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Using Clay Effectively

Using Clay Effectively - Soil Kings - Bulk Landscaping Supplies - Featured Image

Clay has always been a foundational material in culture. Humans used clay to create our first ceramics and build our first dirt-brick houses. Clay, along with sand and silt, is the main component of loam, so it has always been a readily accessible resource in much of the world. Today, clay continues to be important for construction.

 

The hardscape components of your landscaping project, such as your deck or shed, require a strong, stable foundation. As you build your porch up from the ground, the soil you build on is going to have a huge effect on the durability of your project. Soils range in strength. While some dirt can support an entire house, a walk down the beach will clearly demonstrate that others can’t even support the weight of a human. If the loam under your deck or shed isn’t stable, your creation could crack, sink, or even collapse.

 

As our previous sandy beach example demonstrates, sandy soils tend to lack strength and stability. Clay textures, on the other hand, have a stronger texture that offers greater stability. Remember that you won’t want to build on pure clay; as with garden soil, the best engineered dirt has a mix of clay, sand, and silt. This is notable because pure clay can be vulnerable to movement during times of droughts and flooding. Instead, you’ll want to build on a well balanced, clay dominant loam.

 

This can be achieved by blending high quality clay into the loam native to your yard, allowing you to create a soil with a dependable mix of different sized particles and texture, while favouring structurally superior clay. Clay is also nutrient rich, so while few plants enjoy growing in pure clay, you won’t have to worry if some clay gets mixed into your flower beds during your landscaping project.

 

Alberta’s strong agriculture industry is a testament to our excellent soil, but despite that, few building sites are going to have ideal conditions from the start. Careful engineering and landscaping design means taking soil type into account before you start building in order to prevent disastrous foundation movement as your deck or shed settles. If your construction project requires blending clay into your existing loam in order to improve your foundation’s stability, look no further than Soil Kings with superior landscaping supplies at an affordable price. We also offer easy online ordering and contact-free delivery, to ensure Albertans can access the high quality landscaping supplies they need during this time of social distancing.