Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Oct 27, 2010 9:03 pm We recently moved in to our new home in western suburbs of Melbourne. Haven't given much thought about our backyard till now as we are too focussed on indoor furnishings. As we are starting to get a a bit of sun, I am planning to do backyard landscaping. But, have no clue about the tools and machines required. I tried to dig the soil and it seems hard as a rock. Did some soil test and found out we have a clay soil which is hard to work with. I want to remove the top layer of the soil to begin with. But, only have a space of around 900mm to bring in any equipment. Which would be the best equipment that would suit our needs? And also any recommendations on places we can hire them ? If you know of any companies that perform such excavation in western suburbs, please let me know. Any information is much appreciated!! Re: Clay Soil - How to dig it 2Oct 27, 2010 10:17 pm Hire a Kanga do get it done You will need certified organic soil, some sand, some zeolite and gypsum. Once done get started on the humic products like Powerfeed and Seamungus to get the clay broken up starting now. Gypsum won't start doing it for several years in many cases but still good to add. Continued use of Powerfeed is going to have an enormous effect on the clay. 10ltrs of powerfeed will have the same effect as 1 tonne of gypsum on a clay soil. Do it all your self, you'll have a ball on the kanga Re: Clay Soil - How to dig it 3Oct 28, 2010 9:21 am I had hired a kanga or mini loader from kennards hire , they have a website you can go to check out the prices and do a online booking, they have a number of locations in the west. just be carefull with it , they can topple over if you are not carefull. Re: Clay Soil - How to dig it 4Oct 28, 2010 9:23 am Hi Fu, I was just looking at the Seasol and Powerfeed application instructions -is it best to apply the mix first, then (a couple of weeks later) bring in the organic soil, sand, zeolite, gypsum, dig that through, and then reapply the seasol and powerfeed? Thanks (in advance) for your help! Re: Clay Soil - How to dig it 5Oct 28, 2010 9:35 am Thanks Fu. The basement of my home is still visible and the weep hole is 2 brick layers above. So, I might just need to excavate a small top layer and start my work. I am planning to buy Powerfeed and Seamungus from Bunnings. Hope they sell in bulk. Re: Clay Soil - How to dig it 8Oct 29, 2010 10:17 pm If the Kanga doesn't topple over a few times I'd reckon you're not using it hard enough Plenty of water on the clay the night before - makes the digging/ripping much easier mate. Re: Clay Soil - How to dig it 10Oct 31, 2010 10:12 pm You sound like an ex-powder monkey saying that -as if it is only half of a much more fun method of breaking up clay Good idea Re: Clay Soil - How to dig it 11Nov 04, 2010 8:32 am the easy way to fix your clay soil mishti would be to get some lime inot the clay asap , then wait for the chage to occur. from what you say, about 500 gms per sq/m is whats required. i have done it on farm soils, and i have heard it done on urban clay soils with great sucess. www.apal.com.au will get you to where you will find information about this. do not use gypsum as it will make it worse, as it did on mine and many others soils. you will get advise to do that, why i cant under stand as lime does the job , and the chemistry as why it works stacks up as well. suppose it back to "grandad did it" so i am as well !! Re: Clay Soil - How to dig it 13Nov 05, 2010 7:34 pm dunart suppose it back to "grandad did it" so i am as well !! I gotta agree with that. I reluctantly recommend Gypsum as something to add but only because two men who I have learnt much from have also recommended its use and they are very highly respected in Agronomy circles. Why do I? Because so many members want to use it and I never recommend its use without the application of humic, fulvic and amino acids from organic composts. So essentially when used on its own as a solution to the problem of clay it's going to do more harm than good as you say in the long term. When using gypsum in conjunction with other things, they will tend to act as a buffer for the other effects the gypsum has and so it doesn't really matter so much. I guess the statement "Because Grandad did it" is one that is often said and heard in farming and I guess gardening. There is so much we have to change in the arena of soils in Australia. Re: Clay Soil - How to dig it 14Nov 08, 2010 9:07 am Thanks for your replies Dunart and Fu. I purchased Gypsum from Bunnings this weekend and only after that I saw your replies. I haven't opened the bags yet. So, may be able to exchange it and get lime instead. Do you know whether Bunnings stock Lime. I purchased this product http://www.brunnings.com.au/products/factsheets/Gypsum%20Clay%20Breaker.pdf. It says it is a clay breaker and hence thought it would be useful. When you say clay does more harm than good..Can you please elaborate what you mean... Does it adversely affect the soil in anyway. Also, after adding the gypsum...I am also planning to add Seasol,Powerfeed, organic soil compost on top of that. My first task is to improve the soil drainage to prevent the mudpool when it rains. And then add the ingredients to make the soil rich. Thanks again for your replies and insights. Re: Clay Soil - How to dig it 15Nov 08, 2010 9:48 pm Gypsum is only a problem when used on its own introducing the seasol, powerfeed, molasses, and organic matter buffers the soil from damage as it is a more WHOLISTIC approach to breaking clay I went outside once. The graphics were alright, but the gameplay sucked! Settlement:22nd June Slab:27th August Frame:16th Sept Bricked:21st Oct Roof:24th Nov Linings HANDOVER23rd March! Re: Clay Soil - How to dig it 16Nov 09, 2010 12:01 am It is kind of like a salt. If we have to liken it to anything. It can make some soils harder to work with and it takes years for any effect to occur. As dunart has said, there are better alternatives depending on soil type. It is a default thing that is reached for because that is just what we have always done. Right now in both Agriculture and domestic gardens and landscaping we are seeing the start of a revolution spurred on by absolute necessity. That being a more holistic way as Mecha said. It's called Bio Dynamics and is still argued, poo poo'd and misunderstood by people both in the general public and in professional positions in agriculture and horticulture. This is stuff that is along those lines and about what Gypsum is and does sometimes. http://www.stocktech.com.au/about_us.aspx Watch Costa, Vasili and Gardening Australia (some of which dedicates to the topic) http://www.vasilisgarden.com/ http://www.sbs.com.au/shows/costa/watch ... show/costa http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/ Read my boring dribble Read this, click google review... http://www.publish.csiro.au/pid/2751.htm http://www.soilfoodweb.com.au/ Re: Clay Soil - How to dig it 17Nov 09, 2010 12:14 am I will add also that organic material rich in humates, fulvic acids, amino acids, will out do what gypsum does by a mile. And it happens far quicker. Like I said, 10ltrs of powerfeed will do the same job as 1 tonne of gypsum. Re: Clay Soil - How to dig it 18Nov 11, 2010 4:59 am Some reading. Boring to uninterested, an key to those who need information. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay (loosely based on science material) http://www.essortment.com/all/propertiesof_rfwy.htm (For the gardener) Summary (the important bits) Quote: There are two types of clays that are recognized, the silicate clays of temperate regions and the iron and aluminum hydroxide clays found in the tropics and semitropics. The great agricultural regions of the world are dominated in a large degree by clays of a siliceous nature. All clay particles are crystalline and not amorphous as was originally supposed. Clay particles because of their fineness of division must expose a large amount of external surface. There are also internal surfaces as well, the sum of which usually greatly exceeds that of a superficial character. It has been shown that clay particles are composed of two distinct parts, the inner, porous, and enormously larger insoluble acidoid, or micelle, and the outer and more or less dissociated swarm of cations with variable amounts of water of hydration. Since these absorbed cations are usually rather easily displaced, they are spoken of as exchangeable ions. This replacement, called ionic exchange, or more commonly base exchange, is one of the most important of all soil phenomena. Calcium and magnesium are the absorbed metallic cations held in the largest amounts by the siliceous clays of most natural soils. Since so much of the total calcium is replaceable, its activity is assured. The main concern, therefore, is the amount present thus we use the practice of liming. With potash the total amount is often ample, but the proportion active is exceedingly small. In discussing the mineralogical nature of silicate clay, it must not be forgotten that other minerals besides the ones mentioned are present, either as mere accessories or as an important part of the coloidal complex. Of these, the hydrated oxides of silicon, iron, and aluminum should be mentioned. While these probably occur but sparingly in temperate-region soils, the latter two are especially important in tropical and semitropical regions, giving rise to what are spoken of as laterite soils. The silicate clays often contain a larger and larger admixture of colloidal iron and aluminum oxides. The red and yellow soils of our southern states are very good evidence of this transition. Basically most clays present a negative atomic / conductive charge. They are essentially a sea of ions (metals) wrapped in floaty silicates and oxygen. If you could take a mountain and grind it to almost its atomic base, each element than that is what clay is only its all oxidized, UV bombarded and so on. Kaolin is the raw clay, the original mass deposit (the ground up mountain), alluvial clays (Melbourne, coastal Aus and flood plains) is the transported "weathered" clays that have undergone further mixing. So what about the electrical charge? Well its that ionic mass that you need to break by inserting stuff into every void possible. More water does not = more particles, biology = acids and carbons wnich both have a + charge where oxidised clay has a - charge (usually). The organics bind to clays removing the available charge thus "shorting it out" like it were a battery. Lime = More charged particles. Gypsum is a form of lime but usually quick lime, the cooked stuff that goes bang is what gets used. The ions tag each other out or create a massive charge imbalance thus sending the PH down for a time. That has risks and natives hate it. PH imbalance kills plants, the minerals bind to the ions and the plant can't metabolize them. Bio organics is the best solution if you have an established garden, liming is great if you have time before you plant and gypsum is a slow steady middle of the road. So imagine clay is a big puddle of say lead only its oxidized with ground up glass. You can imagine its fairly heavy and goopy. Now imagine that the each particle is hollow like a bucky ball or a tennis ball with holes in it. The outer shell is bumpy with sticky tape globs or double sided gaffa tape. This is what clay is like, you have to fill those voids and remove the glue from the gaffa tape and biology alone will do that. You just need its polar opposite to find its mark but that comes with balance, not shoving a 240volt cable in the ground to melt your lead into blocks you can dig out. It just takes time and a bit of chemistry. Carbon that is light and soluble will do it and the best maker of carbon materials is plants and fungi. Re: Clay Soil - How to dig it 19Nov 12, 2010 1:06 am Its also about dolomite of lime putting the calcium and magnesium balance back in place in the soil. Getting the percentages right and that just makes stuff happen Now it won't be the go for all soils but that is the idea behind what has been mentioned. I've dug some footings to embed a post anchor into. My holes are around 450mm deep which I'll put a 200mm stirrup into. The bottom of these holes seem firm enough. … 0 3327 I am not sure whether Perth has its own way of doing things in regards to this. Most of Perth has class A (sandy soil), except for some areas near rivers or hills. 2 13106 We were lucky in that our old house was so small (86 square metres) compared to the new house, they were able to take enough readings around the old backyard house before… 8 37159 |