Trees choking in clay?

How do?

So I have a few trees that appear to be asphyxiating... They are in some very heavy clay. For the first season or two they seemed to be growing OK, but now they look very sad. They have water and the soil has been topped with manure a couple times. The main symptoms are very slow growth and pale leaves.

Looking around on the internet it seems a lot of people are recommending carefully and barely exposing the upper roots to promote air exchange. The roots are tehn mulched for protection. I do think that the trees "root neck" seems like they were planted too deep or got some sediment deposited on top or something.

Anyone ever had to fix a tree that seemed to be choking in clay?

I saw a TV show where they used Hugelkultur to remedy growing in clay.

Would it be possible to put some hugelkultur beds maybe between the trees and the drip line?

The only other remedy for clay is to add lots of organic matter around the trees.  Wood chips, leaves, coffee grounds, compost, etc.

In my area clay is the norm. Maybe 5 to 6 inches of soil at most.  The trees grow fine.  I have put down a lot of wood chips and can see the clay slowly converting to loose dark soil.

Maybe vertically mulch?
That's digging or drilling a hole strait down near the tree and fill it with organic matter.

I build compost piles right next to fruit trees, to feed them.

Funny you say this. I live in an area that was mined for sand-- they took the sand and left the layers of clay between. Thick orange clay (think Georgia).
This clay grows great brassicas and beans and corn. But I have put in a number of citrus trees and have one in particular that just isn't happy. I dug a big hole, big pile of compost in the hole, constantly topdressing with rabbit manure, compost, etc, and it is still miserable. I had it in a pot for years and it gave me rangpur limes, lots of them, for about 5 years. Put it in the ground thinking it would be happy and voilá, not a flower since, grows almost nothing, looks like the sickest thing you've ever seen.

I have another one that went into the same ground after years in a pot, but somehow it ended up with some roots exposed (I didn't do anything purposefully for this to happen, it wasn't like this when it was in the pot). It isn't tall, and often gets attacked by aphids, but it puts out blood oranges and at least seems to be trying. May just be coincidence, but the difference is remarkable.

I wonder if they are drowning rather than choking?
Impermeable clay could create a pond effect...

I suspect William Bronson is on the right track.

There are many and various forms of clay. In my area, it's powdered rock from the Rocky Mountains, via glaciation. Given its chemistry, it can be the basis for incredible fertility; but in its pure form it sets up as hard and impenetrable as concrete.

My thought is: if you can't stomp a spading fork into the zone where the feeder roots of your trees are, neither can the trees. Either they are starving or drowning. Break up that initial clay layer, vertically in and a radius from the trunk, and get some organic matter down into the cracks.

Geez, I forgot I posted this! Sorry folks...

So yeah it definitely isn't drowning. at least not in summer. I bring it water but never enough. I am actually going to setup some drip out there (bucket with a hole in it). The water is "ok" presently. The soil down a ways is cool and damp so it is getting some water, probably not enough but it shouldn't look as bad as it does. I suspect it looks a lot like Tereza's tree.

I did dig in some OM when I planted it. I think I might do more around the edge of the drip line. Of course I will keep mulching.

There is a hugel in between two of the trees. It isn't fully effective yet though. It's still pretty much sticks buried in dirt. The soil here is just hydrophobic as hell and I can't be wasting water to baby it along. My experience is that in a couple years the wood finally breaks down a bit and the hugel starts to function. But until then it looks like it's preserving the wood, not rotting it hahaha.

Thanks a bunch! I will let you know next year if these guys start to grow.

after this thread, maybe the plant heard me threatening it, and i saw a few flowers. it still looks like charlie brown's lemon tree, but if it gives me some lemons i won't complain anymore.