S.E. Ohio red clay plots
 

I have several small clearings I would like to plant. Anyone have advice for prepping, best plant etc? This red clay is nutrient rich, but very dense. The Native Americans in this area used to make bricks out of the stuff. Thanks.

RE: S.E. Ohio red clay plots
 

If it's like my red clay from the Niagara Peninsula:

- let it dry out before trying to work it
- plow then disc or even better fall plow then disc
- after adjusting the pH sweet clover and red clover have done well but you should be able to grow any of the grain crops (corn, wheat, rye, oats, barley)
- apples, pears and plums should do quite well as their drainage requirements aren't too great

Dan O.

RE: S.E. Ohio red clay plots
 

Thanks Dan O. Should I try to disc in some small aggregate, like some sand to try to keep the soil a little lese dense?

RE: S.E. Ohio red clay plots
 

On the face of it the idea seems good. However when you do the math the amount of sand you would need to have an impact would be huge.

For instance, I have a vegitable garden that measures roughly 60 x 60 or 3600 sq.
feet which equals 518,400 square inches. A few years ago I scored 10 cubic yards of composted cow manure for nothing. I just had to borrow a dump truck from my father in law. Ten cubic yards is 270 cubic feet, or 466,560 cubic inches. So ten yards of cow manure spred on my garden equaled about .9 inches of manure evenly spred.
In order to help your heavy clay soil you would need even more sand per square foot. So unless you are willing to buy dump truck after dump truck of sand it would be better/cheaper to plant crops better suited to your soil type.

I also live in a red clay area here in Virginia so I know what its like. One big key is to not work the soil if it is saturated. I.E. it is so wet it sticks to everything.

RE: S.E. Ohio red clay plots
 

If the pH of the soil is where you want it and if the drainage is good I would go to a no-till system. We have some plots now we have not done any tillage on for 7 or 8 years. Keep in mind the pH has to be correct before starting this. Heavy clays are hard to work and suited well for no-till. In the spring or fall before planting, Roundup or paraquat applications plus 2-4,D (if permitted) will clean you up then you can plant. You want to get your burndown out 3-4 weeks before planting then clean up any escapes with another burndown at planting. Over a period of time with no soil disturbance you will see a lot of your weed pressure go down because your are not bringing any new weed seed into the top of the soil profile to germinate.

RE: S.E. Ohio red clay plots
 

Beaverdamva is correct about changing all but the smallest plots.Organic matter (hay, manure or just a crop of clover/alfalfa/sweet clover/buckwheat is better). I agree with Highcotton in keeping it no till as much as possible. I was talking about the initial tillagebefore planting a perennial like clover. After that keep it mowed, lime, fertilize and top seed. You could burn the present vegetation off rather than tilling but you'll still need to disc the seed in. Check back on the posts that Rob/PA Bowyerposted as he followed that method with excellent results.

Dan O.

RE: S.E. Ohio red clay plots
 

Dan O.
[/quote] I was thinking of mentioning that I plant buckwheat in the fallow areas of my garden to boost organic matter with very good results. It is easy to grow. The seed is cheap. It grows very quickly and is easy to shred up and turn in due to its hollow stems. Also the tap root on each plant grows deeply so it can tap nutrients that have leeched beyond the reach of other crops. So when you turn it in those nutrients are available again.
At least that's what I have read.
Also deer will eat buckwheat. The only thing is if you are going to grow anything else you need to turn the buckwheat in before it sets seed or it could become like all the other weeds in need of control.

RE: S.E. Ohio red clay plots
 

Thanks, losts of good info to digest. Can't be spreadin' lots of chems or burnin'-most of the areas are remote and close to run-off streams that lead into a lake. Thanks for the 'extreme', and the thoughtful.

RE: S.E. Ohio red clay plots
 

I LOVE the common misconception the general public gives to the dangers of agricultural chemicals. You will more than likely do more damage to the lake in the form of runoff due to tillage than you would with glyphosate / 2-4,D applications. Paraquat is a different story because it does have a high toxicity but the other two are safe. But with any ag chemical, absorption within the plant will be quick (all herbicides should be safe as far as runoff) within a 24 hour period but even after a couple of hours it would take a quick downpur to wah it off. JMO

RE: S.E. Ohio red clay plots
 

This property is accessed via a "right-of-way" granted by the state due to the crossing of DNR owned land surroundinga lake. Burning is permitted during restricted times that are changeddepending upon environmental conditions, so I can't rely on set burning times prior to planting.The Leftistshave made sure that there are restrictions on the use of chems.I guess I can useRoundup in the weedy areas and leave the grassy areas alone. For the record, I do not have a problem withkilling and burning plots. Many ag chems are monitored for usage and are not that easy to get unless you are afarmer with minimal ag use acreage.