Q: Several weeks ago, you mentioned a product that breaks up clay soil. Well, now that I want to buy it, I can't remember the name of it. Can you tell me anything about gardening in clay soil?
-- Kathleen, Shingle Springs
A: I garden on clay soil, so it's on my mind -- and my hands -- a lot. It stains clothes, clings to shoes and carpets, and feels slimy and sticky when wet. That's the bad part.
But it isn't the villain it's made out to be.
Briefly, soil is composed of sand, silt or clay, or some combination of those particles. Sand particles are the biggest, then comes silt, and clay is the smallest.
Clay soil is actually nutritious soil. It's just that the soil particles are packed so tightly and so densely that there are few air pockets, so it can be hard for plants to get those locked-up nutrients out. And when it's overly wet, it can be death to tender plants.
While there are products that claim to open up and soften clay soil, the best thing you can do is add organic matter. Over and over and over and over. Then again. Keep adding compost. That way, you're improving the structure of your soil. The organic matter, in effect, coats the clay particles and separates them.
Many gardeners use gypsum to improve drainage and soil structure. It comes in 50- and 80-pound bags. It can take several applications over a period of years to do the job. Gypsum isn't a substitute for fertilizer or compost.
There's also a liquid product called Open-All that's said to help clay soils absorb water better. I've never tried it. The company's Web site says the product changes the electronic bonding of the particles and breaks up clay and hardpan soils. To find out more, visit www.openallsoil.com/open_all.html.
There are plenty of commonly grown plants that love clay soil. But I agree that clay soil is hard on gardeners.
--Pat Rubin, garden writer
