Cover crop

[Nyboy]

I want to put in a small orchard,in a over grown field. I rented a backhoe ( every male on my street stopped by) cleared out all the brush and small trees. The soil is very heavy clay, I might be better off with a pottery studio then orchard. Going to need to inprove soil, how much does tilling in a cover crop change soil?

 

[Smart Red]

First off, clay soil is not a bad thing for an orchard as long as it doesn't have a hardpan layer that keeps moisture from passing through. I suspect the action of digging for the trees will break that area of hardpan anyway.

Our first house was on heavy clay. The neighbors behind our property have a well-established orchard operation that they started about the time we sold -- some 40 years ago.

A cover crop will always be an added asset to improve soil tilth.

 

[Nyboy]

Red thats good to know, problem is this clay is very slow draining. What I read fruit trees hate wet roots.

 

[catjac1975]

I do not know anything abut clay soil. However, It would think adding loads of leaves, green debris, manure and any other organic material would be your first place to start. I do not know what is available in our area. but, my husband has for many years brought home a load of manure from a fancy horse farm nearby. I have a landscaper that drops off truckloads of shredded leaves in the fall that I use to mulch my daylily beds. They have to pay to bring it to the dump. Try to connect with locals that may want to get stuff off their hands-Craigslist may be a good place to start. Cover crops are good but may be a drop in the bucket. Another thought is to dig big holes for your trees and amend those instead of the whole field.

 

[canesisters]

Don't know if this would help.. and I don't remember the details....

But I read something once about farmers planting turnips (I think) in farrow pastures over the winter. The roots break up the soil and give the cattle extra goodies when they are put back in the field in the spirng.

 

[seedcorn]

Winter annual rye is good. After one fall/winter I've seen roots penetrate to 30-36". Better than metal equipment.
Radishes-long slender-type. Radishes stink next spring when they rot after winter kill.
Turnips don't set very long or broad roots but they are great to feed or eat.

Talk to area farmers.

 

[baymule]

You can plant long root radishes, turnips and other root crops and do not harvest them. Let them rot in place. It breaks up the soil and gives food for earthworms. Plant clovers for their nitrogen fixing root nodules. You can plant grains but cut before they go to seed. Leave the residue for the elements of nature to break down and add to the soil. Corn stalks sequester carbon and slow release it as they break down. You would do better to take about a year to plant and prepare your soil with added humus cover crops before planting your fruit trees.

 

[seedcorn]

Re-read your first post. One word-tile.

I really doubt compaction is a problem. You can't add enough humous to alter the fact that it is clay based. Best solution, drain it with system drainage with tile. Problem is tree roots will clog the tile creating drainage problems again.

Tilling will put the green manure under the soil causing it to break down faster. Still not going to alter the soil composition much.

 

[Smart Red]

Seed corn is right. Tilling in green manure or other soil additives -- even if you double till the area -- will only change the soil where the tiller can reach. That's about 24 - 36 inches if you double dig/till. What I suggested will work more for a garden than an orchard, but drainage is only a problem if the area stays wet on top not just damp. Clay is clay and it tends to retain moisture for a long time. A good thing if the area still drains.

Our first house: We dug several holes for the septic officer to inspect before we could get clearance for a septic system. DH said he was told we had to keep the holes filled for one day and then run the test the next morning. We kept the holes filled all day, but silly me back then, I figured a day was 24 hours and I sat out in the woods all night filling the holes every half hour until morning. Even though the Tester laughed at me for pouring water all night and the holes were overly saturated, they drained well enough for a reasonable septic system to go in. This was on clay that had me 'grow' several inches each time I walked across the mud, and had to be scrapped and washed off every time.

Our basement went through 8 feet of clay before the texture turned more to sandy-clay. And the orchard behind our house is on the same type of clay. Perhaps you might give it a try with one tree -- well amended -- and see how it fairs. Standing water is a lot different from slow-draining soil.

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

What about Black Locust, or any kind of Locust tree for that matter? Being legumes they would add nitrogen to the soil. And being trees wouldn't they affect the soil deeper under?

Plant covercrop of Black Locust, keep it for a few years, slash & burn, till under, plant your fruit trees?