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Plants for Clay Soils

CLAY SOILS RETAIN MORE WATER THAN SANDY SOILS AND OFTEN HAVE A HIGH NUTRIENT CONTENT THAT PLANTS REQUIRE.

Clay in soils has its pros and cons when it comes to the plant kingdom. On one hand, it retains more water and is typically rich in essential nutrients for plants. However, it can become waterlogged, depriving roots of the necessary oxygen, or become so dry that digging becomes difficult. To determine the clay content in your soil, just feel it. The smoother it feels when you rub a pinch of moist soil between your fingers, the more clay it contains. If you can form a ball with the moist soil that hangs together, it's a sign of higher clay content.

Fortunately, there are plants that thrive in clay soils and amendments that can expand the range of plants you can grow. Some options include deep-rooted plants like butterfly milkweed, blue star, and silphium, which have deep roots that help break up hard clay soils. Blue stars offer spring blooms and attractive autumn hues. Silphium grows tall and displays yellow flowers. Butterfly milkweed, of medium height with bright orange flowers, blooms throughout the summer.

In addition to these, there are other plants that get along well with clay, such as blazing star with its magenta flowers, asters, goldenrods, black-eyed Susans, and yellow-flowered coreopsis. Some ornamental grasses like switchgrass, Indian grass, and big blue stem also adapt well to this type of soil, preferring full sun exposure. For shaded areas, ferns, wild ginger, and wood aster are suitable options. In addition to perennial plants, there are shrubs that thrive in clay soils. Fragrant blueberries and striking winter berries are good choices. Witch hazel, which blooms in the fall, as well as dogwoods and viburnums that bloom in the spring, also find a favorable home in clay.

Even plants that have an affinity for clay can benefit from a little support. Introducing organic matter into the planting area or amending clay soil with Plant Force+ will provide a solid starting point for new plants. This organic matter will loosen the soil and improve its drainage capacity. In the case of trees and shrubs, smaller plants and those with exposed roots can establish themselves more easily, as their roots will adapt better to the surrounding clay soil. Lime or gypsum is also useful for improving these soils. It's important to avoid the use of sand, as it will mix with the clay and create a texture similar to cement. Another option to enrich the soil is to sow cover crops, which are plants that grow in the fall or winter and can then be incorporated into the soil, adding organic matter. Winter rye, for example, can be an excellent choice as a cover crop in the fall, to be sown in early spring.

Article by Sylvan Kaufman. Dr. Kaufman is a writer of scientific and gardening articles. He is also an ecological consultant.