Mastering Clay and Compacted Soils: Step-by-Step Guide to Successful Planting!

[@sueprovostwilliams3824]

People who don’t live here just don’t understand how difficult it is to dig that hole in clay. It’s crazy. Hard work.

[@coziii.1829]

I don’t have the red clay I got the marbled browns and gray clay in middle of Oklahoma. It holds water for 3 weeks

[@jarrodsp71]

Glad I finally found someone near my area with the same rock hard clay. I chuckle when I see other channels and their deep black soft soil.

[@dashagudym3938]

Indeed. I live in the Asheville area and my soil is pretty much the same. It ain’t easy for sure. I had 4 bricks of coco laying around so I’ve decided to use that to condition my soil. Now that he mentioned the water retention, I’m starting to regret my decision. It rains a lot here…😢

[@freddyvelasquez4168]

To S&K Greenhouse: Thank you for the wonderful videos and Southern hospitality. Have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving. Cheers from Brooklyn, NY.

[@robynbrose4124]

Your videos are always so fun and entertaining and yet informative as well 🎉 well done! 🥳

[@amyc8442]

I just recently bought a garden auger to use here in GA. What a game changer!!!

[@bethheerten1132]

Ah, yes...the pickaxe. First tool we reach for here in Zone 8 Alabama. Could not plant without it.

[@NHope-md8ds]

Too true.

[@yourjunkguys5384]

Ya...I watch those garden answer vids and it's hilarious how easy digging a hole is. I live in Canton GA in 7b and it's straight up clay. I just made a new garden bed and I added 45 yards of soil conditioner lmao and tilled it with an excavator......wish me luck.

[@austinjenkins1890]

Good luck! Small world. I too live in Canton. Just started a container garden. Wish me luck.

[@bankman2]

Great video Justin !! 2 months of no rain is crazy even for Shelby. Great meeting you today at the nursery along with Alex !! You guys are doing a great job. See you soon. Remember not to tell my wife about the Corinthian Bells I got her for Christmas !! Our little secret.

[@RealALSK]

It was definitely a pleasure meeting you as well! Don’t you worry what happens at the greenhouse stays at the greenhouse 😅

[@JasonBraswelljrb]

Get this man an auger before he breaks his back 😅 In all seriousness, auger is the best tool I have purchased in a long time. Planted 60 trees this year 🌲🏡

[@tifflet818]

I don’t think augers will work in clay. I don’t see how it would even break the top layer of rock hard clay here in Texas.

[@OneBrightLightTN]

I think this is the first time seeing someone else have harder soil than me. You made my soil look easy to work in…..thank you 😂

[@sharonthehuman5954]

It'd really help you if you got the Power Planter auger with the heavy duty tip. The auger truly is helpful and does work in clay with a good drill.

[@joypeterson3002]

We live in zone 7b and our backyard is nothing but clay. This past summer, we planted 12 azaleas and 4 hydrangeas in the backyard. It was tough and yes, we had to buy a pickaxe to tackle that clay. Truly wish we had seen your video beforehand. TFS.

[@TylerTylerTylerTylerTyler]

I made a natural edge flower bed in my parents' yard early this summer, and we have heavy clay soil (zone 9a Texas), and let me tell you. I had to water the ground and sharpen the shovels with an angle grinder just to get them to slide in, and rather than creating the slope from the flower bed to the hard edge by cutting at an angle with the shovel, I had to rassle 80 pound blocks of soil out of the ground around the bed, then scrape the bottom of the blocks back into the trench and shape the slope by hand. They have zoysia grass, so the edge had to be 6 inches deep to deter the grass rhizomes, so these were some big blocks. My dad told me that he rolled that ground 3 times with the heaviest roller on the farm when they first built the house, so it was nice and compacted too. Nonetheless, it was so worth it. The edge has held its shape and so far nothing has crept in! I installed drip irrigation under the mulch too, and it's been next to no maintenance since then! I'm hoping my parents can enjoy the bed for years to come.

[@loispullen4049]

Kudos to you for planting in that hard clay soil. I thought my soil in Ontario Canada was hard but now I would say it’s normal. 🤗

[@Betheden222]

I love this guy. He is great for explaining and great personality.

[@darlenehickman220]

Hi Justin. Oh my goodness. I’m an older lady and there’s NO WAY I could’ve broken up that hard clay. I have clay, too, here in Philadelphia PA and for the most part I just keep amending and amending every year hoping that nature will take its course. Love your channel. Be blessed.

[@LitlPoot]

great info - especially for those of us in the South (I'm North of Atlanta). And thank you for the detailed reasons for digging planting holes wider than deeper - I always knew the roots needed room to spread but never thought about the water retention aspect. Great vidoe - keep 'em coming !!!!

[@yourjunkguys5384]

Canton GA here and the clay needs serious breaking up

[@Joshgats20]

Great video Justin. It’s amazing what organic matter does to help amend clay. A few years back I had a spot on the back of my shed that was just as hard and compacted as the soil you have there. I used that space for stacking fire wood, but after a couple years decided to clean the area up and plant some smaller conifers. The years of the fire wood laying down against that dirt broke down and brought in a massive amount of earth worms. Now that spot is dark brown almost black and the soil cut like butter even up to 1 1/2’ deep. It was almost like it took that clay and turned it into an organic loam.

[@tracyoconnor-mcgraw4952]

I am about an hour from Justin and have the same soil . I also have a handheld pic axe . I take no pleasure in planting but love the outcome 🌻 Great video Justin !

[@tomtwiss8506]

Thanks for the awesome video, your antics are hilarious. Hope you get some rain.

[@MimsysGarden]

I broke out my post hole diggers 😂 … Southeast, Ms … lots of hard clay 😅… Hopefully, my Muskogee Crepe Myrtle loves its new home!

[@Gaylarenee]

I use one of hubbys old reciprocating saw for roots. It’s designated for yard work only.

[@mikeedwards3889]

Kind of surprised you don't mention removing the old media from the rootball and teasing out the roots in a radial pattern correcting any problems like circling roots. I think that step is critical for heavy clay, especially with plants that have spent several years in a pot. That clay could be straight from Oklahoma! Definitely have a love/hate relationship with it.

[@highdesertgrowingABQ]

Here in the southwest, we use a third tool for digging: a tamping/digging pole! It's a heck of a back and shoulder workout, but the weight does a lot of the work for you. Great video! I see a lot of the rest of the same from region to region.

[@tatianamaria1]

Really thorough and informative content. Your energy and love of all things green shines through!🌿🌱☘️

[@TnOrchidguy]

Thank you, Mr. Justin.

[@ahermitslife3684]

I'm also Zone 8a(7b)in SC. It just started raining here a few minutes ago. I have been waiting to plant and divide plants that I have because the ground is so hard.

[@ptwnbratche]

So grateful to live in a place where the ground is mostly sand. What a workout for you !

[@billytingen3567]

Great video Justin. My soil here in Kentucky is clay and rock. Like yours its like concrete when very dry. I tried to drill 4" holes this past year for tomato trellising using a motorized hole auger. LOL....all it did was bounce up and down on the clay on top. I had to wait for several days of rain to be able to dig then holes. Then I waited a week for them to dry out...lol. Your video brought back memories....Thanks for sharing. Cheers!

[@vlamberty6351]

😂Thank you so much for this video!! Me too, here in the red clay pik axe south; to dig homes for plants. Haha No more bent, curled shovels. Haha Truly beneficial video!! Thank you!! Enjoy the content of your channel!! You are so Fun! 😂😅

[@coziii.1829]

I like using rocks for top cover. Plus I put old stumps and twigs in hole as well kinda like your bag but mine is still decomposing My maple tree I planted from seed in pot and transplanted it , loves the gray and brown clays I have . Stays green longer in winter In Oklahoma than other trees . Grows fast

[@corabohacek3108]

Love your videos and you’ve definitely made me a plant person! Only problem is my son has horrible pollen allergies so my dream of having a gorgeous arborvitae in my yard is dashed for now. Any chance you can do a video with suggestions for low allergen garden ideas?? It would make my year!

[@loriledner6528]

Thank you for these simple and much needed garden tips. I plant in hard clay soil and found your video very helpful.

[@denisev.1217]

Thank you!! This was so helpful. And a great Christmas gift idea!

[@NonieK2267]

I am in Phoenix Az our soil is like yours we soak it with water and the top is easier and saves you back some then we just repeat the process. Especially if you have more than one tree

[@kellyberkley532]

That was so very helpful. No wonder I was losing some of my evergreens

[@mina-ala]

I'm in WI zone 5a with hard clay soil. This video was so helpful! We had an extreme drought this summer, we had barely any rain for months, it was awful! Was digging up and landscaping my first lawn ever (new homeowner🎉) and my mattock was my BEST friend! Plus i felt like a badass using it lol 😎

[@rhondalackmann5769]

I sometimes use an awl, on my drill, to breack up my clay soil.

[@j.p.harrington9649]

Man I know this struggle very personally great video on how to do it!

[@xaviermayne5212]

Your channel is so educational and informative. Thank you for answering questions I didn’t know I should be asking.

[@curiouscat3384]

Great tips here! Thankfully my sticky red clay in central NC is not so brutal to dig out but I did have some rotted saplings when I first started landscaping. I learned to provide a weep hole (I call it). On the downhill side of the hole, I cut a channel about half as deep as the hole and a shovel wide. Then backfill with the rest of it.

[@steveherronrealtor1]

Always such great info! Thanks! 🙏

[@noradunlap7539]

Thanks for this great video on how to plant in clay soil. Very helpful! New Subby!! TFS!! Blessings!!♥️♥️🙏🙏

[@csellers5818]

Wonderful information!

[@starrfly9997]

Thank you for this video! I’m new to this coast and have been struggling with the clay!! I think I’ve already done the “bathtub effect” with my crepe Myrtle’s… hopefully they’ll be alright. At least now I know to go wider, not deeper. And to mix the clay and soil conditioner. Thanks!

[@curiouscat3384]

Justin can you link to the nozzle you're using? I've spent so much money trying to find one with that full gentle spray! Tks

[@racif]

Thank you! Literally, exactly what happens with me and my poor bent shovel each time I try to dig a hole. Plenty of times I've gone out after a really hard few days of thunderstorms so I can dig a hole in the softened clay.

[@JulesGardening]

Enjoyed this Justin. Glad you pointed out that one does not need peat moss if you are planting in clay. :) Seems to be a common misunderstanding. And thanks for standing up for clay! Great for vegetable gardening once amended given it has everything except nitrogen. Till once, compost, grow, compost, grow..... :) For those in Carolina check out Daddy Pete's (Stony Point, NC.) They actually carry the same product for amending soil and are local. They have a nice variety of enchancers, aged manures, etc. Organic dairy farm, too. You can trust what is in the bag. Many independent garden centers carry their products or many of them anyway. (Disclaimer: I am not associated or affiliated with Daddy Pete's. :) )

[@claireward7974]

Thanks for this tip!

[@hollynguyen3861]

Love this video.. we have clay soil too❤

[@NovemberBaseball]

the concept of drainage was not fully understood until this moment right here 5:10

[@justinwarren7643]

Thanks

[@Labukh84]

S&K Hat. Try port authority ball cap.

[@christineroberts1451]

Love your style! Your videos are so fun and real. We planted 7 green giants in hard compacted clay 2 weeks ago. Hope they make it. How goes your giants?

[@lunarmist428]

Newton, NC ....ears on.

[@flowerfarmarts]

Great informative video! I'm here in Shelby also and was surprised to learn that according to the newly updated USDA plant hardiness zone map for 2023, we are now in zone 8a! What are your thoughts on that?

[@NitaP1569]

Great video

[@birdieberghuis8800]

Thanks for all the info, Justin. I didn’t know all the info even though I’ve lived north of Atlanta for a long while. Good I didn’t give my pick axe away! One thing, I don’t mulch with pine straw because it’s slippery to walk on. I’m older and I love to cruise the back yard but falling not in the plan. . Anything else as good ya think?

[@BergenholtzChannel]

Would the conditioner also work for a vegetable garden in compacted clay soil?

[@beanhan4766]

0:22 😂😂😂😂😂 I can’t 😂😂😂😂😂

[@mrmanown]

Do you have weed problems in the Summers in that flower bed with just pine straw on bare dirt?

[@ralusek]

Would you say that soil conditioner and soil amendment can be safely considered equivalent? I can find amendment at my local stores, but the conditioner doesn't look like yours. It looks more like a small bin of fertilizer pellets.

[@Shipslitz]

Bahahahaha!!! @ 3:57 😭😂🤣

[@crinagrewel6936]

we have clay up here in Maine.....why do you not use gypsum to break up the clay?

[@shreyasghanta]

I have really wet clay unlike what I see in most videos. Totally clueless how to plant when clay is wet.

[@S18tx]

What state are you in??

[@NovemberBaseball]

0:23 😂😂😂

[@RoseMary-vs3io]

👍👌

[@mano2432]

Not a pickaxe, that's a pick mattock.

[@4447joao]

Let the weight of the pick do the work for you. No need to wind up and swing it down hard. You"ll tire easy---as it sounded. If you are planting for a living need to use your tools and work smart, not hard.

[@redpeterpanda]

You mean to tell me, that this whole time, I could have used a pickaxe and not jumping and swinging on my shovel like a pole dancer?!

[@MNMN-op9jy]

Use a chipping hammer...

[@mihaeladog7187]

I killed 3 baby emeralds until I realized the soil is pooling water.Just moved to this jouwe with no plant or tree , now I know why they didn’t do any landscape 😂. The soil needs replaced .

[@SamSanford-fq4gs]

You forgot to mention the zero nitrogen. Lots of minerals aka rocks. Lots and lots of rocks 😂

[@JonFlash]

That’s not soil, that’s saprolite 😂

[@teslaandhumanity7383]

That’s not soil 😂.