Besides aiding in water movement, organic matter like compost, peat moss, or manure can increase the nutrients in the ground, ultimately helping your plants too. Like we said above, organic matter is the best way to improve clay soil drainage. How Do You Improve Drainage In Clay Soil? Specifically, adding between two and four inches of your organic matter will be the most beneficial to waterlogged clay, so keep that in mind.
Furthermore, compost/manure is great for plant growth, so it's a win-win. These additions on clay ground can improve its drainage long-term and help prevent future waterlogging. You can commonly add organic materials like compost, peat moss, or manures. If the clay soil in your yard becomes waterlogged, there is a way to fix it. That said, you should be able to smooth your clay ground over with aerating shoes or a mix of organic matter/compost, so the cracks aren't permanent. These voids can also make irrigating your garden difficult, as the water will fall into them rather than evenly around your plants, hence why clay doesn't always have a great reputation. This can be problematic because if your plants have shallow roots, they can be exposed, even killing them. Typically, when clay particles shrink, large cracks/voids will develop. Once the rain stops and your clay soil starts to dry, this is when problems can begin. What Happens When Saturated Clay Soil Dries? These aerating shoes are adjustable, comfortable, work in all soil types, have 26 pre-assembled spikes, and work for any gender.įollow this link to see them on Amazon. Soil, regardless of type, will take longer to drain moisture if it isn't correctly aerated, so doing this in a clay garden can be beneficial.įurthermore, purchasing a pair of aerating shoes and walking around your garden every few months can help break the soil up, which in turn can help the next time it rains. Generally, this will be at a rate of roughly 1/4 inch per hour, so if there's heavy rain, expect a long wait. How Long Does It Take For Clay To Absorb Water?ĭue to its small particles and tiny pore space, clay soil can take a while to absorb water. So if it rains heavily on your clay soil, expect a bit of stickiness and rubbery texture until it dries. On top of that, clay soil will feel almost like plasticine as it gets wet, which can make for a mess in your garden. Considering that this ground type will swell with excess moisture present, clay isn't very water-friendly. Most often, clay soil will become sticky and hard to work with when wet. This also applies to clay soil specifically, as it tends to be around the 0.06 COLE value, so if it floods in your garden, expect damage to occur to your plants or even a structure nearby. As we mentioned, the clay ground will absorb excess moisture and bloat, causing it to expand much bigger than usual.Īccording to the COLE scale, if a soil type has a value of more than 0.06, swelling for 100 inches of ground could mean six or more inches of total swelling, which can damage a structure's foundation. Generally, clay soil will expand from 6-8 inches when wet. With that said, let's dive right into this post! Whether you're new to this ground type or want to start gardening, we're here to offer some guidance. Adversely, once the clay ground dries, you may notice large voids appear on its surface, so too much water usually isn't a good thing.Īs we begin, we will cover all things clay soil and discuss what happens when it gets wet.
The minerals in clay soil essentially absorb water molecules and bloat, making the ground appear "stuffed" with moisture. Yes, as clay soil becomes wet, it will expand a bit. Has it been raining a lot recently, and you aren't sure if the clay soil around you is expanding or you're going crazy? Luckily, we've done plenty of research and have all the answers here for you. Figuring out how the ground in your garden works can be tricky sometimes.
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