Joy To The Potter, And Troubles To The Gardener

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Only a sculptor or a potter will be happy with clay soil. And for an ordinary gardener, finding a clay area in his garden is not particularly pleasant news. But it turns out that you can make friends with such soil. How can this be done?

The soil, rich in clay deposits, is a gold mine for potters and sculptors. Clay, sticky and viscous, finds use in artisans, but gardeners do not like it at all. However, not all gardeners get upset when they have to deal with clay soil. Experienced gardeners know the secrets of growing many beautiful flowers, shrubs and trees that are not harmed by the presence of clay in the soil, for example: canna, echinacea purpurea, sunflower, etc.

Clay soil is very different from other types of soil. It contains many mineral components and nutrients necessary for plants. When wet, it is very slippery and sticky. When baked in the sun, the clay hardens and becomes unsuitable for modeling, and even more so in the garden for growing plants.

To make friends with clay soil, you need to prepare a place for planting in advance and ensure a good degree of hydration. It is better to plant in such soil in spring, since the soil is soft and warm at this time of year. It is important to make sure that it has warmed up enough, and that excess moisture has evaporated, otherwise clods form in such soil, which adversely affect the plants: harm the roots, retain moisture and nutrients. To avoid stagnation of water, it is advisable to rid the clay area of all kinds of irregularities. At the same time, the beds should be located with conditions for a good drainage of excess moisture.

If you find it difficult to dig up the entire surface of the clay garden, then you should not bother yourself too much. Determine the place on the site where it is best to plant the plants, and only dig individual holes for them. But first, do not forget to fertilize them with lime, peat and other organic fertilizers. It is worth avoiding peat that is too red, brownish shades due to the excess content of iron in it, which can harm garden crops.

The planting pits should be deep enough so that not only top dressing can fit in them, but also the roots of the seedlings feel spacious. Otherwise, it will be difficult for them to "dig" for themselves additional space in hard clay.

When digging holes, it is imperative to check which sides they have. If they shine, it means that moisture cannot be absorbed into the soil. To prevent this from happening, you can use a manual "cultivator" - a trident, forming small grooves around the planting hole. These grooves on the smooth surface of the soil serve as drainage and help the soil absorb moisture.

If the summer is very dry, it is very important to keep the soil moist. For this, it is best to use mulching (no more than 5 cm thick). Mulch, well soaked in water, is necessary for plants in the summer dry season, since it does not allow the soil to weather, freeze and wash out, enriches it with trace elements necessary for plants, prevents weeds from growing and does not allow moisture to evaporate. The mulch should be located at some distance from the stem of plants or tree trunks, since during the process of its decomposition heat is generated that can harm the plants.

For the winter, the earth with a clay content is dug up, increasing the depth by 1-2 cm every year and keeping the shape of lumps. It is advisable to have time to do this before the start of the rains. This approach will help prevent the soil from drying out, and it will sooner warm up in the spring. But before planting it should be dug again. If the soil is already very hard, then you can add crushed brick, straw, small branches, scraps of bark, burnt weeds.

Here are some examples of crops that thrive on clay soil and do not require much maintenance:

* perennial:

aster, astilba, rudbeckia, creeping tenacious, koreopziza, creeping Phlox, baptizia, gaura, hosta, lantana;

* tuberous plants:

canna lily, daffodil, daylily, milquid, miscanthus, rose hips, purpurea echina, sage, daisy and sunflower;

* shrubs:

dichotomous carp, burning bush, black chokeberry, Japanese quince, Japanese barberry, common lilac, bladder, cinquefoil, red dogwood, spiria, viburnum, holly, witch hazel;

* trees:

pear bradford, east redbud, apple trees, maples, oaks, willows and birches.