Calculating Volume Of Soil Amendments For Clay Soil

[boggybranch]

Take the square footage (WxL)....multiple by 3 (for 3 inchs of amendments recommended for each layer, incorporated one layer at a time).
Soil amendments are sold by the cubic yard, so to convert the volume from cubic ft to cubic yds, divide the cubic footage by 27 (27 cubic feet equals 1 cubic yard).

 

[thistlebloom]

Thanks Boggy... I'll have to save that formula. I'm numbers challenged
and always make the Math Wizard (DH) figure that stuff out for me.
I'll memorize it and impress him someday. He'll probably take me in for a brain scan...

 

[Smiles Jr.]

Thanks Boggy. But you are mixing units in your formula.

3 inches = .25 ft. (not 3 ft.) That would be a lot of compost or peat wouldn't it?

(Length in ft. x Width in ft. x .25) divided by 27 = cubic yd.

 

[thistlebloom]

Great Smiles, and I almost had it memorized!
...revising the formula...

 

[boggybranch]

Thanks Boggy. But you are mixing units in your formula.

3 inches = .25 ft. (not 3 ft.) That would be a lot of compost or peat wouldn't it?

(Length in ft. x Width in ft. x .25) divided by 27 = cubic yd.

Holy Moly.........my bad (LOL) Thanks for the "proof read".

 

[vfem]

Good stuff! Thanks!!!

 

[patandchickens]

There is an easier way for the math-challenged to figure how much area a given volume will cover to a given depth.

A cubic yard is exactly that, a cube ("square box") in which each of the sides measures 1 yard. So its footprint is 3x3' (one yard square), and it is 3' high atop that footprint.

Just mentally divide it into slices as thick as you want to spread your stuff.

Want to put 4" thickness of (whatever) on your garden? Well, the cube is 3' tall, there are three 4" slices in each foot thus you can get twelve slices total out of your cubic yard. The footprint is 1 sq yard, so you will be covering 12 sq yards (=108 sq ft) to a depth of 4".... that could be a space 10x11', or 6x18', or whatever else adds up to an area of 108 (ish) sq ft.

Or your cubic yard would give you six 6"-deep slices, or 36 1"-deep slices, or whatever.

Then multiply by whatever fraction of a cubic yard one bag of the stuff IS, to tell you how much area that bag will cover at your desired depth. For instance a 0.2 cu yd bag would cover 0.2 x 108 = 22 sq ft at a depth of 4".

The value of this approach is that you need not memorize anything whatsoever, and it works for ANY depth of amendment that you want

Pat