How many plants would you have to dig up to get your amendments directly in the soil where the roots are? I would think that would benefit the plants most Maybe you could dig and till rows a few at a time. You are far enough south that you could continue the work through early October.

Debra

Up here in NJ, one could typically do Jim's option 2 through at least mid to late October. So he should be able to do it thru Thanksgiving at least , I would think. I do realize he has set aside mid September for the work. This comment is more directed to Debra; I do agree with her that option 2 is preferable. Plus, daylillies are super tough.

I'd like to hear from some daylilly and Alabama people. I came across this in the soil/compost forum.

The only thing that might contribute to drainage is the cotton compost.....save your money on the other stuff. Gypsum has other qualities but not drainage improvement.

I agree with Debra...and I am only a couple hours north of you, and I can continue working in October (better than now) so I know you can a good bit later. If you have a few you are especially worried about pot them and pet them while you are moving things aroun...Do some planning and you could wind up with a better arrangement of blooms than you have now. Why not share photos of yor project as you work on it.? I like to see photos like that.

kay

I have around 60-70 plants and plan to thin those down some during this process. I was under the impression that gypsum would help improve clay soil drainage??? I will probably wait until October (cooler) and will remove the plants and pot my most specials ones. There is a medium amount of organic matter in this soil now. The area gets sun form early morning until around 4pm and is in the shade then. Any other suggestions for admendments to the soil ? I will post pictures once I start this project. Thanks for all your comments,

Gypsum can help but particularly with sodic clays that contain a lot of sodium. You can inquire locally as to what kind of clays you have. In any case gypsum won't really hurt anything either way.

You can improve the organic matter content in perennial beds by using a lot of degradable mulches. Put down compost first then top with leaves, grass clippings (from that last mowing), wood chips, etc. They will break down into the soil and improve texture over time. Admittedly, digging it up is much faster, but this technique can also be used to maintain the soil over time. Most people want a mulch that won't go away, but degradable ones have benefits.