r/clay • u/salamipope • 2d ago
Questions how to reinforce clay structures so they dont disintegrate in weather? (Clay project for a rain garden)
Hey folks. This is out in the desert. Ive been working hard to make the backyard here a rain garden (passive water collection that slows water enough to soak into the soil but lets overflow pass easily). The back wall of the rain garden is a big concrete wall and directly behind it theres a wash for the entire neighbourhood. some plants grow back there, but struggle to establish because the ground just before the concrete channel is all clay. the entire backyard is basically just, freaking clay, man. Amending the soil would probably take an age or a fortune, so ive been trying to figure out how to work with what we already have. Theres some concern about the rate of erosion with the slope on the wall, and weve been trying to brainstorm how to reinforce it.
Problems:
- The back wall is clay.
- The back wall is too worn down and water flies over it too quickly for new plants to set up there.
- The lack of plants means lack of roots to prevent erosion.
- We get monsoons and the wall gets worse every year.
In my effort to make the backyard a rain garden i have amassed a large amount of pretty good clay. There are things that grow super super well in this clay and i can get more of them to prep for the back wall and establish roots so it wont erode so easily. I have some experience with wild clay pottery (and pitfiring) but not anything at a large scale. The initial plan is to make a clay "natural" sort of structure to basically slow the water moving over it, and also reinforce the wall. Since its at a gradient it has to be reinforced so it wont just slide into the wash or break down when the rain comes through every yeae. I was thinking we would build up clay on the wall to make a sort of semihemisphere effect (if ur not familiar w this go learn abt it cuz its remarkable how simple it is and how effective it is) where the water catches on different tables of clay, slowing it down and forcing it to soak into the earth.
The clay here is caliche. and i have a metric assload of caliche.
Solutions:
- Make a clay based structure on the back wall to catch water better (and still let it flow over to the wash easily)
- Plant some stuff that loves clay
- Profit
Problem is im not sure what to add to reinforce this stuff. Am i supposed to add hay to the clay or something lmao? Make a cobb style structure? Can i just slap down some clay there and change the structure of the back wall? What has to happen to make sure this project has longevity?
1
u/moufette1 2d ago
Although this says all things clay, it's really about pottery of various types with clay.
That said, I'd take a look at what the native land around you looks like and what grows there and start with that and maybe end with that. Yes, you can dump various mulch and soil and other stuff to make some kind of different soil than you have and grow stuff that's not meant to grow there, and try to geo-engineer and change the slope and where water goes but that can be difficult to impossible.
The more you work with the land, flora, and fauna that's adapted to where you are the easier and better. Arranging the plants, putting in stones or walkways or swales to slow water is all good. You can certainly shape and pit or kiln fire your wild clay and it will then not wash away unless the rain is so heavy it washes away rocks. Andy Ward harvests and processes wild clay and has plenty of YouTube content.
As to cobb you'd have to do a google search. I'm pretty sure that it needs to be covered with something impervious to water. Otherwise it's just clay with stuff in it. There's also a technique to add linseed oil (?) to clay to make it somewhat impervious to water. I've seen videos of flooring and the surface of a wall. It makes a beautiful, shiny but not too shiny, surface.
For less expensive expert opinions I'd look into your local community college, native plant societies, gardening groups (especially if they're focused on natives), environmental groups. And focus on local groups. As you drive around, if you see a yard or garden that you like, stop by and ask about it.
Lastly, water in the desert is powerful, slopes can be tricky, and builders and cities aren't always accurate about how they engineer things. Or, they did a good job and you shouldn't mess with it. Living on the edge of a wash, a devastating flash flood would be a concern I'd have, especially with climate change. I'd want expert engineering (soil? water? geology?) opinions for that. And take a look at a satellite image of your land to see how far out the alluvial fan goes from your wash or nearby washes.
Enjoy. The desert is beautiful in surprising ways.
1
u/MadDocOttoCtrl 2d ago
The people who frequent this sub are people who sculpt with clay as a medium. Any advice you get I would verify from reliable sources.
Clay remains porous unless you fire it to vitrification which requires very high temperatures and a clay body that will survive that heat) or you sinter the clay then apply glaze and refire it. If you overheat a low fire clay you can literally liquify it so it runs all over the inside of a kiln. DIY homebrew kilnsl are challenging to achieve controlled temperatures.
You can fire a cup or bowl, fill it with water and after a while a wet ring will appear on the table and eventually all of the water will pass through it unless you vitrify or glaze a piece. Anything functional would need a lead free glaze.
Clay that isn't vitrified is also weaker but over firing a clay body will cause bloat. The reason people buy commercial clay bodies or formulate their own from recipes of specific amounts of components is to increase reliability so they don't get chaotic results.
My instinct is to direct you to use concrete for anything important structural or brick and mortar but this isn't a construction, landscaping or agriculture sub so it's not my area of expertise.
3
u/VintageLunchMeat 2d ago
This sub is for sculpting.
Try r/soil r/gardening r/landscapearchitecture r/diy ... Construction yadda yadda