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clay soil amendments?

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brian:
As my greenhouse construction progresses I'm starting to think about soil.   I intend to plant trees directly into the ground inside my greenhouse.  My soil is clay but not too hard - the topsoil crumbles under hand pressure.  The dirt on my greenhouse floor is loose right now because it is recently excavated from the foundation trench.   I have an opportunity now to amend it, and/or shape it to affect drainage.   Any suggestions? 

* Doing nothing at all may be a viable option.  The clay drains poorly, but as I will have full control over how much water goes inside, I'm not sure if this is a real concern or not.   
* Mix in a large amount of mulch or some other organic matter and roto-till it in?  The greenhouse is 18'x32' so it would take ~10cu yds to fill 6in deep. 
* Mix in a large amount of perlite or sand to improve drainage?  But it would still be clay underneath so unless I shaped it to drain to the edges I don't see it making a difference other than perhaps improving root penetration.   Also I read that adding sand to clay is a bad idea unless you add a massive amount of sand. 
* Just add mulch on top, and renew every year or two and let it works its way down over time. 
* Create mounds or rows and plant trees there, perhaps with amended soil or 4x4 wood boxes to create "raised beds" that drain to the sides

Lauren08:
Hello
In a garden center near me in nc they have something called perma till. Im not sure of its price but i hear its a awesome soil ammendment. Its made of lava rock or sonething of the sort (i think) and it never degrades so you never have to replace it. I dont know of its what you have in mind but its a thought. You can also get bags of soil conditioner. Its like mulch

mrtexas:

--- Quote from: brian on September 10, 2017, 10:01:18 AM ---As my greenhouse construction progresses I'm starting to think about soil.   I intend to plant trees directly into the ground inside my greenhouse.  My soil is clay but not too hard - the topsoil crumbles under hand pressure.  The dirt on my greenhouse floor is loose right now because it is recently excavated from the foundation trench.   I have an opportunity now to amend it, and/or shape it to affect drainage.   Any suggestions? 

* Doing nothing at all may be a viable option.  The clay drains poorly, but as I will have full control over how much water goes inside, I'm not sure if this is a real concern or not.   
* Mix in a large amount of mulch or some other organic matter and roto-till it in?  The greenhouse is 18'x32' so it would take ~10cu yds to fill 6in deep. 
* Mix in a large amount of perlite or sand to improve drainage?  But it would still be clay underneath so unless I shaped it to drain to the edges I don't see it making a difference other than perhaps improving root penetration.   Also I read that adding sand to clay is a bad idea unless you add a massive amount of sand. 
* Just add mulch on top, and renew every year or two and let it works its way down over time. 
* Create mounds or rows and plant trees there, perhaps with amended soil or 4x4 wood boxes to create "raised beds" that drain to the sides
--- End quote ---
Don't amend clay soil. You will create a bathtub to drown your plants. Make a raised bed. Soil here is 100% clay, dig it up and fire into bricks.

Millet:
Raised beds is the best option.  Further, trees on trifoliate orange do good on clay soil and are also rated as good for wet soil.

Susanne42:
Michigan has a lot of clay, and areas with no clay seem to be silt, equally bad I think. There is a big green house near where I live and they have a huge grapefruit tree in there. i have not figured out yet if the container it is in, is bottomless or not but think for places with unfit soil it would be a good solution?

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