2024-07-27 08:30:16
Sandy soil, on the other hand, has large spaces between relatively large soil particles, allowing water to flow freely. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that adding sand to heavy clay would improve the soil. In fact, sand and gravel are widely used in potting mixes for species that need quick drainage, such as cacti.
Anyone who has mixed potting soil knows that the sand content needs to be around 50% for the soil to begin to drain properly. However, even in a small garden, if you want to reach about 50%. sand ratio, you would have to add tens of tons of sand to see any benefit.
Fortunately, it is now known that there is a much simpler way to improve the drainage of clay soils, simply by mimicking what happens in nature. Microbes in the soil naturally form a crumbly structure, small clay particles are grouped into much larger granules that allow water to pass through.
These microbes feed on decaying organic matter, so to increase their numbers, all you need to do is add lots of dead plant matter to the soil, such as fallen leaves, lawn clippings, and compost. And the best thing is that you don’t even have to dig it all in: earthworms will do it for us, and at the same time they will create a network of tunnels that will improve drainage even more, writes New Scientist.
2024-07-27 08:30:16