Clay soil - Ask Extension
Hello
I need some advise. Late last year I removed 2-3 inches of gravel in a 25' x 50 ' section of my yard. I had 12 yards of what I was told was top...
Knowledgebase
Clay soil #866899
Asked May 03, 2024, 1:08 PM EDT
Hello
I need some advise. Late last year I removed 2-3 inches of gravel in a 25' x 50 ' section of my yard. I had 12 yards of what I was told was top soil delivered. I spread the soil evenly about 2 inches or so across the entire area. Every thing looked good until we finally started to get some rain. Turns out it is a lot of or mostly clay and it turned into a slippery mess that doesn't drain. What to do ? Remove it all and start over. ? Add some sand or black dirt to it and mix together or ??? There is plenty of room for another inch or 2 of soil and it is on a slight slope. See attached pics.
Thanks
Marc
Kanabec County Minnesota
Expert Response
Since there is no standard definition for top soil, it often contains large amounts of clay, sand and other materials.
Unfortunately when top soil is just laid on top of existing soil rather than disked or worked into the subsoil, you can get an effect where the drainage is poor and water sits on the top soil because the clay particles are small and clump together.
1.https://www.pennington.com/all-products/fertilizer/resources/how-to-improve-heavy-clay-soil
2.https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/HO/HO-236-W.pdf
You can try disking the soil to mix the top and sub soils. This could improve drainage. You can also add manure or compost into the soil to increase the permeability. These and various other additions (see above websites) can be added but it is best to get a soil test with recommendations based on your soil before proceeding.
https://soiltest.cfans.umn.edu/
Unfortunately when top soil is just laid on top of existing soil rather than disked or worked into the subsoil, you can get an effect where the drainage is poor and water sits on the top soil because the clay particles are small and clump together.
1.https://www.pennington.com/all-products/fertilizer/resources/how-to-improve-heavy-clay-soil
2.https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/HO/HO-236-W.pdf
You can try disking the soil to mix the top and sub soils. This could improve drainage. You can also add manure or compost into the soil to increase the permeability. These and various other additions (see above websites) can be added but it is best to get a soil test with recommendations based on your soil before proceeding.
https://soiltest.cfans.umn.edu/
This is very helpful. Looks like my problem isn't as big of a problem as I thought !
Thank You
Marc
You are welcome.
