Will 50% perlite 50% clay soil work for my plants?

I have access to free clay soil. High in nutrients but doesn't drain very well. I was thinking i could mix it with an equal amount of perlite to improve drainage. Then ph it. I already have the whole foxfarm lineup so i don't think i would need anymore amendments.

Will my plants be able to thrive in that soil? Any adjustments i should make? Less perlite? Different amendments? Would appreciate any ideas

idk, but i think i'd steer clear from the clay..

WetNRollin said:

I have access to free clay soil. High in nutrients but doesn't drain very well. I was thinking i could mix it with an equal amount of perlite to improve drainage. Then ph it. I already have the whole foxfarm lineup so i don't think i would need anymore amendments.

Will my plants be able to thrive in that soil? Any adjustments i should make? Less perlite? Different amendments? Would appreciate any ideas

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No lol

Clay is great for ceramics though at 100%

Maybe, but i wouldent recommended the clay. Never heard of that combonae before. You should just go with soil instead of clay.

No don't do clay you will not get good results at all, Our girls like to dry out in between watering - clay holds moisture like forever lol, my backyard is full of the stuff and it sucks, heavy ass shit too. Just my 2 cents. I use Promix HP, Cal/mag, Jacks Classic and Maxsea easy and plants love it.

Please post a pic of you trying to mix it up

You should test it on 1 plant and document it here @ RIU. That would be interesting. I've never seen anyone grow a weed plant in a red soil before..........then again, maybe there's a reason for that.lol

Kay the soil isn't 100% clay... its clay soil. Its like soil but with a heavy clay content so it compacts easily. There is plants thriving in it now but I know it needs to be more aerated if I want an optimal environment for cannabis.

Anyone with actual experience amending clay soils?

I feel like the clay would jus seep into and around the perlite.
Yu'd be much better off just growing in the perlite alone.
Clay is more of a soil amendment, and less like a soil..
Good luck thou, let us noe how it goes.

Sir KK

It sounds like the main reason you are wanting to use clay soil is because it's free. But the truth of the matter is, the "soil" part of any soil mix is, literally, dirt cheap anyway. Perlite, on the other hand, is by far the most expensive part (and you would be using a lot of it!). Do you see where I'm going with this?

I think you would be better off (and cheaper) if you just made a "normal" soil mix with no more than 25% Perlite. For example:

FOUR-WAY MIX
1 part "store bought" Topsoil.
1 part Compost.
1 part Perlite.
1 part Composted Steer Manure.

I also agree with KK, above, I think the clay would clog up the Perlite.

Responding to this thread for anyone who has the same question cuz I found my answer after a lot of googling.

Clay soil that you find blackberries growing in is high in nutrients. And a blackberry thicket is a good place to plant cuz apparently they always grow facing south or southwest. Good location to get sunlight.

In order to amend the clay soil for cannabis you need to have a 60% sand 40% clay mixture. You can add whatever other amendments you need/adjust ph but just for aeration purposes its gotta be 60% sand 40% clay soil. Sand is really cheap. $5 for a 60 pound bag.

Gonna try this out this season. Will report back sometime in the summer to let anyone interested know how it turned out.

It can be done but why? Hell go get generic top soil at wally world for 1.60 a bag.

My half acre vegetables garden was made last year in heavy clay. It will take a few more years of fall/spring applications of sand and manure before it produces good.

whitebb2727 said:

It can be done but why? Hell go get generic top soil at wally world for 1.60 a bag.

My half acre vegetables garden was made last year in heavy clay. It will take a few more years of fall/spring applications of sand and manure before it produces good.

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I'm planning to grow trees this year so i'm going to need a massive amount of soil. 600 gallons+.

Buying 600 gallons of soil is going to get expensive even if I can find it in bulk. And the bigger problem will be actually transporting it. Can't move it myself and looking online the cost of shipping ended up being more then the actual soil.

Clay is part of soil.. It's one of those defining differences between soil and potting mixes. Yes I'd use it. Mixing it with sand until it drains well would make it a good medium.

WetNRollin said:

I'm planning to grow trees this year so i'm going to need a massive amount of soil. 600 gallons+.

Buying 600 gallons of soil is going to get expensive even if I can find it in bulk. And the bigger problem will be actually transporting it. Can't move it myself and looking online the cost of shipping ended up being more then the actual soil.

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I would use sand like church said. That is what I use in the garden.

You could also consider future years to come. You can prep soil with lime or humic acid to aid the break down of clay.
Sand is cheap. Should be able to get it 30 bucks a truck load or so. Also consider setting up a compost pile and worm bins for amendments next year. Also till straw and leaves into clay for next year.