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How to make clay soil free draining

hiacedrifterhiacedrifter Posts: 119
in Plants
I'd like to grow tamarisk plants in our clay soil garden, but they like free draining soil. What can I do? I know that filling a hole with compost can go wrong because the water stays in the hole and you get root rot.

There are hundreds of tamarisk near us (by the beach) so there must be some way of doing it!

Posts

  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    It's practically impossible to make clay soil free draining. You can improve it by adding lots of compost and grit or gravel. I expect the soil near the beach isn't clay, usually sandy or gravelly by beaches. What about making a large raised bed?
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    Trying to change your soil to suit a plant just isn't possible. I would just admire them when you are out and about, consider something different to plant in your garden. I have gardened on a clay soil for 30 years you must plant for your conditions or throw away your money.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • hiacedrifterhiacedrifter Posts: 119
    It's strange, there are also several in the front gardens opposite us. Perhaps their front gardens are just huge raised beds!??! (it is possible - their drives slope down to the road, so the front garden is behind a 5 foot retaining wall). 
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    perhaps tamarisk is more adaptable than the books suggest. Not all plants read their own labels
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • hiacedrifterhiacedrifter Posts: 119
    raisingirl said:
    perhaps tamarisk is more adaptable than the books suggest. Not all plants read their own labels
     :D 
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    The neighbours' retaining walls probably make their gardens more well-drained than they would be on the flat.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    If you build a raised bed it will be more free-draining, especially if you fill it with free draining, rubbley material. A raised bed is the opposite of a sump, if you think about it. If you have space you can create a raised mound, but this will take up more space because you'll need to bank back down to ground level from, say, 60cm.

    I would advise looking for something which tolerates clay soil though; I like Tamarisk but it's not something I'd really go to massive lengths to accommodate. I think there are probably better alternatives.
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • hiacedrifterhiacedrifter Posts: 119
    Without fail, every time somebody makes a suggestion on here it utilises stuff I freecycled the week before   :D:D:D
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    I'm pretty sure there's one down the road from me -  heavy clay but their front garden slopes quite steeply with retaining wall on the pavement side.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I have one but it's in a slightly raised corner of the garden on poor soil where a privet hedge used to be, and it's sandy free-draining soil here anyway, so I can't comment on how it would cope on clay.  Maybe try a large container with gritty soil-based compost if you can't make a raised area.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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