Topic: Adding organic matter to improve heavy soil

[Hector]

We have heavy soil that gets waterlogged at bottom of an incline.

We are putting in raised beds but also want to try and improve by adding organic matter.

We are redoing a large strawberry bed and will be planting them through a permeable weed suppressing membrane.

I want to add six inches of organic matter on top of the heavy soil first. I have some rotted manure that is manure without straw, as lifted from field ( not bedding). It's teeming with worms, which is good as this soil has low percentage of worms.

Can I add a layer of straw to this or will that make a damp area damper?

Thanks
Jackie

[johhnyco15]

any organic matter should help as much as you as you can get your hands on with raised beds the manure heats up very quickly and drops at least 2/3 in a month or soi have the opposite to you sandy soil however the remedy  is the same each year i trench 200 sweetcorn stalks straw cardboard grass cuttings and it really helps by the next season there is no trace of all that organic matter but im finding over the past 8 years im watering less and less as the organic matter does its job it should do the same for heavy ground also its a major job but it does pay offin the end good luck hope this helps

[Digeroo]

I do not think that the worms in manure are the same type as worms in the soil.  Manure/compost worms are the red strippy type (brandling worms).   If you put them into soil, they will wait for a wet night and decamp.  They eat vegetable matter. 
Earthworms take in soil and extract nutrients such as fungi, bacteria and protozoa. 

If things are really too wet you could try growing on top of strawbales.

[Hector]

Thanks Digeroo..Never thought about that. Visions of homeless worms!

[Hector]

Would adding finely chipped branches be too "fresh" / Bulky?

[ancellsfarmer]

Thanks Digeroo..Never thought about that. Visions of homeless worms!

Good practice is to put a layer of wet cardboard, straw or wet hay as a pillow on the top of your compost heap or bin a few days before you wish to use it. Then lift off the "pillow" with a fork and move the hopefully brandling worm filled layer to the new heap. It saves them from the walk on a wet night, and protects them from predation. They are valuable to you and should be encouraged. The lob worms you want in the soil can be attracted to heaps of old turf stacked together, and if you turn over the stack occasionaly, simply pick them up and place where required. To keep them safe, add a mulch of the new compost from the stack aforementioned

[Hector]

Ancells farmer. Would that work with a manure heap...we are digging out a manure heap in a field nearby...so would prefer not to bump off worms.

[ancellsfarmer]

Your manure heap ,unless very old,would contain mainly brandling ( stripey "tiger" worms) who will not enjoy plain soil as do lobs. They will migrate back to concentrated manure or compost conditions. There are about 15 different worm species in the Uk, but I would fail to identify them all!
You would do best to take from the heap the oldest material, being less intensively populated with brandlings, and more broken down by their actions. I would not concern myself unduly if it is teeming, they rapidly multiply if conditions are fair .