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Soil health mixes to help clay soils

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5 year old buck +
Folks like green cover make something to help clay soils in particular. Something deep rooted. PErhaps without daikon radish. MY wife hates the smell when it rots.

I alternate what years I harvest at home. Im due for a break here. So, less attractive forage options would be ok. Also adding more size to the plot this fall.
 
I'm using winter rye, buckwheat and sunflowers to break up clay soil and add organic matter.
 
Folks like green cover make something to help clay soils in particular. Something deep rooted. PErhaps without daikon radish. MY wife hates the smell when it rots.

I alternate what years I harvest at home. Im due for a break here. So, less attractive forage options would be ok. Also adding more size to the plot this fall.

Biggest thing is to create no additional compaction with tiling or spraying. Second would be keeping green plants on it year round.

Ive farmed in deep pure clay on my place, and got it turned around: white clover, flax, chicory, Japanese millet, sweet clovers. Those give you a diversity of roots. Clover is fine, shallow, and abundant. Flax is medium and goes straight down. Chicory is thick and goes deep. Sweet clovers do a combo of all of that. Jap millet also helps with shallow abundance.

Last thing, get some gypsum on there.


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What is recommended for gypsum and acte?
 
Something like this is rated very good for deep compaction.

 
Something like this is rated very good for deep compaction.


Looks like a great.mix. Could've Used some colors other than grey and green, though.
 
What is recommended for gypsum and acte?

I’d want to see a soil test before saying. That way you could know what you can put on. Safe place to start would be 1/2 ton per acre and see what happens. I’d like to leave myself some room to do that for up to 3 years without getting too high of calcium.


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I’d want to see a soil test before saying. That way you could know what you can put on. Safe place to start would be 1/2 ton per acre and see what happens. I’d like to leave myself some room to do that for up to 3 years without getting too high of calcium.


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Do you suggest tilling it in? If yes, why not one application after a soil test?
 
Thought my calcium was high already. Need to retest. Think last test was 2 years ago.
 
Do you suggest tilling it in? If yes, why not one application after a soil test?
I wouldn't till it in. Calcium is predisposed to work it's way down into the soil over time. I like spreading it out so you can get the benefit out of the sulfate portion of the gypsum too.
 
Folks like green cover make something to help clay soils in particular. Something deep rooted. PErhaps without daikon radish. MY wife hates the smell when it rots.

I alternate what years I harvest at home. Im due for a break here. So, less attractive forage options would be ok. Also adding more size to the plot this fall.

There are a LOT of recommended cover crop/food plot seeds that produce good roots that don't grow very well on my greasy (this time of year) clayish dirt. Among them are radishes, peas, buckwheat, oats, most brassicas, most chicories, blackoil sunflowers, sunn hemp, and more. Read the descriptions - most seeds prefer "well drained soil", something in short supply at my place.

Winners on clayish dirt include plantain, wheat, cereal rye, triticale, most white clovers, medium red clover, Japanese millet, off the top of my head.

Many of the seeds preferring well-drained soil can grow pretty well on clay if you happen to get goldilocks growing conditions after planting (not to dry, not too wet, not too warm, not too cold,....just right).

If you're able to find someone to spread gypsum on your ground, that would be outstanding. I eventually gave up on it.
 
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Plantain naturally grows in my plot. I dug a drainage channel more of less in the middle.

Have a bit of moss in the plot. Red aromatherapy has been a battle too.

Going to camp this upcoming weekend. Getting soil samples. Will add a sample of my ho.e plot to the order. Dairy one in ny used to do pH only for cheap, all I need at camp. Thinking of trying penn state 10 bucks a sample.
 
If you really want a top notch bore hole cover crop, spread thistle seed out there. Canada and bull are rock stars for reclaiming clay.

Dead serious. If you have not read my take on thistle, find it.




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