I have heard of this theory
That using sand
You can (in essence) “re”-mineralize certain types of clay-based soil.?
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Is there any validity to this?
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Can you take the two “extremes” in soil composition;
And make Viable Soil?
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Asking for the Earth. 
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And Gramps…
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I ask here
Because my Gramps
always struggled with his garden (knowingly high clay-type composition).
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I always wanted to give him a solid answer as to why nothing would grow,
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This was the only theory that remotely peaked my interest in the topic;
So if this is remotely possible;
I would love some more info
And I know a lot of you here are a LOT smarter than I.
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Check this out. Don’t use sand apparently it can make the problem worse
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Unless you’re gonna plow/till with heavy machinery, you’re better off just using gypsum. Lots and lots of gypsum. Once you’ve gypsumed the shit out of the soil, you can do gypsum + compost/manure.
The gypsum will open up the clay to make it more porous so roots can penetrate.
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Yes! This is sometimes done even at an agricultural scale, though usually it’s done by adding clay to sandy soils, which would increase the water holding capacity, ability to hold nutrients in the root zone, provide much more productive soil for things like beneficial fungi and microbes, etc. If you have a very clay soil, then you at least will have a greater density of available minerals and nutrients when compared to sandy soils.
Clay soils can have poor drainage and air holding capacity, and may also be low in organics. About 10% organic matter, along with some sand and the soil will be transformed.
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Although it was already stated, gypsum is what you want.
That shit even makes cement more pliable.
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a bigger question is soil integrity probably.
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Would it be a ratio thing;
Or just add until happy on the gypsum?
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I feel like this topic is relevant to the fact I’m a desert grower; myself;
And “dead-sand”/fine dirt is plenty here.
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On the contrary of adding gypsum to Clay ;
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What would I add to arid desert sand to make it fertile?
Clay?
@slain could you elaborate what kind of clay?
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Look into flocculation of clay and the balance of calcium to magnesium’s effect on it.
Also you want a good % of organic matter, not sure what the upper limit for cannabis soil is but in the veggie garden about 10-12% OM is plenty sufficient on the high end.
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When it comes to the clay to be used, things to think about include clay percentage, pH, carbonate level and dispersion. Not all clay layers contain high amounts of clay, so the percentage is important; secondly different clays will have different amounts of dispersion, with some well structured clays, frequently red basalt derived clays for example tending to clump as granules and will disperse into the sand less easily than more fine clays will, also these clays can be highly acidic so if your sandy soil is also acidic, it’s best to avoid such clays. Likewise if
you have high levels of carbonate in your sandy soil, avoid clays that also have high levels of carbonate as this can reduce the amount of some other nutrients available to the plant if too high. You can test for this by using some 10:1 diluted hydrochloric acid, if it fizzes, then you have carbonate, the more it fizzes more you have, same test of course is applicable to your sandy soil.
Good incorporation is necessary to thoroughly mix the clay with the sand. This prevents the clay on the surface from sealing the surface and preventing water from getting to the roots.
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You should probably test a bit your soil before doing something.
Sand by itself can help to drain better the field, but that’s all. What you want to bring is organic matter. But for that to be effective and melt well with the clay, you probably want to add lime (or gypsum as posted earlier), to create a good clay humic complex that will retain minerals. Calcium is the key for that, but it depends on the amount already in your field.
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Here is a simple test you can do to see if gypsum will be beneficial for your clay type:
Take a small amount of soil, say about equivalent to a dessertspoon and drop into a jar of water. If the clay stays in the clump and the water stays clear, it will be a waste of time adding gypsum and other clay breaking solutions are needed. If the clay causes the water to go cloudy and the soil disperses, gypsum may be beneficial for your soil. To determine if it is , apply a little gypsum to the jar of water, wait 5 or 10 minutes and see whether or not the gypsum has caused the suspended clay particles to clump together. If this happens then go for it with the gypsum.
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Very cool trick, thanks for sharing! Was wondering how one could test that without going for a lab.
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so if i have a farm with red clay mud, i can just throw drywall down after cutting the field? i just so happen to be tearing down a house and almost got to the drywall. i was wondering what to do with it until the dumpster comes.
You need to crush and sieve it first.
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probably want to take the nails out too, maybe take the paper off of it, but that’s what i was talking about more than anything, except if it’s safe to use. i figure that after a year of lying in the field it should be ready no matter if it’s broken into pieces or not. laying it down and walking all over it should take care of the breaking it up part enough to let nature do the rest.
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Well if you have ever seen what happens to dry wall when you get a roof leak, the crap practically dissolves! One decent rainstorm and if it’s anything like my walls it will turn to porridge no time lol.
It may pay to do some googling to see if they add any chemical nasties to ‘stabilize’ it?
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that’s why i’m asking here. seems like it will work
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If probably disk it at a minimum
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no way to get a tractor on my hillside.