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I was setting a post in that heavy clay soil over in Springfield and the whole thing shifted overnight.
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michaela165mo ago
That heavy clay actually changes how deep you need to set the post. The frost line charts are wrong for that soil. It holds water and freezes different than regular dirt, so it heaves way more. You could have set it plenty deep by the book and it still moves. Basically need to treat it like you're building on a sponge. Ever try digging a test hole after a thaw to see how far down it's still soupy?
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hugo_cooper2mo ago
Funny how that works with all sorts of stuff. It's like how people say you should change your oil every 3,000 miles but newer cars can go double that, so everyone's just following old rules that don't fit what they're actually dealing with. Same with those soil tests you buy at the garden store - they're great for basic dirt, but my yard has so much shale mixed in that the results are basically useless. We just kind of assume the standard advice covers everything when it really doesn't.
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paige_martin5mo ago
Oh perfect. That Springfield clay is basically liquid concrete one day and a shifting fault line the next. I watched my neighbor's fence post slowly lean over like the Tower of Pisa after a rain. That stuff doesn't settle, it goes on a little journey. You'll probably find your post three feet to the left by next week.
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