Heavy clay soil is a difficult and daunting challenge for tree health. Often blamed as the bane of gardens and landscapes, clay is well known for its tendency to compact into a nearly impenetrable underground barrier that all but stops root growth and makes water infiltration and drainage nearly impossible. The plagues of compaction typically seen with heavy clay frequently lead to root rot and many tree diseases, weaken trees over time, and reduce their resilience to environmental stresses such as drought or extreme temperatures. For trees both small and large, clay issues can negatively and significantly impact a tree’s well-being, survivability, and ultimately its structural integrity and safety.
Common problems with clay soils include:
- Poor drainage and water logging can drown and suffocate tree roots, inviting root rot and other soil pathogens.
- Poor water infiltration stops the movement of water to the tree’s root zone, inhibiting needed hydration.
- Anaerobic (de-oxygenated) soil conditions prevent gas exchange which causes a lack of oxygen and accumulation of carbon dioxide around tree roots – resulting in significant stress that can threaten the life of a tree.
- Compacted soil creates a physical barrier that blocks root growth and restricts root expansion, making it difficult for trees to establish strong and stable root systems.
- Lack of nutrient mobility - essential nutrients may become locked within compacted clay soils, rendering them inaccessible to trees and plants.
AS A RESULT, LANDSCAPES WITH HEAVY CLAY SOILS CAN QUICKLY TURN INTO TROUBLE ZONES CAUSING MAJOR HEADACHES – AS WELL AS EXPENSIVE LOSSES – UNLESS PROACTIVE MEASURES ARE TAKEN TO IMPROVE SOIL STRUCTURE AND PROMOTE HEALTHY BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY.
Improving clay structure can transform your clay soil from a landscape liability into a valuable asset.
The issue with clay soil is not so much the actual composition of the clay itself – but the way it is put together, or in soil terms, how clay soil is structured. Well-structured clay soils have many favorable benefits for trees, but when factors facilitating structure are lacking, clay does have a greater tendency to collapse and compact. So, to find solutions to clay compaction problems, it’s helpful to have an understanding about the factors that make up a clay soil. Let’s take a deeper look at clay so that you can make positive changes that are sustainable and will last for the long term.
Size, shape and density: The factors of clay compaction
We’ll start by taking a closer look at the components that make up a clay soil and see how structure plays a role with compaction issues. In a nutshell, clay soils are mostly made up of microscopically small and flat mineral particles that are densely packed together and can easily stack on top of each other. With added exposure to disturbances common in urban landscapes, such as frequent foot traffic and the repeated use of heavy lawn equipment, clay soils readily compact and quickly become inhospitable environments for trees and other plants.
SO, IN ORDER TO FIX CLAY COMPACTION, YOU HAVE TO IMPROVE A CLAY SOIL’S STRUCTURE.
Understanding clay structure: Stacking the deck in favor of soil health
To get a bigger picture of bad versus good soil structure with clay – and how to improve it -think of a deck of cards versus a house of cards. Each card represents a clay soil particle. In a deck all of the cards are stacked on top of each other. There are no spaces between them, and the only exposed surface area is what surrounds the deck itself. This represents in a sense what happens with clay soil particles under compaction conditions.
Now let’s look at a house of cards where the cards are arranged upwards and sideways at different angles so that there are gaps between them, and many more of the surfaces of the cards are exposed. This represents a well-structured soil – and in the case of clay this can unlock some amazing benefits for your trees and plants.
Clay does have benefits.
Once exposed, the surfaces of clay particles have considerable potential to attract and hold onto plant available nutrients and water molecules. Because of this, with their tiny size and high density – meaning a whole lot of exposed particle surface areas are packed into a small space – a high percentage of clay particles in a soil can significantly raise its potential for fertility as well as its ability to retain moisture. And when clay particles are well structured, more like the house of cards, the creation of the gaps – or soil pore spaces - that form between them allows for the free movement of air and water. This aeration greatly improves the soil’s ability to drain and infiltrate. So, the key is to fixing clay is to pull apart and reassemble the compacted particle “deck” to rebuild a clay soil’s structure. Improving structure can transform even the heaviest clay soil from a potentially mortal foe into your tree’s best friend.
Working with Mother Nature - Utilizing soil biology to unlock the benefits of clay
With clay or any soil type, favorable soil structure happens naturally in a living environment - such as a forest – where soil mineral particles are teamed up with a vast community of living organisms. Some of these organisms are visible to the naked eye, such as earthworms, fungi, and soil dwelling insects, as well as the roots of the trees themselves and other plants. There are also millions of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, micro-fungi, protozoa, and nematodes that are very valuable members of a soil’s ecosystem.
SOIL ORGANISMS HAVE A POWERFUL INFLUENCE ON SOIL STRUCTURE. They can move through soil, creating channels that allow for the free movement of air and water. Some organisms such as fungi and bacteria secrete sticky substances that can bind soil mineral particles, arranging them into crumbly clumps called aggregates. These aggregates also aid in creating soil pore spaces. And as more mineral particles are aggregated and pulled together, more pore spaces are created between them which aerate soil and allow for increased water movement and gas exchange. In addition, soil organisms also break down leaf litter, fallen tree branches, and other plant material into valuable organic matter - which additionally binds and aggregates soil minerals to further enhance soil structure.
PAIRED TOGETHER, A WELL-STRUCTURED CLAY SOIL WITH AN ACTIVE BIOLOGICAL COMMUNITY UNLOCKS AN ECOLOGICAL POWERHOUSE UNDERGROUND THAT WILL MEET ALL OF YOUR TREE’S NEEDS FOR NOURISHMENT, GROWTH, AND FUTURE HEALTH!
So if you don’t live in a forest, how can you convert your soil from a lifeless hard brick to a vibrant living ecosystem?
Cultivating better structure in a clay soil doesn’t require a total soil overhaul - rather, it can happen naturally by fostering conditions that invite beneficial organisms that will encourage aggregation, break up compaction, and continue to help with the soil building process. Monster Tree Service offers a suite of holistic products and services in our Soil Health Program that can bring the benefits of Mother Nature home to your backyard, rebuilding your soil into a vibrant living ecosystem which will provide long lasting benefits to your trees. WITH SOME BIOLOGICAL ASSISTANCE, STUBBORN CLAY COMPACTION CAN BE FIXED, AND A RESTRUCTURED CLAY SOIL CAN OFFER TREMENDOUS BENEFITS THAT MAKE IT SERVE AS AN ALLY RATHER THAN AN ADVERSARY TO PROMOTE TREE AND PLANT HEALTH.
Monster’s Soil Health Program is a sustainable alternative that works deep to relieve clay compaction and nourish your trees.
Monster’s Soil Health Program includes a yearly schedule of applications using nature-based products that mimic the seasonal cycles of a forest environment. Our formulations are tailored specifically to meet the needs of trees, not only rebuilding soil structure, but also feeding the soil biology that in turn nourishes the roots of trees and shrubs underground. Applications may be made either by deep root injections – energizing biology directly within the tree’s root zone where it’s needed most - or be incorporated through a process of air excavation which non-invasively lifts, aerates, and amends soil. BOTH APPLICATIONS ALLEVIATE COMPACTION WITHOUT DAMAGING TREE ROOTS – ACTIVATING BIOLOGY TO BRING RELIEF TO HARD, COMPACTED CLAY SOIL.
This is a different approach to conventional fertilizer applications which do very little to address clay compaction issues.
Conventional synthetic fertilizers sold at big box stores and offered by many tree and land care providers may address some immediate nutritional needs for trees, but they do not address soil compaction issues - and generally FERTILIZERS ARE NOT SUSTAINABLE, LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS FOR TREE HEALTH. Fertilizers also pose harmful risks to the environment and can even endanger the health of trees by promoting weak rapid growth and inviting pest issues.
Using nature based inputs, Monster’s Soil Health Program takes a different approach to improving soil – rebuilding the underground environment where tree roots live and grow by supporting microbial populations that naturally sustain trees. As a result, trees will grow and thrive the way that Mother Nature intended – and they will stay healthier, greener, and more vibrant in the long term.
Don’t let clay soil be a showstopper to enjoying a beautiful yard! Follow the course of Mother Nature to sustainably relieve compacted clay and restore life to your soil.
With guidance from Mother Nature and some help from Monster Tree Service, your backyard’s clay soil can be changed from a hard-packed obstacle to a rich, living foundation where your trees and plants will flourish. Talk to your Monster arborist today about enrolling your trees and property in our holistic Soil Health Program for a natural, sustainable approach that transforms compacted, lifeless ground into a thriving, self-renewing system. With each season, as you nurture and steward your clay soil, you set the stage for healthy, vigorous trees that will stand as living legacies in your landscape.