clay-is it bad?
 

i just dug up 2 stumps out front of the house (ma has been after me and pa about doing for quite some time now) when i finished digging/chopping/pulling them out the hole was about 1 foot deep and 3-4 feet across---but down only that far i was hitting a LOT of clay---now iv decided (with mas permission of course) too plant 3 banana plants (dwarf ornico) there---will they be all right growing in thick clay---of course i will dig them up come late fall???

Re: clay-is it bad?
 

I would dig the area out, remove as much clay as you can and amend the soil. Clay would probably hold more moisture than you want for bananas as it is poor at draining water.

Re: clay-is it bad?
 

very good point-i will be refilling the hole with good soil but the clay goes way down---do u know about how far the roots go down or do they go out more---im hopeing for out?

Re: clay-is it bad?
 

Yeah, they definitely go outward much farther than they go downward. I'm not certain how deep they typically go, but I've heard reports of them stretching outward in excess of 15' from the plant. Given, you probably don't need to clear that large of an area for your plants, but that is how far they will stretch if uninhibited.

Re: clay-is it bad?
 

I have bananas in heavy clay and they do great. The topsoil is about 1 1/2 feet deep and then there is a small layer of topsoil mixed into the clay, but the rest is dense clay. Just make sure that you don't dig a hole in the clay where water will collect. This will make things worse.

-Brett

Re: clay-is it bad?
 

My soil is all heavy clay.

Re: clay-is it bad?
 

I have alot of clay soil. Clay is good for moisture retension in the summer but once it cools off its not good cause you roots are going to rott if its wet & cold. With the mounds I put in the banana's will go down as far as they can to get a good anchor point, and I mean a good 15 inches in a raised mound of good soil mix, and of course they have been known to go very wide from the base of the corm as previously described. :^)

Re: clay-is it bad?
 

Glad all you more experienced clay-soil growers chimed in here to give some insight. I'm no expert on the topic, by any means, so I'm glad to hear more knowledgeable anecdotal evidence.

Re: clay-is it bad?
 

If your in the cold area with clay and your plant is in the ground and you think your plant is in dire need don't be afraid to dig it up and wash all the clay off the corm to put in a well draining soil. I did that several weeks back to 2 of my unknowns, and they're both a doing much better since I took action to keep them from rotting in place. :^) Before it gets cool I'll do the same thing to my Ice Cream ((5ft'er now) with warm water) to help it grow better in my office over the winter, and of course a lil Mycorrhizal Fungi won't hurt anything. :^)

Re: clay-is it bad?
 

yes thanx 2all for the input-i shall plant some pics once i get em planted

Re: clay-is it bad?
 

Abnshrek and Brettay are correct. You never want to dig a hole in clay and amend with good draining soil--it creates a pot without a drain. If you have a slope so that you can make sure the lowest side is lower than the bottom (so water can drain out of the low side), then mixing organic matter with clay works very well. Otherwise, it is best to do as Abnshrek suggested and create a mound of good draining soil above the clay. It is OK to mix some clay into that mound-- as long as the mixture drains well.

Re: clay-is it bad?
 

HELLO To ALL

THE CLAY SOIL GROUND IS GOOD TO A CERTAIN POINT, THIS IS IN SUMMER BECAUSE YOU RETAIN THE WATER WITH BIGGER FACILITY BUT YOU ARE PROBLEMATICAL IN RAINY EPOCH SINCE IN GENERAL THEY HAVE BADLY INTERNAL DRAINAGE.
THIS TEXTURE CAN GO AWAY GETTING BETTER APPLYING AMENDMENTS BEING THIS COMPOST, BOKASHI, VERMICOMPOST Or SIMPLY DUNG EITHER OF COW Or HORSE.
I HAVE NOW FARMERS WITH 3 HA A OTHER WITH MORE (30 HA) A PLANTAIN IS GROWING VERY GOOD. AFTER I WILL SEND PICTURE