HOW TO FIX CLAY SOIL FOR A VEGETABLE GARDEN? A SOIL SCIENTISTS TRICK & TIPS | Gardening in Canada

How to fix clay soil is the number one goal of a huge majority of people in North America. The reason for this is because a-lot of soils in this area are deposited from glacio lacustrine deposits. Clay soil has the potential of producing high yields of managed properly. In this gardening in Canada video we are going to look at how to fix clay soil in the garden.
👩‍🔬Patreon: / gardeningincanada
🇨🇦 Canadian Seed Retailer - www.zappaseeds.com/?refs=282
👩‍🔬 2021 Garden Planner! www.etsy.com/ca/BeeBizzyStudi...
❤️ Canadian AMAZON AFFILIATE LINKS FOR THE GEAR I USE. The entire shop is designed with plant people in mind: www.amazon.ca/shop/gardeningi...
🇺🇸 USA Amazon Links
Ultimate Fungus Gnat, Mealy Bug, Thrip, Spider Mite control amzn.to/3qeMMzQ
3-in-1 pH meter amzn.to/3i4t3QN
Predatory Nematodes amzn.to/3oEnRWd
🚨 MERCH ALERT🚨
CHECK OUT MERCH!
Stickers, Mugs, Hoodies, Shirts, Face Masks!
teespring.com/stores/gardenin...
PODCAST : anchor.fm/gardeningincanada
🌿 PLANT HACKS TESTED SERIES: • Garden Hacks - Debunke...
🤠 SOIL SCIENCE FOR GARDENERS: • Soil Science For Garde...
🇨🇦 CANADIAN BACKYARD VEGETABLE GARDEN PLAYLIST: • Canadian Backyard Vege...
🤕 SICK PLANT SOLUTIONS PLAYLIST: • Playlist
😏 CONNECT TO THE LAND PODCAST: connectedtotheland.info/podcast
THUMBNAIL photos are compliments of Unsplash.com
INSTAGRAM / gardeningincanada
FACEBOOK: / gardenincanada
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE if you are wanting to know more on gardening in Canada & gardening in Colder Climates in general. My methods apply to the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 1 - Zone 6. As a soil scientist I always try to incorporate science into my videos. Soil science can be over complicated so allow me to guide you.
Leave a comment and let me know where your are gardening. And let me know what videos you would like to see in the future!
Ashley is an agronomist who has had a passion for plants since she was a small child. In the long summers as a child, she would garden alongside her grandmother and it was then that she realized her love for greenery. With years of great studying, Ashley had begun her post-secondary education at the University of Saskatchewan.
At first, her second love, animals, was the career path she chose but while doing her undergrad she realized that her education would take her elsewhere. And with that, four years later she graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a bachelor’s degree in science and a major in Soil Science.
Some of Ashley’s interests are KZbin, in which she posts informative videos about plants and gardening. The focus of Ashley’s KZbin channel is to bring science to gardening in a way that is informative but also helpful to others learning to garden. She also talks about the importance of having your own garden and the joys of gardening indoors. Ashley continues to study plants in her free time and hopes to expand her KZbin channel as well as her reach to up and coming gardeners.
#gardeningincanada #canadiangardener #soilscience

[@GardeningInCanada]

Amazon Link: Gypsum (my favourite)- geni.us/isSrB Lime - geni.us/AQkCy

[@LittleRapGuy]

:)

[@neilmcmanus3727]

what is the best method in applying gypsum ?

[@GardeningInCanada]

I would just sprinkle it on. But if you’re dealing with a larger area and need a drastic pH change use Elemental Sulphur

[@tic857]

I saw "soil scientist + Gardening" and I never clicked on a youtuber so fast.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Hahaha awe welcome!

[@jeanajett2719]

Living in tn with loamish clay soil and chunky rocks. All I can say is mulch, mulch, mulch. If your not using a raised bed. Sheet mulch with cardboard and add 3 to 4 inches of compost to the top. Adding a layer of lighter mulch like leaves to the top of that. After a few years your soil beneath will improve significantly.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Very true

[@debbie82078]

In New Market area of E Tn. Hillside has a lot of the rocks, clay, and overall poor dirt. Trying to figure out what is affordable to do

[@bleb87]

When you say mulch. You mean the stuff at the home and garden store? Or like mulching grass? Sorry I'm noob

[@jeanajett2719]

@@bleb87 I use wood chip mulch in my walkways and whatever I can find in my planting areas. Usually straw or animal bedding but its important to use plenty or cardboard under everything, not allowing any spaces for the grass to grow through. You'll need to keep adding mulch every couple years as needed too especially if your not starting with a layer that's atleast 6 inches deep or so. And start with a new layer of cardboard as well if you have alot of weeds poking through. It takes some maintenance unfortunately I've not found an easy fix.

[@jeanajett2719]

@@bleb87 in my planting area I just lay down packaging paper and compost on top. Deep enough to plant in.

[@paulmcwhorter]

I live in Uganda and am trying to garden/farm but am struggling mightily with rock hard orange clay soil. It is so dense the locals make brick and tiles from it and use to build their houses. This combined with lots of year round rain, and the lack of any type of gardening tools or supplies has made our time here a challenge. We bought 50 dump truck loads of cow manure and 50 of river hyacinth, and have been making as much compost as we can, and have been trying to add the compost to the soil. We finally are to the point we can grow leafy vegetables like lettuce, cabbage, spinach, amaranth and so forth, but are struggling to get any fruiting type vegetables to grow. Squash, cucumber, pumpkin and zucchini simply come up as puny sickly plants with small leaves, and they die before they fruit. So, as we continue to ammend the soil with compost, I am interested in trying to amend with lime as you suggest, as lime is available here. In your video, you did not mention how much lime to use, or how to incorporated it into the soil. Can you offer me any suggestions?

[@GardeningInCanada]

that sounds good! has it worked out

[@cdcurry1203]

Here is what I found online: It takes 20 to 50 pounds (9-23 k.) of ground limestone per 1,000 square feet (93 m²) to correct a mildly acidic lawn. Strongly acidic or heavy clay soil may need as much as 100 pounds (46 k.).

[@bradharrison4657]

Keep going getting manure and waste plant stuff Dig trenches to put it in to give you deeper garden for roots

[@oftin_wong]

Clay soil is most likely already alkaline ....you should test your soil for PH before you assume you need lime ....or you'll make it worse. If you have alkaline soil you add elemental sulphur to acidify it. Test your soil properly don't guess

[@mnp5404]

Idea: use clay bricks to build raised beds and fill with compost! And good for you to take on such harsh conditions. Wow. Gardening will get more fun as plants get happier and produce more. Our slimy-gray clay soil is impossible but I too am clubbing away at it. It all takes SO much time -- but I've never been happier! Plus, I've seen online some who insist clay is alkaline, some say it's acidic. The farmers around here use lime so I'm assuming local clay is the former.

[@tinat-l2150]

In Northern Ontario here ... Thank you for the advice on clay soil. I've been gardening for over 20 years and your tips are awesome. Please continue providing us with great information for cold climate gardening.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Great to hear!

[@GardeningInCanada]

THANK YOU! ALL OF YOU for the amount of work you’re doing on the back end to support/get the word out about the channel. YOU HAVE NO idea how much this has changed the channels response. I could not do any of this without you guys and i hope you truly understand that. Make sure to grab your planners! etsy.me/3dZ4ncs

[@francestaylor9156]

Yep. I found gray clay under the builder's backfill in my backyard. We also had a ton of rocks in the soil as well. So I built raised beds on top of everything. They're super deep because we have a sloped backyard so I fill the bottom of the beds with logs and sticks/woodchips and then put soil on the top 16 inches. The plants have a lot of soil to dig deep into and they seem pretty happy. Have to constantly fill the beds with more compost throughout the year though because of shrinkage.

[@chesterhobbs7244]

You are a blessing to every gardener for sure!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Awee thanks 😊

[@codysaunders7348]

Great video, I learned a lot. ! I have an organic homestead on a stream, which has super silty soil. We utilized option 3 and it did slow down our crops initially, but by the next season the soil was noticeably less compact. Now we hot compost and build up the soil in rows

[@catherinewilson1079]

I have read that you can plant daikon radishes. These radishes are huge and if you leave them to rot in the clay they will add nutrients as well. (Just cut the top matter off)

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yup! I have a video on that

[@catherinewilson1079]

@@GardeningInCanada I will look for it!

[@bluejay3945]

My understanding is that gypsum only works when you have soil that is high in sodium with a high pH. Otherwise gypsum is a waste of time. In the states the soils have been mapped extensively. Soil maps are easy to access and if you are unable to do so the local agricultural extension service can tell you exactly what soil type you have. No need to guess. IMO randomly adding lime is a recipe for disaster unless you have done a soil test that generates the specific amount of lime to use. As the comments show there are a billion opinions on what works best on clay. Over the years I have found a combination of compost along with humic acid works best for me. The key is to always have something growing in the soil and if you absolutely can’t then a really good mulch layer is important. Never let soil sit totally bare

[@Blossomandbranch]

YES. Exactly.

[@everettlane2864]

Keep coming back to this one for a refresher. Golden information in this video. My soil is constantly improving thanks to this.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad it was helpful!

[@everettlane2864]

What would be your prime choice for a winter cover crop in zone 8?

[@YasChosenChild_70]

Thank you so much! I’m getting started tomorrow on this process. Your the 1st one that explained my clay soil issue & cure, clearly & succinctly! So ty!👍

[@GardeningInCanada]

good lucck you got this

[@georgevalenzuela2489]

Compost, mulch, biochar and compost tea from BoogieBrew has made a great improvement in my clay soil. My fruit trees and vegetable garden is thriving. I can now drive a shovel a good 2 feet, before an inch only. Let the microorganisms in the compost tea do the work for you, they soften that soil for you. Good luck! It is possible to have a thriving garden in clay soil!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Thanks for sharing

[@teresathomley3703]

Thanks Ashley.

[@shevylucero2265]

Very helpful, thank you! I live in North Carolina (USA) and we have horrible clay soil that is incredibly compacted that even augers have a difficult time getting through. Going to try your recommendations for our garden patch!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Oh my that’s crazy. Bottom of an old lake?

[@stevedeweysmith]

Fascinating information. Thanks for sharing.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@manonthemoon34]

great video thank you. The science is really helpful :)

[@augustvukosovich4683]

Very well explained. Thank you.

[@aniawood]

this was incredibly informative and helpful! thank you!!! 🤓

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jenpaige3110]

Have clay soil, sort of live in a swampy area. Nothing would grow in my yard, even different grasses struggled. Had to dig out drainage trenches! Could probably make pottery out of my soil. I built tall raised beds last year and filled it hugelkultur style. Had really good success last year with spinach and peas. Let's hope for another successful growing season!👩‍🌾🥰

[@GardeningInCanada]

That would work awesome. I know farmers who have done drainage tiles for example in their fields.

[@charlespatterson8457]

I have done this leaf mulch..on clay ......wonderful growth

[@GardeningInCanada]

yea absolutely that works

[@TheBTOshow]

Just found your channel but loving your videos. You clearly have the in depth knowledge but explain things well for beginners.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Awe! Thank you for the appreciation

[@darlinemcginity8996]

You have been very beneficial, thank you. I am trying other methods but you have given me some other ideas a product such as lying that I have here to add also thanks a bunch keep up the good work you’re doing great thumbs up.😊

[@ceedee2570]

watched again, thank you again! great info.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Awesome, thank you!

[@mark1952able]

Just subscribed because I love Soil SAVE/SOIL Please! Since I was in my early 20's, I understood how soil is so important ti mankind. Thank you for sharing what we can all do. Carry on...

[@GardeningInCanada]

YAY! thanks

[@WildOnesHomestead]

Great tips!!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@b_lumenkraft]

100k! It's done! Congrats! :D

[@MaximusPham]

awesome video on clay, thank you! I'll probably do all 3 suggestions to improve my clay soil in my housing development near Seattle.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea! Let me know how it does

[@jss3018]

Thank you.

[@freemanalexander6075]

Hi Ashley, I'm from Newfoundland. Thank you for all the wonderful information. I've got red clay soil in my flower garden, and I'm going to try the things you are saying. Im a subscriber of yours . Thanks again.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Wonderful! Good luck. Let me know if you need anything specific

[@richt4297]

Love the channel. I have heavy clay soil in my backyard so I sheet mulched with 2 layers of cardboard added 4" of topsoil & 2" of compost (no dig no till) then planted in comfrey heavily to combat the compaction. Short of digging up my no dig garden to know for sure how helpful it was I do not really know. Comfrey should do well in this regard should it not???

[@JenniToivoniemi]

Thank you for this. I have very heavy grey clay - I always thought the colour depends also on the basic stone material (here in Finland I have never seen red clay soils, only grey). I have been recommended a combination of raised bed technique and using two-hand broadfork to air the clay before adding organic material and compost on top of it. What's your thoughts on this?

[@dylantrudgett1779]

Great video.

[@GardeningInCanada]

thanks!

[@cherab7400]

Thanks for the video. I definitely have a variety of clays, including marine clay if you dig down far enough (makes a nice face mask though). We ran a lot of alder through the chipper while clearing the lot and it has mixed well and decomposed quickly. Nevertheless raised beds it is.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Haha love that face mask comment ❤️

[@mrjason9382]

Thanks for shareing

[@GardeningInCanada]

anytime!

[@chickenjohnny3308]

Folks in town around here have 2" of top soil followed by a green /gray clay layer. I have done some custom tilling and like adding lime because it is cheap here I take the lime as deep as their pocket books will let me and then till a manure based compost into the top 4". I have 24 inches of silt loam with 24 percent organic matter, sooooo that's about it. Thanks for the post.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yes! That sounds amazing

[@chickenjohnny3308]

@@GardeningInCanada I do have incredible pig weed populations so, it's not all rainbows and sunshine. lol

[@GardeningInCanada]

Hahah it’s a curated collection of pig weed 😂

[@tonigeorge3775]

Last spring, I started trench composting like it was going out of style! It did wonders to a heavily compacted, washed out, lacking nutrients patch of heavy clay! I planted tomatoes, in June, not expecting anything. They did very well! At the end of the season, I cut them to the ground, but left the roots undisturbed. Planted cover crops. Sadly, a little too late. Next fall, I'll plant them much earlier.

[@GardeningInCanada]

That’s awesome! Sounds like a great setup

[@mark1952able]

WE ALL NEED TO STAY FOCUSED! WE ARE NOW PERHAPS, NEXT TO, OR, CLOSE TO, THE LAST HUMANS ON THIS PLANET. THAT MAY SOUND TOO BRUTAL. I SAY...........LEARN~~~~~~~LEARN..............

[@ceedee2570]

yes, clay soil here, thanks for this video (Asian jumping worms too :( )

[@amendfuse4276]

Absolutely have clay soil! Watching to see how to flocculate it, like using compost/compost tea to introduce biology.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Woohoo!!!! Join the club

[@PuraVidaPhotography]

Thank you for the great content, you have my sub! I've got some problematic soil at my allotment garden I'm hoping you can give some advice on. It's not full clay but I'd say a decent portion is. It is very heavy and clumps in big chunks, quite hard to break up. I can get a picture if helpful! The particular issue I face is that my plot is next to a creek and it will fully flood each winter. Will the fact that it will flood seasonally hamper any efforts to amend the soil? Ironically water retention in the summer seems to be an issue. I'm noticing water pooling on the surface and running off. Without a good rain here in 2 months nothing I do with the hose seems to be good enough to penetrate very deep. I've noticed a large majority of my plants were very stunted this year. I suspect because they couldn't effectively grow roots and it was similar to being constrained to a small planter. I'm hesitant to add gypsum and lime if it will get washed away or compacted by the 1-2 feet of water it'll be stuck under this winter; will it still help? Raised beds could help maybe, but in bad years the water could be even deeper so I'm not sure if I'd spend a lot of money on lumber and soil just to have it rot or wash away itself.

[@GardeningInCanada]

The flooding won’t help unfortunately. Is it a moving flood? Or just it just good and stay

[@skinnyWHITEgoyim]

I tilled a ton of compost, manure, leaves, top soil, and finely shredded wood chips into my clay soil earlier this spring. Yeah like a noob I didn't know it robbed nitrogen breaking down all the wood chips. My plants were turning yellow so I had to rush and add aged chicken manure. I topped my soil with a bunch of leaf mold collected from the forest behind my house. Now my soil is dramatically improved. I'm also burying fish and any garden waste and kitchen scraps in trenches in my garden rows. I'm gonna cover with a ton more leaf mold and then about 5 inches of shredded leaves and grass clippings mixed. I will put some alfalfa pellets in there as well. I want just as much organic matter as I can get in my soil.

[@GardeningInCanada]

that’s a good idea for a quick fix!

[@josephlieberman3027]

thanks much, i found the info about lime interesting and i hope to improve my waterlogged slimy clay mud soil here in ventura county California

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad it was helpful!

[@bob.hudson]

Here we use rameal wood chips that we inoculate with worm casting tea. The reuslts take a few weeks but it works every time. Then we build up with compost.

[@crystalvannwallstrom4387]

When should one add these amendments. It’s Nov and I’m in Zone 6a. Planning on doing a full bed planting in the spring. Thanks!

[@2minutegardener639]

Really good info. New subscriber

[@GardeningInCanada]

Welcome! Hope you enjoy

[@ziekgelkoff731]

Hey great videos and content! So good to see some real science injected into the KZbin garden chat! What do you think of liquid aeration techniques? Do they work? Are they damaging to the environment?

[@GardeningInCanada]

Oh that’s a good video idea!

[@BryceGarling]

I'm in florida by lots of ponds. Our soil is dredge to build dry areas. I pioneer the soil with plants that tolerate hard soil and no oxygen. Then I go back and vertical mulch with charcoal. Some areas I put organic material and charcoal then mass planted. Takes tons of time but now we can tolerate serious wet seasons with no standing water or wilted plants. Last year we had near 6 feet of rain in 3 months. Caused a little setback but my system seems to still be working. Downside is the time involved. It will be over a decade until I'm finished.

[@johannabensonmarin4749]

I live in Sweden, on an old lake bottom that was farm land for many years before houses were built. I have grey clay whit a compacton layer about a foot and a haf deep. I bery bokashi compost and use grassklippings as mulch. In the worst places i use raisd beds. I now have a ton of earth worms and plants grow better every year 🙂

[@dreamlovermimi9458]

I have clay soil thats ph 7.5 ish, would peat moss help loosen it up? Or coco peat?

[@GrowBagUK]

Gypsum works for a season only. Lime alters pH too much. Add sand to the mix and you will end up with concrete soil if it is baked in Summer. Better to grow a cover crop, terminate by covering and then mulch with compost.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Sulphur lasts a bit longer. Gypsum for pH is only best for small scale I sgree

[@databang]

Thanks.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Anytime!

[@heatherlavender8236]

I have a clay soil so I made a big hole and placed some planters dirt and then put my plant in it so we shall see how it goes? Thanks for sharing you're thoughts and experiences I appreciate it and take care!

[@GardeningInCanada]

I love that idea ahah

[@Swaneels]

Thank you for the wonderful video! Could I also amend the clay soil with pumice?

[@josephobrien991]

I heard you briefly mention taproot plants. I am going to plant a bunch of tall sunflowers just to try to break up the soil on deeper level a bit more without having to till. We’ll see.

[@johnjude2685]

Clay,but 5 years of manure,leaves and grass clipping and leaf compose, My also now into no dig, Believe in future stating cover crops and clover for my walk ways as I've got clover seads and buckwheat for after summer harvest.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Have you found what you’re doing works

[@johnjude2685]

Yes for somethings Last season first for no tilt ,Nice tomatoes after knats nearly distory the half of seedlings that didn't die. Cold temperatures I believe stunted my peppers. The potatoes did far.,Squash bugs for he'll like I've never seen ever! 3 pickings of green beans and no poisoning and almost bug free. But we plant more than we need to have extras. Next season is said to get better in the no tilt system, Planning 34 type of tomatoes and 9 bell peppers again looking for better vegetables yeah 3 plus times any other 50 years ago ,I'm 70 figure some day I might have to cut back to only on last row of garden trying to figure what I'll plant my last season.

[@rootsshootsgardenboots]

Thanks for the information. New Sub.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Awesome, thank you!

[@johac7637]

Arizona here, about a 1/2 meter aka 18 inches we have a layer of caliche, aka calcium carbonate, a hole that is 20 L aka 5 gal. When filled with water it takes approx 12 hrs to drain. What has really helped was tilling in alfafa pellets, wood chips and cover cropped with peas, oats, buckwheat, flax, and then tilled it in, now I plant Diakon radish, heavy seeded, 1 plant per 10 cm aka 4", and now it is draining water, and loaded with earthworms, I still cover crop and rotate planting areas. The PH has dropped from 8.3 to high 7s, now cover croppings are mostly a big mix to attract beneficial insects. I missed the soil analysis recommendation. I did one so know what to target as amending. Used a huge amount of Tigersol very early on.

[@GardeningInCanada]

that sounds awesome

[@johac7637]

@@GardeningInCanada wish I could send you some calcium, Dad used to burn lime in the Fraser Valley pre WW2 to help with the acidic souls and it's effect on plant nutrition that had negative effects on the dairy industry, so PH is very critical.

[@lararomont8348]

Thank you so much! I'm going to combine this with Thriving Yard's "Deep Aeration & Compost additions" method. Your video really helped in explaining the differences which are significant because my back yard pools water and my front yard drains too well---they're both clay but the grading is completely different. So I'll need lime for the front and gypsum for the back. Thanks again!!!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea absolutely that totally makes sense!

[@BirdieBlrrrd]

I have a dark fertile clay and I am double digging the beds and staying in ground. I’m adding compost or compost + top soil into the beds as I double dig to break up the soil, then adding some high quality bagged soil to the top. Here’s hoping.

[@jaxsonXDYT]

Hello I have some clay loam soil in 3 acre hay field been farmed a while .. I dig about 18 to 24 in to get soil prepped for cannibus so I figured I'll try to amend or mulch with the hay itself

[@GardeningInCanada]

You can top dress with that to help with moisture retention

[@gvv1mhh]

You are awesome 🤩

[@justinhoskins2569]

Would compost also be a good Soil amendment especially if I use it with Gypsum?

[@iipriorii]

I try to explain why clay is not good, but a good starting point: “immobile nutrients/ micronutrients”. I tell them, our goal is to amend that which is needed or missing, and mobilize that which already there. No dig/ compost methods are AMAZING. Especially when your starting point is a yellow/ orange/ red “Virginia Clay” (which is actually not from Virginia, it’s usually trucked in from West Virginia and/or Kentucky).

[@GardeningInCanada]

Love that

[@pixie1310]

Hi. I have a question? I bought a property last summer and it has a huge garden (35X75 feet) and they didn’t plant anything last year (cause they were moving) so I went out to look at the soil and it is hard unless you wet it, and drys out super fast. I’m not sure if I need a tiller? Or if it will just fix itself? There’s also grass growing back in some spots. Please help!!

[@mennamaranatha4507]

My house was built on top of an old brick factory, my street is called clay pit. From the moment I had transplanted my most prized plants from my previous address, I knew I was in trouble, 😂. I can say without a shadow of a doubt, my garden is 100% clay and I now have everything in a pot and raised beds. On a bonus note, my house foundations are rock solid!.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Oh no haha. how have you amended it to date? or did you just build up

[@mennamaranatha4507]

@@GardeningInCanada Just built up, I have raised beds for cabbages/broccoli/carrots etc and use buckets for potatoes. The rest of the garden is unfortunately artificial grass and slabbed. I have an almond and a walnut tree in huge pots. I am tempted to plant out my liquid amber tree but I’d be so upset if it died on me. It’s literally soaking all year round, my plants were rotting in the holes. Your video was very interesting, thank you.

[@asthesodturnslandscapeandd9950]

I have been in Calgary working with the soils here which tend to be loam/clay base higher lime , and in most of the newer areas of home construction they put in 6 to 12 inches of loamy/clay soil having a base underneath this of grey clay, which if you plant trees to low makes a basin of death for that tree. While I have not tested the clay for alklinity the soil usually comes out at about 7.5+. I am looking to solutions other than planting higher and am looking for your thoughts on this and natural fungicides.l

[@GardeningInCanada]

i have noticed this in Saskatoon when i watch new developments. a lot of dragging old ponds

[@Charliekewl91]

Will doing the bokashi composting and putting it in a trench help amend and/or bring back to life clay soil?

[@kenberian4863]

This is my most trusted channel, being science-based and so credible. I've looked hard at amending my clay soil with gypsum, so I want to be clear about your view. I've read a number of papers by university ag scientists saying research has found gypsum effective in only two cases: to raise calcium without raising pH (so can't use lime); and to lower sodium levels in fine-textured sodic soils (which re-flocculates them). Is that assessment of gypsum correct or mistaken?

[@GardeningInCanada]

It’s correct because of volume. So if you have a major volume to change (such as agric applications) or something like a sandy or sandy loams I would be using sulphur. But! 🥲 keep in mind sulphur is notorious for killing fungi beneficial and otherwise. It’s why I say gypsum just to see if it does work for your space. But if it doesn’t sulphur , incorporate, water and allow it to rest for a season before using any form of inoculant. Soil pH is so heavily driven by parent material so it’s going to be a constant battle. I’ve never seen a scenario where someone has changed it and kept it there year after year. It’s a constant battle, even inputs and time will increase acidity.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Is that at all helpful?

[@francismeowgannou5322]

Early bird gets the worm!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Hahah love that 😂

[@Rocketman0407]

I know sand is not recommended, but I think I will need y use for my desert plants section of my garden. It’s only 2m x 3m I will raise it up a little and add a ton of sand, a small amount of compost along with perlite and some other volcanic rocks + gravel. The soil there is kind of sandy clay. It drains fairly fast, but not fast enough for cacti and succulents. Is there any drawbacks to this plan? If so what would be a better approach to making the soil good for cacti and succulents.

[@janinebean4276]

My soil is so full of clay that I made a clay bunny out of it 😂😂😂

[@GardeningInCanada]

HAHA oh no!

[@n.jorgji8101]

Thank you very much. I have two questions for you please. 1. Do wood shavings and saw dust act as mulch? Can I use them to amend clay soil? 2. Is dolomite powder good for amending clay? Thank you again. Subscribed.

[@GardeningInCanada]

so 1. yes you can but dont incorporate it into the soil. If you composted them first you could use them to amend with. 2. yes dolomite will help increase the pH

[@oyeme538]

I’m wondering if we can mix all 3 of the recommendation.

[@learningtobeme5195]

We have volcanic clay that's 10s of feet deep. We add loads of carbon through leaves, straw, and manure. But our vegetable garden space "eats" the fluffy stuff faster than we can procure it. It weeds up quickly, pudding when wet and a rock when dry, once it dries to the point where we get cracking it is really hard to get it rewetted. It responds well with thick mulch for weed suppression, but the worms can easily break down cardboard so I'm leaning on straw from now on.

[@0314naho]

Hi Ashley, can I also add lime to alkaline clay soil? I want to amend the soil for my sprue tree. Please advise thank you 🙏

[@GardeningInCanada]

if its alkaline it would be better to use garden sulphur

[@marymarymillidweeb2661]

Well you have taught me a lot about what I'm dealing with. sigh. Where I am in Niagara region it is "reddish-hued lacustrine heavy clay. Got my work cut out for me.

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

Excellent video. My Mother in law lives in S. Illinois. Her yard is Blue clay, I think. We built 2 separate gardens. 1, 7 raised beds and the other in ground lasagna. We utilized cardboard and wood mulches andother organic matter for both. We're very new to gardening but are passionate about it. Question: If you had the money would you recommend gypsum or lime, if a quick fix was the goal ? We're considering getting a soil analysis before expanding the garden as well. There's other considerations like mineral and nutrient deficiencies correct? Awesome video, new sub from Victoria BC Cheers Jason and Colleen 🌱🌱🌱

[@GardeningInCanada]

Lime 100% I wouldn't pay for soil tests. I am going to do videos on this soon!

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

@@GardeningInCanada excellent!! Thank you for responding, we really appreciate it and enjoy your content!! Cheers from Victoria BC

[@GardeningInCanada]

Anytime! Let me know if you need anything in particular

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

@@GardeningInCanada still trying form more informed questions. We're looking through and watching videos in your Playlist. You'll definitely be seeing us in the comments. Again excellent channel!!

[@Hillapumi]

Thank you! I have tight clay soil. Last summer we manually turned it in large junks and put straw on top. This year we are going to break it,manually tilling and till in a lot of horse poo, then put a thick layer of straw on top. On top of which I will put raised neds for squash and pumpkin, Then the spring after that we are going to till everything together again and start potatoes under a straw layer. Then till everything in again the autumn and then the next spring which would be 2026 I would hope we have a passable soil to grow. What do you think? Could it work? A lot of horse poo and straw tilled in during a couple of years. And Northern Europe, Finland in the location so the ground does freeze every winter. We do have a 24 m2 greenhouse and some raised beds but I want to grow in the mineral soil too, be it clay or not. Will I win or not?

[@C.Hawkshaw]

Great vid! I live by a lake. All the soil is super hard grey clay. But there are several things growing in it: hydrangeas, roses, those big paddle ground covers… Are there any other flowers or shrubs that will survive this hard grey, high water table clay? Something that loves iron ? Thanks!

[@GardeningInCanada]

There are A few options such as dogwood or willow for example

[@C.Hawkshaw]

@@GardeningInCanada Thank you, I will try dogwood!

[@flipflopsneeded]

I need help I have clay soil in my backyard and trying to grow grass. Do o just drill a lot of 12 inches down in multiple areas to have a proper drain? I’m stuck on this and it’s Kansas clay soil.

[@chesterhobbs7244]

You did not mention deep-rooting plants as a potential solution. What are your thoughts on seeding with such?

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yes! Absolutely can use those. I have a video on the tillage radish.

[@josephcutler8870]

I have red clay soils. Nitrogen and calcium deficient. I've started mulching. Planning on cover cropping with daikon radish for the winter im in zone 8b southern/central oregon id appreciate any other advice. I use some jadam knf practices. I very supplemented calcium with souliable Gypsum mixed-up in water. We have long periods of drought

[@silverslivver]

thanks for the info. I have been adding charcoal to my clayish soil. I usually put the klinkers from my wood stove in the compost so it absorbs nutrients from there instead of the soil. It is supposed help with cation exchange also....+helps keep mycelium alive during catastrophies such as harvest time etc

[@GardeningInCanada]

thats awesome! i like that idea

[@michaelmarchione3408]

We have very, very sandy soil. How would you fix that besides control with raised beds? Our soil is also is on the sour side. We have a high water table, but even the sand can some years only take so much. Our actual top soil is about an inch to an inch and a half.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Wednesday’s video is all about the sandy stuff. And yea high water tables are a nighttime deal with, some years are worse then others.

[@wohcrag]

I have a new construction home here in michigan . The excavator had to fill the lot approx half acre...with 3ft solid clay . What would be my approach to layer next lime then compost then top soil ? Just to get grass to grow ? Would I till after lime/ wood chips or compost? Then topsoil and seed and straw mat ? Thanks for any input 👍

[@GardeningInCanada]

are you doing a garden or just a lawn?

[@wohcrag]

Just lawn

[@danielreed8536]

Most of these seem aimed for plants and gardening. I'm doing lawn maintenance and for yards with hardpan/clayish soil I'm wondering since most won't likely want to till up an entire lawn if simply core aeration, raking up the plugs and then filling the holes with a Sandy loam topsoil, would be the route to go?

[@scottsmith507]

Great video, but dont have clay. I see you started a patreon page! Got my membership started as a garden grunt. Glad to be part of your channel!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Hey! That’s awesome this video was filmed before I made it that’s why i didn’t mention it. I have a few things coming down the pipeline for the channel.

[@milkweed7678]

Most of our clay around here, SE central IN, is red with a slight oder. However on very poorly drained heavy black muck soil it is gray. Mulch? What kind of mulch worked into clay, I'm talking red clay, would work as well as gypsum and lime? Thanks! Great video as always!!!

[@GardeningInCanada]

So for the heavy red, poor drainage I would gypsum and lime only. And look it potential setting up a trenching system to redirect run off.

[@milkweed7678]

@@GardeningInCanada Well, I guess it's mostly yellowish, orangish, reddish, and then lighter. Pick your color, we have it. Thanks!!!

[@GardeningInCanada]

@@milkweed7678 haha that’s wild wow

[@trail2peak]

Very informative, thank you! I'd love to do this for 3-4 acres and start a fruit tree orchard (here in BC Canada). There is unfortunately a high water table and a few sections of pooling water during the rainy months. Can you point me in in the right direction? I'm so interested! Curious in getting gypsum and lime in big quantities 🙂

[@GardeningInCanada]

Is it pretty heavy clay? Or is it simply a high water table?

[@trail2peak]

​@@GardeningInCanadaA bit of both. I'd say the heavy clay increases the water table in the area but it could shed into a creek if the ground had better drainage/movement. Just wondering if you know how big operations amend their soil? Gypsum , lime & sand by the dumptruck and till it in? Right now, my best guess would be that I need to amend the subsoil so that a tree orchard could thrive?

[@fewferfev]

@@trail2peak If you add sand to clay you'll get concrete.

[@bbyjcky1]

Sooo can i add lime AND cow manure to amend? Or worm castings?

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yeah you can add any of those

[@toxicrune]

I live in San Antonio Texas. Our clay soil is very dense and plants won’t grow much if you don’t amend soil. Any recommendations?

[@GardeningInCanada]

You want to incorporate as much organic material as possible and even lime.

[@curtsyoldworldgirl]

Can I use wood ash instead of lime?

[@thecakepopsistars]

Clay and alkaline sol hère. Hoping our new Serviceberry tree coming in the spring will survive.

[@GardeningInCanada]

It will! You have all the tools you need to succeed with the crew over here.

[@thecakepopsistars]

@@GardeningInCanada ☺️

[@GardeningInCanada]

❤️❤️

[@artsyweirdo]

So grateful for this video! I do have clay soil! Not sure what level. I’m testing a variety of plants in it - and I’m finding they’re all slowly developing yellowing crispy leaves - so I’m concerned that the iron is getting bound up by the acidic soil. Do you think iron tone from espoma will help? Will iron deficiency dismantle the blooming process for the dahlias? The chlorosis is not serious…just a few leaves lost per plant - but I’m watching it and I’m curious

[@GardeningInCanada]

this actually may be from anerobic soil causing a root rot. Is the yellowing combined with green viens?

[@artsyweirdo]

@@GardeningInCanada Hi! Yes it is. I think you may be right. What can I do to treat this un-aerated soil? I was thinking about loading up some compost and leaf mulch in the fall and hoping it will generate earth worm. Movement. What do you propose?

[@GardeningInCanada]

I would work on pilling up organic matter and you may need to till too incorporate some

[@artsyweirdo]

@@GardeningInCanada thank you! I also just saw your video about liquid aeration - and I’m going to try treating with some lime fertilizer to break it up as well

[@kathydavis2964]

What about liquid Gypsum? I heard it works faster?

[@rckestrel6974]

Word to the Wise: but she may have mentioned it later in the video. I live in a place with terrible calcareous clay soil at pH 8.3 or so. There's plenty of calcium of course - if you look at Mulder's Chart you will see that Calcium interferes with the uptake of pretty much every other nutrient - it's insane. Not to mention the high pH which stops uptake of nearly every micronutrient. So the Worst thing I could do would be to add gypsum (calcium) or Lime (raises pH). Elemental sulfur is slow, and if I remember from my undergrad Micro the bact. that turns it into acid needs a fairly low pH to start with. Therefore - I find myself adding copper especially, zinc, boron, etc with variable results - organic material is hard to come by here - frustrating ! Thanks for this though - a very important topic to many people.

[@andywren8801]

I live in north Mississippi, my whole yard and garden site is red clay. It looks good when I till it but soon as it rains and drys out it’s really hard. What do I need to mix in it to make better

[@fewferfev]

I live in the same area. Leaves and pine needles. That's what I use. Fall will give plenty of it.

[@unstrungbeadery]

I live in Brampton On. There's a lot of clay soil in my area. I have no clue what to do at this point. Hopefully this will help

[@kendravoracek3636]

💚💚

[@GardeningInCanada]

❤️❤️❤️ Kendra I love your support on every video thank you so much it means the world