Henry Clay is one of the most unmanageable soils for gardener . It ’s gluey when wet , dense and gruelling to wet when dry , and it crack and erodes rather than imbibe water . Most flora dislike growing in Lucius DuBignon Clay . On the positive side , stiff holds water and nutrients well and , when amend by adding constitutive subject , can be dampish and prolific .

Composition

Clay soils are made up of tiny particles of clay minerals mixed with various proportions of silt , somewhat enceinte particles and constituent matter . A dirt high in clay will feel sticky to the fingers when wet and can often be mold into a solid clod that resists fragmentation . cadaver is formed from the weathering of felspar and other minerals that fragment into tiny flat collection plate that pile on top of each other , leaving little place for water or melody .

Characteristics

The particles of Henry Clay soil are so minuscule that the stoma between them , though numerous , hold H2O tightly by hairlike activeness , making it less available to flora . Nutrients also bond to these particle . Water often runs off the airfoil , eroding the soil , rather than sink in because of the pocket-sized size of it of the pores . Air , as necessary as water system for root growth , also has trouble move through the grunge .

Soil Structure

Most mud soils also have a body structure that is dense rather than granular and crumbly . In loam soils – a combination of clay , silt and sand – the structure is often loose and filled with tune quad due to the aggregation of molecule into larger grouping glued together by humus or other material . Clay filth mineral backpack tightly rather than forming aggregates .

Improving Clay Soils

The honorable amendment for Lucius DuBignon Clay soil is constitutive matter . Not only does the sinewy textile afford the pore spaces , allowing for good incursion of weewee and air , but the sticky humus that is the end product of putrefaction will glue the clay minerals into big particle , standardised to sand , that further unfold the soil . As the organic material decays , add more to renew the supply . A 2- to 3 - inch level of peat , coir , compost , straw or other organic topic should be dug in each yr for best solution .

Working With Clay Soils

The most significant thing when digging or working around remains soil is to preserve the air spaces as much as possible . Never work with it when crocked , or it will constitute a sticky , solid mass . you may often break clods into smaller pieces when somewhat juiceless and then preserve the line spaces by walking on it as little as possible , especially when cockeyed .

References

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