I have these large wine casks that were cut in half to make large flower pots.  They have always worked extremely well.  this year I decided to add some delphiniums to the mix and I looked up what additives I should use to make the soil the right mix for the delphiniums.  I was told to add sand to the soil which I did.  But the water with all of its nutrients seems to drain down so quickly that I can’t see it is doing any good.  Delphiniums are generally very fast growing plants but mine are growing at a very slow rate.  Admittedly they arrived in very poor condition and at first I was just pleased that they’d survived and were growing at all, but, now I think there must be some problem with the soil mix.  Can you advise?Scott. Then, spread out a clay soil mixture in the dug out area. I calculate 55% clay, 18% silt, 27% sand. When consulting on soccer fields, keep something in mind. Lime is not the same, and should only be applied if needed to raise pH. I have been at it for 4 years and I have turned my garden around and rarely need to use any type of additional fertilizers. Adding organic matter improves soils high in clay or sand. Adding sand to prairie soils is not recommended. SA vines aren’t sprayed, and our wines are among the best in the world : ). My head is spinning and every article I read online is only confusing me more. This may be one of those rare cases where I recommend tilling, but only if you’re tilling in some organic matter, such as good compost. Truck that sand away.  Lots of lovely worms too. Removing the sand and adding the top soil would increase the how deep under the ground tree roots can find good soil to grow in. It helps to a certain extent.I battle to get peas to sprout but beans come up quickly. Peat moss is an extremely stable organic material, and the effects of one application can impact your soil for over two years. The other drawback is because clay is so sticky, mixing it deeply into the soil is very difficult. Do we just do straight composted soil, top to bottom? There isn’t much more that you can do to improve clay soil. We had plenty of rain in the late autumn and winter, so the leaves became well embedded into the soil and the worms got to work (and we saw plenty of vermicompost on the soil surface by March). 2012, I had pulled up most of the oxalis bulbs and got a crop of marigolds. often they have lots of extra clay and will sell it cheep. Adding a bit of sand will not create soil with 70% sand, so it does not make adobe. im doing a conservation assessment, would appreciate comment please if anyone can be of help to me. However Zeolite is the best choice for gardeners because it is naturally granulated and light.   Marcia. When laying your materials, aim for an equal mix of coarse sand and coarse organic material for optimum drainage and nutrients. Since we’ve been learning about how to improve clay soil and improving sandy soil and specifically about water moves through the soil, I’d like to mention a couple of other important organic gardening implications of what we’ve learned about amending soil. The best sandy soil amendments are ones that increase the ability of the sandy soil to retain water and increase the nutrients in the soil as well. This is after I’ve already mixed a bag of OMRI-certified manure/compost mix into the soil. Thanks, Phil. My bro-in-law was working home finalization and warrantee for a construction company and turned me loose on piles of excess sand at nearby home sites. PS- if anyone has a real snail problem, collect by hand and put in a bucket of very salty water. Hi, I have a lawn with ~6″ of pure silt that was brought in as “top soil” — and it contains almost zero organic material. In contrast, clay or loam will stick together much better. While you’re add it – I know it’s a lot more work, but I have to suggest it – I would send a soil sample to a good organic soil lab and follow their fertilizer recommendations. They will die. I tried a little experiment last autumn where I simply put 2 inches of fallen leaves on 1.5sqm of one of my raised beds at a point where most shading occurred. Compost is at various stages because I’ve been adding to it from autumn last year to the time that I spread it on the garden. This is not necessarily a bad thing with the right plants, but it is important to know how this works. We installed drainage around the perimeter of the house. I pressure dug down an additional 3’ with water from my hose attached to a 4’ pipe with a 1/4″ pressure nozzle end before getting any drainage. Here I was trying to make an affordable fertilization program, and they were spending $3000 on just sand!On high value landscapes, it’s often worthwhile to spend the money on things like zeolites before the grass is seeded. Clay's soil particle shape is flat, or plate-like; meaning it's good at stacking on top of each other and creating a very "tight" soil. Maybe I keep the seeds TOO wet when I plant them in flats or paper pots? when planting, so I didn’t do anything other than staking, watering daily the first week, now am at every other day watering for another week.My compost pile is almost “cooked” so will be available, but not sure exactly what to do at this point if anything.Trees:  Plum, nectarine and mangoes. In sandy soils organic matter burns up a lot quicker than it does in clay soils. But I have an idea and I’d like your opinion. This water flows through the open “pores” between soil particles. Thanks, Dale. What happens if you add 6 inches of a finer soil on top of a coarser soil below? I’ve never grown fruit from seed – mostly always start with canes or tiny shrubs. I would love to have some basil, garlic and tomatoes growing as well :0) Also, maybe some other herbs as well. If you can find a glacial rock dust at a local fertilizer supplier (can be difficult to find sometimes) or get some ocean water, that will supply minerals for you. I really like your ideas and suggestions. Then we had a hard rain. Hi Phil, Another great article. But it would be nice if you could get some mulch (straw or leaves) on the beds now.As for new plantings, it would be ideal to add some compost to the backfill along with the original soil. Great question. Amending sandy soil with well rotted manure or compost (including grass clippings, humus and leaf mold) will help to improve the soil the fastest. I would Love to hear application stratagies and the benefits of coffee ground are, especially in clay, alkaline soils. Ya, that would be something to try. To amend clay soil, add builder's sand and gypsum to create more air pockets and increase the soil's drainage. Clay soil particles are flat and card-like. Organic matter is the usual remedy, try compost, manure and especially spent mushroom compost. I also suggest avoiding excessive tillage. Abentonite would compact more, but is still useful added to a compost pile atas much as 10% of the volume of the pile, for the cation exchange capacity.Bentonite would be better for ponds, since you want that compaction. Or will the sod and paver areas need a mixture of topsoil and sand on the surface? Sand is the largest soil particle, with silt falling in the middle. I have a smallish front area that becomes flooded during a heavy Florida down poor. My compost consists of clipped grass and most importantly, chipped wood from tree branches. Amend soil with 6 inches of good compost. You could try to find a bag of rock dust at yourlocal garden centre or farm supply store and that can be helpful in slightlyimproving soil texture. I have very poor sandy soil and I want to plant fruit trees. Aerate Clay Soil. One of the most commonly given pieces of advice on how to improve clay soil is to add sand. Still, it slows down, which is the opposite of what you were going for. Take patio pots for example. Clay soil (to improve drainage) Sandy soil (to improve water retention) Clay soil applications. The clay is fertile and plants will grow. If the leaves get broken down well enough, you can sow root vegetables there. My guess is it will settle to 6-9″ in height. I would love it if someone could tell us the differencebetween zeolite and bentonite. After 12 months determine if you need to add more Kaolin. Prior to renovating our house, during the rain season the yard was a wet mess. If you amend soil by turning in (burying) coarse organic matter such as leaves or straw and they end up buried in a layer, or if you drop 6 inches of soil on top of a big layer of coarse material such as sticks or straw, you could be creating a coarse layer underneath a fine layer. I wouldn’tadd any more fresh manure as that can supply too much potassium – compost itwell first.Other than that, just make sure you wait until it’s dry to work it. Get your soil tested. I have piled close to 12” of compost and used coffee grinds with filters on top. And try to find a soil that has a similar texture to your exiting soil (i.e. I would just do 2″ of compost. Now I am working on incorporating beneficial bugs to take care of the bad ones. The sprinkler won’t help much with the smell. I hope you do a lecture on those. Zeolites… How do they work? We learned this method from AMMA SERVE project where AMMA has adopted 100 villages in 27 states of India where Farmers are being exploded by the big animals so to speak.Its such a joy to use this water now every day for the trees & Plants.We also jump in & cool our bodies as its about 100 degrees here on a average day with 85% humity.Thanks again for all the helpful info.Maybe the rain water is reducing the salt in the soil too.Natures helping waHanuman. Anne. Zeolites are affordable in a soccer pitch context? I live in central Florida. Perhaps the beds aren’t level and so the water is sliding down to one side? Instead, send a soil sample to a good organic soil lab and then fertilizer based on which minerals your soil actually needs. Unfortunately, I can’t tell from here what you should do, other than I would suggest finding a landscaper/gardener (organically-minded) who has experience with a situation such as yours to advise you on what to do. Now your soil will be ready for planting. Trust me, this is really good to know and quite interesting. Also, use compost for perhaps 25% of the mix. Is there anything organic matter can’t do? Thanks Phil,Glad I don’t have to dig them up to put the compost in the hole as I wouldn’t want to disturb them once they are planted.   Luckily I did everythig else you suggested except only did about a 3 to 4′ circle around the trees.   I want to put the compost around now, but since this is my first experience doing homemade compost, it doesn’t seem quite ‘cooked yet’.  It’s all brown but it hasn’t decomposed all the way I don’t think.  Shall I still add it or wait until it’s cooked?  Wouldn’t it attract animals?Shall I add compost to the inside of the holes when I plant more trees, blueberries, grapes in the next week or just add it to the top after it’s planted.  The soil has a lot of clay.  Hope these trees and bushes will be able to survive. 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