Can Form 8815 Amend 2023-2024

Welcome to Hort tube where we talk all things gardening. My name is Jim Putnam and today we're going to talk about planting in clay soils. Today I won't just be talking about clay-based soils, but any type of soil that doesn't drain very well between rains or stays wet between rains. I will discuss how to amend those soils when planting woody shrubs, flowering shrubs, trees, or any sort of gardening to improve drainage. Now let's go over the tools we might use in clay-based soils. First of all, I prefer to buy all fiberglass tools. I started my landscape company 20 years ago in 1996, and some of the tools I purchased at that time with fiberglass handles are still in use today. One of these tools is the garden rake. Over the years, I've used this rake quite a bit, and it has been very helpful when planting. Its main use is to pull existing mulch and pine straw out of the way, clearing an area around the planting hole. This prevents mixing the existing mulch or pine straw into the new planting hole. Another important tool when planting in clay is a pickaxe. This pickaxe with a fiberglass handle has been with me for a very long period of time. It has held up extremely well. The two ends of this pickaxe serve different purposes. One end is for removing rocks or roots from the hole, while the other end is for breaking up the clay. However, I need to sharpen the pickaxe as it has become extremely dull. Once the clay is broken up, we use a shovel to remove the soil from the hole. I do not recommend using a full-sized shovel to break up clay soils as it is very difficult. Instead, I use a trenching...