How do you Fix clay soil?

Question

Hey can anyone tell me the best way to make clay soil drain better? I have read some pretty conflicting statements on the internet about what to do, from tilling the groung 4 8" deep, tilling course sand into the ground, tilling organic matter into the ground, tilling fertilizer and lime into the ground???

OMG help please I need to make the soil drain more like sandy soil what do I need to do?

Answer 1

Gypsum.  And organic matter.  

The Calcium in gypsum will open the pores chemically. Lime does too, but check pH before you try either.  Gypsum makes soil more acidic, lime makes it more alkaline. And lime has a lessor effect on drainage.  

Adding sand is an endless job.  You would need to add as much sand as you have clay.  The clay will not drain better if you just add sand. It may just clump up and get harder.  And the sand will dissappear and you will not be happy.  

Add some worms with you compost.  WORMS!  

Compost or other organic matter will help with the drainage, attract and feed worms and fertilize your plants.  It is the only really good way to do it.  

Spade it in. Do not use a rotary tiller.  Use a spading fork or shovel (spade) to open the soil and mix the compost in.  Spading braks up the clods.  Rotary tillers only mix things together and make a mess. Often, esp in clay soils, will create a tillage pan beneath the blades and make drainage worse.  Yep, you can make it worse.  Stay away from rototillers.  

Rent a gopher? NAH!   Sorry I have a bad joke for everything tonight.

Answer 2

Add a 50-50 mix of compost and sand.  You can soften the ground up by tilling it, but incorporate the sand and compost with a fork, shovel, and rake.