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East Facing UK Garden + Clay
On 10/08/2012 00:27, David Hare-Scott wrote: Kay Lancaster wrote: Treat clay soils with respect... they're difficult to grow on. yes indeed. D A commonly held and vastly mistaken view, IMHO. Difficult to work maybe. But they are not difficult to grow on at all, if you keep to a couple of simple rules. Firstly, never try to plant anything when they I, too, have been growing on clay for about 40 years now... first the clay subsoil that was all the builders left when they stripped the top soil and sold it at my childhood home in Iowa, and now out here in Oregon -- both yellow clays, though the Oregon clay is calcium poor, rocky and nearly free of worms (there are no native worms out here), so it compacts easily and often requires mechanical aeration-- the Iowa soil did not require much mechanical aeration and was calcium rich. I still say it's a difficult soil to learn to grow on. It's hard to work, and as one who was late to learn about shovel polishing of holes, it can be unsuccessful just due to hole-digging technique. In fact, the experience of trying to garden in my childhood home had really pushed me away from the idea of ever trying to garden. It wasn't until I moved to an area with a lovely, deep prairie topsoil that gardening became fun. There, I could stand barefoot on bare soil and wiggle my feet a bit and dig myself in ankle deep, the soil was that friable and loose. Stick a plant in the ground and it grew. But clay presents difficulties to most gardeners that a more balanced soil does not... especially in the absence of good soil aeration. It can be particularly tricky because of its cationic exchange properties... it serves as an excellent buffer until it buffers no more. Though clay holds soil moisture well, it's often not as available to the plants as water in sandy soils, e.g.: http://ag.arizona.edu/turf/tips1095.html which is a special problem in drought. And in comparing plant hardiness in the soils in Iowa (USDA zone 5), I saw no real difference in frost protection in clay vs. an organic loam: slope had a much larger effect. David is, I believe, gardening on arid land clay in S. California; a friend put her lawn in the front of the house in with (literally) pick and shovel. When I lived there, my veggies were grown in raised beds to avoid the salinized clay my house was built on (a failed orange grove). Kay |
#2
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East Facing UK Garden + Clay
On 10/08/2012 22:42, Kay Lancaster wrote:
On 10/08/2012 00:27, David Hare-Scott wrote: Kay Lancaster wrote: Treat clay soils with respect... they're difficult to grow on. yes indeed. D A commonly held and vastly mistaken view, IMHO. Difficult to work maybe. But they are not difficult to grow on at all, if you keep to a couple of simple rules. Firstly, never try to plant anything when they I, too, have been growing on clay for about 40 years now... first the clay subsoil that was all the builders left when they stripped the top soil and sold it at my childhood home in Iowa, and now out here in Oregon -- both yellow clays, though the Oregon clay is calcium poor, rocky and nearly free of worms (there are no native worms out here), Is that normal? I don't know anything about Oregon Clay, but would have though that if there are almost no worms, more-or-less nothing could grow as recycling of plant material couldn't take place, and aeration would be non-existent. What happens with the native plants out there? Or is the area basically a clay desert? so it compacts easily and often requires mechanical aeration-- the Iowa soil did not require much mechanical aeration and was calcium rich. It wasn't until I moved to an area with a lovely, deep prairie topsoil that gardening became fun. There, I could stand barefoot on bare soil and wiggle my feet a bit and dig myself in ankle deep, the soil was that friable and loose. Stick a plant in the ground and it grew. But that's too easy. Don't you want a challenge? ;-) Though clay holds soil moisture well, it's often not as available to the plants as water in sandy soils, e.g.: http://ag.arizona.edu/turf/tips1095.html which is a special problem in drought. Interesting article. Grass, though... -- Jeff |
#3
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East Facing UK Garden + Clay
In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote: On 10/08/2012 22:42, Kay Lancaster wrote: On 10/08/2012 00:27, David Hare-Scott wrote: Kay Lancaster wrote: Treat clay soils with respect... they're difficult to grow on. yes indeed. D A commonly held and vastly mistaken view, IMHO. Difficult to work maybe. But they are not difficult to grow on at all, if you keep to a couple of simple rules. Firstly, never try to plant anything when they I, too, have been growing on clay for about 40 years now... first the clay subsoil that was all the builders left when they stripped the top soil and sold it at my childhood home in Iowa, and now out here in Oregon -- both yellow clays, though the Oregon clay is calcium poor, rocky and nearly free of worms (there are no native worms out here), Is that normal? I don't know anything about Oregon Clay, but would have though that if there are almost no worms, more-or-less nothing could grow as recycling of plant material couldn't take place, and aeration would be non-existent. What happens with the native plants out there? Or is the area basically a clay desert? Here, 70 miles north of San Francisco, we have heavy clay. We scratched at it for years before getting serious. The final solution was tilling in sand (probably %5), and organic material. On this was planted rye grass, and buckwheat, which break-up, and fills the soil with an amazing amount of roots. Lastly, we keep the beds mulched, which allow the worms to do most of the heavy work of turning, aerating (good soil is 50% air spaces), and draining the soil. For sure, plants like sequoias, oak, bay, and manzanita can punch through the clay, but east of here in the town of Sonoma, there is impenetrable hardpan (clay) a few feet below the top soil, which can prevent perennials from finding the water they need. Gotta work with wha'cha got. so it compacts easily and often requires mechanical aeration-- the Iowa soil did not require much mechanical aeration and was calcium rich. It wasn't until I moved to an area with a lovely, deep prairie topsoil that gardening became fun. There, I could stand barefoot on bare soil and wiggle my feet a bit and dig myself in ankle deep, the soil was that friable and loose. Stick a plant in the ground and it grew. But that's too easy. Don't you want a challenge? ;-) Though clay holds soil moisture well, it's often not as available to the plants as water in sandy soils, e.g.: http://ag.arizona.edu/turf/tips1095.html which is a special problem in drought. Interesting article. Grass, though... -- Welcome to the New America. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA736oK9FPg or E Pluribus Unum Green Party Nominee Jill Stein & Running Mate, Cheri Honkala http://www.democracynow.org/2012/7/13/green_party_nominee_jill_stein_running |
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