I'd suggest the Mods ( if there ) close this thread as they did the other one. Any goodness contained in it, whether used as a mulch or dug in has long since drained away
@redwing. I can sympathise with you and the clay garden, I also lived in the Weald for a while, when we had the dry summer of 76 the clay under our house dried right out and our house suffered subsidence.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
I don't like the use of peat myself for environmental and conservation reasons.
There are wool based composts that act as an alternative. I have tried them a couple of times, but the ones I bought need to reduce the percentage of wool and add a bit more actual compost content.
In the nicest possible way, @Jac19, you continually sing the praises of JI composts and these are made with peat. You have also consistently talked about the benefits of using peat, this is why no one can take you seriously.
PLEASE FELLOW FORUMITES DO NOT LISTEN TO JAC19, HE/SHE POSTS TOTALLY FACTUALLY INACCURATE NONSENSE AND THEN TRIES TO SAFE FACE BY CHANGING TUNE.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
20.15 “I don’t like the use of peat myself”, a comment based on almost four hours of experience because ... 16.48 “having peat beneath the manure is really good” 15.41 “peat RETAINS nutrition and slow releases it to the plants” 13.36 “the peat in it [J.I compost] is nutrition” 13.21 “the peat in it [J.I compost] is nutrition” 13.14 “John Innes compost ... which is peat mainly” 27 September on a question about container planting “I use Westland Rose Planting and Potting mix [50% peat]”
“John Innes No 3, peat, and horticultural sand improves drainage. I remove part of the low level soil and then mix in the top soil with a good mix of these. Has worked for me always. “
Followed by
“What is going to be banned? Peat?”
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Hi @gjautos. In my experience, digging anything in to clay is at best bloomin' hard work (if you do it when it's dry) and can make matters worse (if you try to do it when it's wet you're likely to increase rather than reduce compaction).
Annual surface dressing with either a thick layer of anything organic - manure certainly, bark chips, garden compost - or, in small areas, with grit can be effective at changing the nature of the clay. But patience is your (and your garden fork's) friend - it can take a few years, depending on how heavy it is when you start.
I think the veg point is just to do with acidity, as Dove suggested. You can get other soil conditioners, including peat free ones, that would be suitable, but to be honest, I've used rotted manure and just added some lime from time to time, to keep the pH close to neutral.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I find that a couple of decades worth of spent container compost has improved the structure of much of my clay soil, but I suspect that solution is a bit long term for most😏
I have found, over many years of gardening on clay, that digging in compost works better than mulching. Though I mulch as well. It is hard work but it's worth it. Also expensive as I can't make enough compost so have to buy some.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Posts
There are wool based composts that act as an alternative. I have tried them a couple of times, but the ones I bought need to reduce the percentage of wool and add a bit more actual compost content.
https://businesswales.gov.wales/farmingconnect/news-and-events/technical-articles/use-wool-compost-and-other-alternative-applications
PLEASE FELLOW FORUMITES DO NOT LISTEN TO JAC19, HE/SHE POSTS TOTALLY FACTUALLY INACCURATE NONSENSE AND THEN TRIES TO SAFE FACE BY CHANGING TUNE.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Don’t feed the troll is best.
16.48 “having peat beneath the manure is really good”
15.41 “peat RETAINS nutrition and slow releases it to the plants”
13.36 “the peat in it [J.I compost] is nutrition”
13.21 “the peat in it [J.I compost] is nutrition”
13.14 “John Innes compost ... which is peat mainly”
27 September on a question about container planting “I use Westland Rose Planting and Potting mix [50% peat]”
“John Innes No 3, peat, and horticultural sand improves drainage. I remove part of the low level soil and then mix in the top soil with a good mix of these. Has worked for me always. “
Followed by
“What is going to be banned? Peat?”
In my experience, digging anything in to clay is at best bloomin' hard work (if you do it when it's dry) and can make matters worse (if you try to do it when it's wet you're likely to increase rather than reduce compaction).
Annual surface dressing with either a thick layer of anything organic - manure certainly, bark chips, garden compost - or, in small areas, with grit can be effective at changing the nature of the clay. But patience is your (and your garden fork's) friend - it can take a few years, depending on how heavy it is when you start.
I think the veg point is just to do with acidity, as Dove suggested. You can get other soil conditioners, including peat free ones, that would be suitable, but to be honest, I've used rotted manure and just added some lime from time to time, to keep the pH close to neutral.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”