Clay soils are mainly dark in color but may vary in color depending on the location. The soil is highly prone to compaction and water logging ie when it rains, it becomes too sticky and when it shines, it becomes too hard. Both conditions are not good for plant growth because, in both situations, the soil doesn’t drain water quickly making the soil to be less aerated. This causes a lot of stress to the plants hence the crops don’t grow well.
Clay soil improvement
To identify clay soil, take a portion of moist soil and squeeze it into the palm. If it becomes compressed and highly sticky, then the soil is high in clay and hence needs to be improved before planting.
To improve the clay soil, take the required amount and put it in a mixing container. Ensure that the soil is a little moist so that it can easily be broken down for the next process.
Take an equal portion of fine sand and mix it with the clay soil. Thoroughly mix the soil to ensure that the sand particles mix well with the clay particles.
Add an equal amount of already-made compost with the mixture of sand and clay.
To know that the soil has been improved, hold the soil and squeeze it into a fist and apply little pressure on it and if it crumbles then it has been improved and is now suitable to be used as a potting mix.
