a yes for organic matter. We are thinking if raised beds but it feels a bit restrictive. Thanks so much for sharing your experience.

[@darranowen9704]

Hi, I am looking to plant roses in my back garden but where they are going needs food put in the soil I was told to get farmyard manure.But would I be better off with farmyard manure in bags from the garden centre or from a lady with horses as long it's well rotting down with lots of small red worms mixed with agricultural grit. What would you recommend, please?

[@mytubebobbie06h]

I’m going through a lawn renovation and about two inches down the soil is incredibly dense and so compacted that I had trouble using a shovel to dig into the soil. I want to remove about two more inches of that compacted soil so I can add three inches of a blend of top soil, all-purpose sand, steer/ chicken manure, grass clippings for more organic matter. and nitrogen fertilizer. I have declared war with the dense soil in my lawn. I WILL HAVE A NEW LUSH GREEN LAWN. I WILL HAVE MY NEW LAWN AT ANY COST.

[@johnharvey5412]

This year I tried using sweet potatoes to break up the clay but none of them lived very long. I'm thinking of using sunflowers in a raised bed next year, so the deep roots will break up the soil and pull deep nutrients up to the surface. Also considering interplanting some creeping and vining crops to add a blanket of organic matter.

[@tesha199]

Definitely a mix of crops, not just sunflower. Some beans, clover, corn, sunflower, sorghum, etc.

[@snappa222]

Alfalfa works

[@gigglesmcgee2052]

Daikon radish is good for breaking down clay besides plant care, you let them grow and chop&drop leafytops let the rest rot in the soil over winter. Anything with long taproots as well like dandelions.

[@timsolomon8352]

the sunflowers method actually worked for me , and I didn't even do it on purpose lol. we bought a few acres 2 years ago and moved in 2 years ago. The first thing my wife wanted was sunflowers, so I planted several rows. some of them mammoth sunflower. I did add some compost on top of our clay soil, and wow, dude , those roots went deep. I chopped and dropped leaving the roots in well this year I grew other vegetables in its place with great success, and also planted another round of sunflowers for my wife haha.

[@dorinb4085]

Wow man do you have any scientific resources that can prove which type of sand and organic matter works for double digging and amending? ❤thanks for the options that you have laid on the table!

[@ivettesandoval3170]

Can I use Cocopeat and perlite to change my clay soil?

[@WarrantChen]

I just double dig. Definitely the hardest on this list and time consuming and most effort.

[@BirdieBlrrrd]

Double dig gang

[@alliehunter9896]

What about natural tilling with tillage radishes? Rye or ground covers?

[@John-wr6yo]

Sand is a good abrasive tool ,especially when grinding dry clay. Just figure out the ballanced ratios with good compost and gypsum . I planted a rose garden two years ago and it was double dug Taking out all of the hard pan yellow clay ,replacing it with darker,more enlivened soil allowing for proper mounding and drainage. Some sand was added for companion planting areas I hate hard clay,yellow and blue,over the years it has been the bain of my existence.

[@user-yk4ih2us9h]

Thank you Diego. Is that a Roebuck Fork you’re using?!

[@janetwestrup411]

What about hugelkulture? (Mound culture). It takes time but you can plant and grow in it right away. Over time and the addition of layers of compost and good mulches the soil improves. I’ve spent 18 yrs amending a 30’x40’ plot of hard pan clay before I knew about hugelkulture. That soil isn’t perfect yet, but way better than 18 yrs ago.

[@northstar5971]

Clay (always has some silt ) blocks water and AIR which bacteria need to live to bore thru and open the clay for the roots to then enter. Bacteria goes first. Sand makes some microscopic breathing channels for the bacteria to “do the work”

[@amommalee9105]

I guess this is sort of a building up, but try a season of straw bale gardening over the soil. When you pull up the bales in the fall, you will find black loam underneath them.

[@orlandoc661]

What type of sand do I use to amend clay soil? Paver sand or what? Where can I get it from? Thx

[@WholesaleTurbos]

I am doing a 4 x 4m spot , im 6-8'' down and using a mattock to pull out chunks, I have lost count of buckets I have thrown away and have 2 piles and im not even half way through. I could open up a pottery shop! Is adding sand really a thing? Someone else said dont do this, it will turn into a hard concrete substance

[@rajaiyer79]

Great video. I have clay soil with decent natural mulch from 40+ oak trees. Just cut the oak trees and I'm planning to use composted horse manure and (gaspower) till the entire area. My friend says that I would still need topsoil to grow veggies but would I?

[@kylekoenig4730]

No just amend a bit if needed

[@cowpoke02]

Horse manure the worst. Go easy there. Light on it ... UK unless composted is way better. Just grow Sadan grass , lawn clippings... animal poop non horse with hay grass . Horse poop you might have to go back pick it back up. Unless really broke down and powder.

[@charles5398]

I dug in a mulched christmas tree under one raised bed before building on top. Not sure there was anything behind the thought, more water retention perhaps.

[@gutersteinker]

Vertical mulch with a well auger, drill auger or hand auger. up to 1.80 meter/6 feet. Then ammend the hole wih your prefered method.

[@EarlybirdFarmSC]

Great video. The only thing I have a question about was, I was under the impression that if you build up layers, that the compacted soil would get better underneath. One, it stays moist which helps roots penetrate it, two, worms tunnel in and out of it carrying nutrients back down deeper. I am not sure if this is 100% correct but I have seen some effects of this at my property which has silty clay soil known as Bull Tallow. It is yellowish clay dirt. Anyways as always, great insight. I am always learning more.

[@tesha199]

Yes, this definitely happens, subsoil will be mixed with top dressed compost, decomposing organic matter or worm castings. This process does take time, but it will work unless you have rocks underneath shallow layer of sand/silt/clay. I dug up some holes for fence posts in my grandpa's backyard (hard, hard soil, no vegetation for decades) and there were still worms in the ground, which was odd to me regarding the soil toughness and absence of living roots for a long time. One trick to use to force worms to move close to your plant root zones is to put a plastic sewage pipe (4 - 6 inches radius, couple feet long) and bury it halfway into the soil. Then, you put some food scraps into the hole, and putting the lid is mandatory to make sure worms aren't exposed to sunlight.

[@southbridgeforestHOA]

not really, watch this video about wood chip mulching over hard clay 5 years latter and little change. My own Charlotte, NC yard has taken 25 years for ONLY the top two inches to become good soil. When I made a garden I remoed the top two inches to get rid of all the invasive bermuda grass so I was basically back to square one.

[@southbridgeforestHOA]

opps here is video link kzbin.info/www/bejne/naC4l59qrZ2IiMU

[@tesha199]

@@southbridgeforestHOA you need living roots to improve that type of soil, and it needs to be overplanted with some cover crop, to create that strong web in the soil.

[@southbridgeforestHOA]

@@tesha199 perhaps, but how many years would it take to actually improve vs till or braodfork

[@glennlewman4186]

What would you do if you are building a raised bed ?

[@davidisaacson9328]

Other things to consider adding to clay soil, instead of sand: granulated Azomite/glacial rock dust, dried clay pellets(soil conditioner), pea gravel, biochar, and marble/limestone finings or granules(

[@meisam1499]

is it expensive to use ?

[@freedomfighter3481]

Nice job, what if you have sandy soil like St Pete Florida?

[@DiegoFooter]

Add organic matter.

[@vanschermerhorn7167]

Any sand or what grit ? Is play sand alright ?

[@victorybeginsinthegarden]

Trench composting

[@JS-jh4cy]

Pissing on it helps?

[@pyrorc]

Dope

[@thesmirkinggrape]

I wish this video was made a year ago before I planted loads of bulbs and some plants into my heavy clay soil.

[@Narudan14]

Great vídeo man, someone already said you look like handsome squidward? because you do

[@ShaggyDogg0128]

When you showed that chunk of clay... "big ol frozen chunk of poopy" Joe Dirt

[@reneebrown2968]

If I want to quickly change a bed to break up clay I would take a bit of different tact. I would cover the bed area to kill weeds in the bed. After 2 weeks I would pull the plastic then add a couple inches of sand and about 5 inches of compost or manure, then till the hell out of it. Let it rest a couple weeks then plant it.

[@TheLissijane]

Some one mentioned gypsum to me i stead of sand along with a ton of compost. Will this work?

[@yana1955]

I worked in an extension service soil testing lab decades ago. Gypsum was recommended for clay soil.

[@adamt195]

Always add compost.

[@maryannemckay3606]

@@yana1955 ….gypsum to flocculate the soil…ie break up and separate the clay particles!…☺️

[@nenefred]

carbonized ricehull is verygood for claysoil

[@thomasw9969]

My backyard is one big brick ! Lol

[@paddleduck5328]

8:20 I need a broadfork like that

[@ivettesandoval3170]

How can I fix it when I’ve already planted plants?

[@frederickwolf8413]

I have clay and sand soil and it does set up like concrete need to loosen it up but no clue how to

[@ronaldcummings6337]

I add sand to all my clay soil. Sandy loam is 70 percent sand and the balance is clay/silt/organic matter.

[@jayvanwyck4717]

Diego, I did not hear you mention hugelkulture as a 5 method.

[@DiegoFooter]

Group that in the building up. 👍

[@ameeraljadie1282]

❤❤❤❤

[@vonries]

I see others have already commented about the same making concrete. You might want to add a text over saying(I think it's called) Green Sand. I assume that's what you were referring to.

[@DiegoFooter]

No, actual sand. The concrete thing is not true.

[@vancomycinb]

@@DiegoFooter There's a bunch of actual soil scientists that disagree with you.

[@onLYbyM]

​@@DiegoFooterYou're wrong buddy. And you will cost everyone a lot for leading them wrongly. Please research this more.

[@clemfandango2930]

You can add gypsum to clay to break it up but the only way to actually BUILD soil is to have a living root in the ground. You can add all the compost and amendments and manure you want but you can only build your soil with roots.

[@alyssa0411]

Ugh….I have solid yellow clay in my flower bed. It’s about 1-2” below the surface. It took me four hours of adding a soil conditioner with a shovel the other day. Now I have clay balls on top that turn rock hard when they dry. This stuff you could make pottery with, it’s that clay-like. I’m unsure about creating a bowl in my flower bed if I add amendments but the border of it is still solid clay. I’m about 130lbs and have to stand on my shovel with both feet just to get it into the ground. It’s frustrating and a ton of work. Maybe I should just go the raised bed route.

[@ZMS777]

All ducks go to bed. Aflac.😂😂😂

[@erwinbrubacker7488]

Add lots of woodchips over top of clay soil. Never allow soil to be bare in hot weather.

[@mdalerodger8844]

Please add CC. TY

[@ramonalvarado9503]

Clay and Soil combination is a no-no.

[@tesha199]

I may be wrong, but sand isn't gonna last forever like you said. In my opinion, over time mycorrhizal fungi will disintegrate sand into minerals and then to organic matter if you chop and drop.

[@DiegoFooter]

Forever relative to organic matter or us. Not literally forever.

[@johnturner4400]

Over here across the pond we build houses out of bricks. Bricks are made by mixing clay and sand…..

[@alanbarter2446]

😃

[@onLYbyM]

I've experienced this first hand! But the author of this video says it's a myth 😂 I really feel sorry for the people who will follow hid advice.

[@ca5da3pl]

How about doing what farmers in Africa do? Dig 12” to 18” holes; put cow pies (dung) at the bottom. Put most of the soil back and make a shallow depression where the hole was. Then dump a bucket of water into the depression. Let the worms get after the dung and let their barrows aerate and allow water thru the soil profile. I think they call it “Zuni” holes. Farmers would plant millet seeds into the depressions for the cows and sheep to eat the grass.

[@santhandevit9863]

I recommend use rice husk charcoal

[@santhandevit9863]

1-2kg per 10m^2

[@DiegoFooter]

Why that in particular?

[@santhandevit9863]

It is a great organic matter with more than 16 known elements that plant need... It also improve PH of the soil for plant if the soil isnt in the right PH for that plant. Moreover 1Kg of charcoal can absorb about 7L and release that water for the plant if needed😉