What You Need To Know To Till And Work Clay Soil

Sandy soil is arguably the worst type of soil as it will be nearly impossible to work with unless you choose to grow a select set of plants. Water retention in sand is almost zero, and this tends to make this soil type unsuited for any kind of agricultural activity. Finally, that leaves the last type of soil.

Clay soil is strange in that it is capable of supporting some plants perfectly, including many varieties of trees (which is why it is so common in forests), while others will be starved of nutrients. It doesn’t help clay soil’s case that it is incredibly difficult to work with or even plant a shovel into.

What Is Clay Soil?

Clay soil is a type of soil in which the predominant substance is clay, as you may have guessed from the name. While clay is more capable of supporting life than many people would believe when they think of the substance, it is still less optimal than soil that is rich in loam.

As I already mentioned, clay soil tends to be perfect for the natural reproduction process of plants like trees, but when you try to make it work for your needs, it tends to be a little more resistant. From the beginning to the end, it is likely that clay soil will cause you problems, but they can be dealt with.

Since clay soil is so different from the other soil types that you will encounter, you will very likely have to take a different approach when you first start working on it. While clay soil can indeed be shaped up, it will take much more effort than you may expect when you first start out.

The key thing when working with clay soil is perseverance, so don’t give up, even when working your soil feels helpless. With the right info, it becomes easier to make clay soil work for you as long as you are willing to put in the effort that is required, as with anything in agriculture.

So now that we have covered what you need to know about clay soil itself, let’s take a look at what you can do to work on it.

Tilling Clay Soil

If you are going to till your clay soil, you will have to drastically cut back on the amount of tilling that you will be doing in comparison to other soil types. While you may be used to tilling immediately improving the composition and porousness of your soil, it doesn’t quite work like that with clay.

Clay soil will often be disrupted by tilling because it will bring weeds to the forefront and kill many of the earthworms which are responsible for a lot of the nutrients in your soil. If you are preparing clay soil for agriculture, you may wish to till it once after you add your compost, but you will want to cut back after that.

After your soil has been prepared, you may even wish to implement a no-till system and see how your soil handles it. You are better off not tilling clay soil than overtilling it, as overtilling is likely to cause damage that will last far longer when working with this soil type.