How to aerate clay soil???

joseph brand

I saw these spikey aerator shoes on ebay. Like golf shoes, but with longer spikes.

One suggestion I read about, was the use of a drill bit, see here:
http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/product/227108_front200.jpg

My soil can be rolled up like putty, very very compact.

I reckon the best thing is to pull 1/2 inch cores from ground and add sand. Would prefer the soil a bit sandy-ish.

Any suggestions, anyone tried and failed/ had success?

Thanks,

Kev.

The Sweeper

It depends what you want to do with the soil.

Lawn? Trees and shrubs? Flower beds? Fruit and vegetables?

It also depends on the size of the land you're working with.

The best way to make clay soil more friable is loosen it - mattock, digger, rotovator - and mix through about 20% organic material (mushroom compost) and gypsum (up to 2kgs per square metre). That would be very expensive over a large area, so it's an idea initially to work on improving the soil in the places where you want to grow things.

mickeymoney

consider buckwheat.

"breaks down heavy clay soils" according to the packet of seeds Ive got.
Cheap too. to cover 15 meter squared of seeds - 1.5 euros.

http://www.secretseeds.com/acatalog/Green_manures.html