Grassy cover clay soil: what grows well, what trees and crops

The high content of clay in the soil significantly complicates the planting and cultivation of cultivated plants. There are many ways to solve the problems of heavy dense earth. The growing grass cover on clay soil successfully prevents cracking of the earth in the heat. You can also plant moisture-loving plants, loosen and improve the soil structure.

Pros and cons of heavy soils

Clay soil is considered weakly structured and unsuitable for active farming. Main disadvantages:

• complexity of cultivation. Dried soil acquires increased hardness, and wet clay soil sticks to a shovel;
• low air circulation due to dense structure;
• water stagnates on the surface of the soil during irrigation, in rainy weather. Stagnation of moisture provokes acidification of the soil;
• low thermal conductivity, so the beds warm up slightly in early spring, and the seeds germinate longer.

However, clay soil also has positive qualities. Advantages: the presence of a large number of mineral elements, the ability to retain moisture.

What grows well on it

Alumina is suitable for growing certain crops. If you make a moderate amount of additives, loosen the structure, you can expand the list of planted plants.

Ornamental and fruit trees

From fruit plants, the following trees develop well on clay soils: cherry, plum, apple, quince. For their active growth, it is recommended to create certain conditions:

• seedlings 4-6 years old are planted in deep pits, the bottom of which is laid out with a drainage layer of pebbles, crushed stones;
• if a shallow hole is dug (up to 50 cm deep), it is made large (approximately 1.5 m in diameter for an apple tree and 1.2-1.3 m for a cherry, pear).

To fill the hole with the seedling, it is recommended to use a nutrient soil mixture consisting of garden soil, sand, tree bark, humus and peat.

From ornamental trees, willow, oak, sharp-leaved maple, gray alder, viburnum, decorative plum are adapted to actively develop on alumina.

Berry bushes

Provided that organic matter is introduced into the soil, currants, raspberries, and blackberries can be planted on the site. To slightly change the structure of the soil and increase nutritional value, when digging the site, organic additives are added at the rate of 15 kg per square meter.

Clay heavy soils are recommended to be constantly loosened, creating aeration and oxygen access to the root system. When watering, you need to observe the measure, since on alumina, water stagnates on the surface of the beds. To prevent the soil from drying out and the formation of a dense crust, the ground around the shrubs is covered with a layer of mulch.

Flower crops

To simplify the care of flower beds or planting flower crops, you need to plant appropriate moisture-loving plants. Honeysuckle, perennial geranium, irises, hydrangeas take root well on alumina. Peonies, petunias, violets will decorate the plot with lush flowering,

When planting flower crops, it is recommended to add rotted humus or peat to the planting pits. If the soil is slightly loosened, it becomes possible to grow exotic plants: barberry, pink alcea, spirea.

Main recommendations when planting flowers: prevent acidification of the earth and stagnant water, mulching the space between plants.

How to improve clay soil

Practically any soil improvement measures are aimed at loosening the dense structure. There are several ways to achieve this:

• compost applied under the top layer of the bed will give alumina friability and prevent water stagnation;
• a common option is to use river sand. The advantage of the method is that the structure of the earth changes immediately. To simplify the procedure, sand is scattered over the garden during autumn digging. Adding sand over 4-5 years will create fertile loose soil on the site;
• earthworms loosen the earth naturally. Therefore, the "breeding" of worms is a non-standard and promising option.

In order for moisture-loving plant crops to actively develop on the site, minimal soil improvements are enough.

Changing clay soil with sawdust

Sawdust is an ideal alternative to sand to improve soil structure. Only old sawdust is used as a baking powder, since fresh material can release substances harmful to the root system of plants. When using fresh sawdust, it is necessary to pre-treat them with a solution of urea.

It is advisable to introduce wood material in the process of digging the soil. The recommended rate is a bucket per square meter. It is advisable to dig up a layer of earth 13-15 cm thick.

Use of green manure to increase fertility

Non-standard method - sowing green manure plants on the site, which will loosen the soil structure and serve as organic fertilizer when digging the site.

Planting different crops:

• after the harvest, rye is sown. You can dig sprouted greens in autumn or spring;
• sow mustard in spring. Seedlings that have grown to a height of 7-10 cm are mowed. The beds with the remains of greenery are dug up to a depth of 12-15 cm;
• Alfalfa deeply loosens the soil, fights weeds well, repels nematodes, promotes the reproduction of earthworms. Mowed and buried green mass becomes valuable humus.

Siderates not only loosen heavy clay soils. Rye delays the germination of weed seeds, radish inhibits the reproduction of nematodes, and mustard prevents the appearance and spread of scab.

It takes some effort to make clay soil fertile. There are many ways to make soil fertile. If the structure can be changed in 3-4 years, then organic and mineral fertilizers will have to be applied regularly.

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