Clay Soil Description
Soil is made up of inorganic and organic particles. Clay soil is defined as a soil that is at least 40 percent clay particles. How much clay in soil is determined by the texture, structure and tilth of the soil. Soil texture refers to how much sand, clay or loam (sometimes called "silt") your soil contains. Soil structure refers to how the particulates in the soil are assembled. Soil tilth refers to how far the particulates are from one another. Does this Spark an idea?
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What is Soil
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Beginning gardeners often view soil as this lifeless thing, second to the plants it contains. Soil is actually a dynamic habitat containing thousands of animals both simple and complex, decomposing organic matter, minerals and other particulates.
Soil separates the surface of the earth from the rock core and may be several miles deep or just a few inches. It holds the nutrients and water essential for plant growth. Soil is constantly changing due to erosion by wind and water, the incorporation of organic matter and the actions of plants drawing nutrients from and adding nutrients back into the soil.
Why Soil Matters
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The type of soil you have, whether clay or sand, determines the amount of nutrients and water available to your plants and ultimately what plants will thrive in your garden. There are five soil types--clay, clay loam, loam (sometimes called "silty soil"), sandy loam and sandy. The ideal soil is a loam soil, which is a mix of clay, sand and organic matter. Loam soil drains well, holds water, air and nutrients, allows good root penetration and will not crust when dry or form clods. These qualities maximize plant growth and health.
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Clay Soil
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Clay soil is made up of small particles that bind to each other end to end, side to side and horizontally. Individual particles are also negatively charged which allows them to attract and hold positively charged elements like calcium and potassium.
This capacity makes clay soil a fertile soil, however, the closely packed particles do not allow effective root or air penetration.
Clay soils also hold water, which makes them prone to water logging and smothering roots. On the other extreme, the closely packed particles, when dried out, turn to a brick-like consistency.
Identification
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There are several ways to determine how much clay your soil contains. The easiest is having a soil test done. Soil tests will tell you the type (clay, loam or sand) of soil you have, the nutrient content and the amount of organic matter in your soil.
You can also do a ribbon test on your soil. Take a handful of soil and wet it. Roll the moistened soil into a ball if you can. If you cannot roll it into a ball, you have a sandy soil. If you can roll the soil into a ball, gently press it flat into a ribbon. If you can get a ribbon 1 to 2 inches long before it breaks or crumbles you have a clay loam. If you can get it more than 2 inches long before breaking, you have a clay soil. Anything less than 1 inch is a sandy loam.
Improving Clay Soils
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Short of removing the top 2 to 3 feet of clay soil and replacing it with loam, you will need to improve your clay soil by adding organic matter. Organic matter coats and surrounds clay particles, breaking the bonds between individual particles leaving spaces for air and roots.
Start by working compost, leaf mold and rotted manure into the soil. Plant cover crops in the fall and green manures in the summer; when tilled under they will add organic matter to the soil. Use legumes like alfalfa and clover for these as the sturdy roots penetrate clay soils deeper than grass or cereal grains. Avoid over-tilling clay soils as this makes the clay particles clump tighter together and will actually reduce aeration. It may take years, but eventually your clay soil will be replaced by a clay loam to loam soil.
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