Where To Find Ground Clay?

Decado · Sat Apr 24, 2010 9:10 pm

I know all kinds of places you can buy topsoil for silt, sand, compost or manure for organic material, but where can you get clay? My soil is pretty much clay-less and as a result the water drains very quickly. Next year I'd like to remedy this but I'm not sure if you can get ground clay anywhere.

gixxerific · Sat Apr 24, 2010 9:20 pm

I wish I could help more but the only place I know where to get a LOT of clay is my yard.

Kisal · Sat Apr 24, 2010 9:43 pm

The only place I know to buy clay is at a pottery supply shop, and trust me, you wouldn't want to pay those kinds of prices for a soil amendment!

My understanding is that adding compost and organic material is the best way to improve both sandy soils that drain too rapidly and clay soils that drain poorly.

If you really have your heart set on adding clay to your soil, you might try looking for "fill dirt." It's the soil that comes from under the topsoil, and used to be called subsoil. It's what is removed, for example, when an area is excavated for construction. It doesn't contain much, if anything, in the way of nutrients or organic material, and sometimes contains stones. You might be able to find it for free, but it is valued for projects such as road construction, so you might have to pay for it.

Personally, I'd go for the organic material. Like gixxerfic's, my yard is all heavy clay. I'd be happy to send some to you if I could afford it!

rainbowgardener · Sun Apr 25, 2010 7:59 am

You don't want to add clay, just keep adding organic materials and compost.

That will give you the moisture & nutrient holding you want.

gixxerific · Sun Apr 25, 2010 9:36 am

I'm sorry i should have gave a better answer but as Kisal and Rainbowgardener said adding compost will help a lot. Compost will actually hold moisture and the microbiology that can thrive in such a healthy soil food web will also add to the moisture retention as well as drainage.

StorageSmart2 · Sun Apr 25, 2010 11:25 pm

Kisal wrote:If you really have your heart set on adding clay to your soil, you might try looking for "fill dirt." It's the soil that comes from under the topsoil, and used to be called subsoil. It's what is removed, for example, when an area is excavated for construction. It doesn't contain much, if anything, in the way of nutrients or organic material, and sometimes contains stones. You might be able to find it for free, but it is valued for projects such as road construction, so you might have to pay for it.

You can try looking in the classifieds in your local newspaper or online at websites such as craiglist. I've seen sometimes that people are redoing their lawn or putting in a pool and they'll post an add asking people to come pick up their fill for free. Usually you do need to pick it up, so you'll have to have a truck.

For the record, though, I agree with the compost. A friend of mine picked up free fill last year from someone's yard and ended up with a bunch of broken glass, plastic rubbish, and general not good stuff mixed in. At least with the compost you'll know it's all organic.