Gypsum?

Hi Guys

Ive just moved into a new house and like alot of people are trying to establish a new garden. Im in a very clay area and thinking about putting Gypsum in to break it up. I know this takes time so im asking what other people have used to get fast effective results. Im in Melbourne area

the use of certified organic soils, anything with humic and fulvic acids are going to crao on what gypsum does.

worm wee is exceptionally good. powerfeed is the go so is ecoamino grow. Both with regular use will begin the process of breaking the clay in a different and IMO far superior way to gypsum. No one product will do it, but lots combined do. Once the garden has been planted, use thick mulching of green mulch from your local tree guy. This will begin to compost deeper down and create a rich humic layer of soil which in time works in deeper.

Melbourne's East (Croydon - Doncaster - Ringwood) has hard compacted weathered clays. A good deep breaking up with a crow bar can do wonders. I had a clay backyard as a child in Doncaster and dad would mow it, the clay....

At 14 I got sick of so I grabbed the sledge hammer and smashed the strait bessa brick retaining wall apart, broke into 8 meters of clay and blended it with about 3 meters of compost from under the wood pile. The top section I broke apart gradually over 6 months and added compost from lawn clippings to green clippings from the councils work at the nearby park. Anything really.

After 3 years and regular wetting down I had soil to work with. When the house was sold at 22 there was a 2 meter high forest where dry compacted clay existed. All the trees grew faster too. I grew Elephant ears in the shade and fruit trees on the open parts. You could not see the house 6 meters away. Loved it!

Almost a rainforest in Doncaster...

Dad was so angry...lol

You will be surprised once you turn over the clay and improve with organic material how the structure will change. Improved clays holds water very well without getting too boggy in winter. I am really happy with my soil in most parts now. My property is in the hilly NE of Melb and when i started i would water the soil and it would just roll off down the hill and into the gutter! Follow FU's advice and your garden will thrive.

yep, clays, loams or sands. The results are much the same.
Doing this to many just sounds like hard work. And it is However the cost to you and the environment will diminish for ever after You garden will not be a chore or something you look out the window and say to your self, "Oh thta doesn't look so good or that needs doing or this needs doing and it is going to cost this. I need to fertilise the lawn or the lawn isn't looking so good"

It becomes much easier and you will become one with your soil and plants

Gardening is addictive...once you begin the path to the light side, forever will it consume you.

Another simple thing to keep in mind with hard substrates and lawns.

Grass can build soils quite quickly, about 10 to 20mm over 5 to 10 years, this depends on moisture content and care. I think you can encourage this with adding on soils to increase depth gradually.

After I changed the garden mentioned above I had a smaller lawn space which meant mowing 10 meters instead of 70. Because of this I experimented a little changing the frequency and care regime.
I changed the mower hight from Dad's mow it down and get it done with setting of 1 to 1.5 inches to a higher 2 inches or so in winter and nearly 3 inches in summer.

Instead of mowing monthly in winter I mowed every 2 weeks, even if the grass did not really need it. In summer every week. I know that sounds over the top but it kept the grass neat and compact in winter and in summer because it was already neat and compact the longer length would allow deeper roots and far fewer weeds. Again the lawn itself remained a deep green all summer with no or very little watering. I never fertilized and the soils increased in depth with a far higher capacity to retain moisture. By the time the place was sold that lawn was really spongy and soft where as before it was hard with clay patches poking through under the weeds.

Well, that was my experience dealing with rather tough clay.