{"id":19785,"date":"2025-02-19T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T07:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/actisol-agri.fr\/?p=19785"},"modified":"2025-09-24T10:19:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T08:19:02","slug":"how-do-you-amend-clay-soil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/actisol-agri.fr\/en\/how-do-you-amend-clay-soil\/","title":{"rendered":"How do you amend clay soil ?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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How do you amend clay soil ? <\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A farm can be made up of several different types of soi<\/strong>l. It’s important to know each plot<\/strong> so that you can adapt your work and your itineraries to get the best yield.<\/p>

There are 4 main types of soil: sandy, silty, humus and clay. Clay soils<\/strong> are compact, dense, rich in nutrients (calcium, magnesium, potassium) but difficult to work. They do, however, have good water retention capacity and a number of advantages that make them ideal for certain crops.<\/p>

Because clay is alkaline, it does not allow certain plants to capture all the available nutrients, which limits their growth and production. However, there are ways of improving the structure of these soils and revealing their richness, starting with soil amendment<\/strong>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What does it mean to amend soil ?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The purpose of a soil improver is to improve the chemical, physical and biological properties of the soil. It is different from a fertiliser, which only provides fertilising elements for crops. There are two main types of soil improver:<\/p>

–Organic soil improvers<\/strong> (manure, bark, compost, etc.). These are primarily intended to maintain the organic matter in the soil.\u00a0<\/p>

–Calcium-based soil improvers<\/strong> (agricultural lime, calcium carbonate, etc.), which improve soil structure and correct the balance between minerals.<\/p>

Depending on the type of soil improver, it will be incorporated using a spreader, a tonne or tillage equipment…<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Steps for amending clay soil<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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1 - Surface study<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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While it’s easy enough to determine whether a soil is clayey by hand, it’s advisable to carry out a physico-chemical analysis<\/strong> before any work is carried out.<\/p>

By taking several soil samples from a plot of land and sending them to a laboratory, precise results can be obtained. This study will determine the level of acidity, texture, exact composition, cation exchange capacity and nutrients present. The most suitable soil improver(s) will then be selected.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A soil profile<\/strong> is also very useful for observing horizons<\/strong>. If there is a layer of pure clay, it is preferable to know the maximum depth at which it is possible to work without touching it, so as not to mix it with the other horizons.<\/p>

Lastly, organic matter inputs<\/strong> will vary depending on the type of farm (mixed farming or livestock farming).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2 \u2013 When ?<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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As with any type of soil, it is strongly recommended that you work on dry ground<\/strong>. This is even truer for clays. If you want to work on them in wet conditions, you’ll need to increase your pulling power, because impregnated clay soil is heavy. Worse still, the passage of heavy machinery will lead to the creation of a sole of compaction and will smooth the soil. The exchanges essential to life will then be impossible.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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THE ACTISOL ADVICE<\/u>\u00a0<\/strong>: It’s best to work the clays just before the winter period<\/strong> to “mature” the clumps of clay.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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3 - Addition of organic matter<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Favour organic soil improvers<\/strong> with carbon to nitrogen mass ratios of around 50 so that the organic particles are more easily assimilated into the clay humus complex<\/strong>.<\/p>

THE 2 MAIN TYPES OF ORGANIC MATTER (OM) TO BE ADDED <\/u><\/strong><\/p>

The organic matter<\/strong> content shown in a soil analysis can be broken down into 2 forms: labile, free-form OM (20%) and bound OM of the slow type (80%). This balance is very important to respect. If the proportions differ too much from those shown above, the soil will not be viable for farming.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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