The soil in my yard is very hard water will not soak in but a 1/2 in or so,how can I soften the soil?

Question

My soil is very hard water will not soak in ,what can I do to soften the soil

Answer 1

Sounds like you have clay soil.  You would have to amend it if you want to garden........use a cultivator and break it up.............test the soil.....you might need lime, mulch, old horse manure, hay or straw and cultivated it with a tiller......rake and try to leave it on a slight slant to keep the drainage working well, every year we till the leaves and grass clippings in again.

Answer 2

suggest you amend soil to soften it and provide more air space.

Answer 3

The short answer is sand, adding sand will soften up the soil and allow the water to pass through. Getting it into the soil will call for work. You will need to break up the ground before adding the sand and work it together afterwards until the sand is well blended. If your plants are slow to grow you will need to add a good potting soil to the mix and repeat each year afterwards. Otherwise test your to see what is missing and what needed to be added.