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Mastro | 11-19-2007 11:23 AM
What grows well on this kind of soil? I have a large chunk of land (1/2 acre) that for the most part is dry, but when I have a big rain (about 3 times a year) I get standing water for 2 days or so. My question is what plants or trees (must have some kind of crop that comes off it) do you know of that can grow on this kind of soil? This is located in northern IL, I already know about sugar maples, and I am not interested in cranberries or rice, thanks.

REV127 | 11-19-2007 11:49 AM
Re: What grows well on this kind of soil? You could grow sorghum. It produces a grain and you can squeeze the stalks for sugary sorghum syrup. The leftovers can be fed to sheep or goats. Peanuts are a possibility as well. If you pick the right types you could very likely do corn, beans and squash. Your best bet is probably going to be working out a rain catchment system, though. An in-ground resovoir or pond would drain the standing water off your land and hold it for irrigating a wide variety of crops. As for the soil itself, is it more like clay, sand or loam?

damoc | 11-19-2007 01:05 PM
Re: What grows well on this kind of soil? i have something similar here in california hard as rock in summer and a sodden quagmire during winter where i am when you go down about 1 foot you get to a layer of hardpan which does not allow good drainage and also does not allow plants to have a good deep root system. for my garden i have been trying to improve this for 3 years now by ripping, rock removal,roto tilling and adding organic matter to increase humous.i am attempting to add organic matter by direct application sawdust,straw etc and also by green manureing (planting crops which are then plowed back under) vetch and clover are some of the best because they replace nitrogen depleted by the sawdust etc. for single trees i dig a large hole much larger and deeper than is normally needed to try to give root system a chance to get down to the subsoil

Mastro | 11-19-2007 01:11 PM
Re: What grows well on this kind of soil? Quote:
Originally Posted by REV127 (Post 836481) As for the soil itself, is it more like clay, sand or loam?
It is mostly clay, and this land is on a drainage easement so I don't know about trenching or mounding.

REV127 | 11-19-2007 02:13 PM
Re: What grows well on this kind of soil? I don't know what your state and local laws are like but where I am the drainage issue comes down to you're not allowed to drain your land onto your neighbor's property. If your laws are anything like ours you shouldn't have any trouble digging a pond and since you have a lot of clay it should hold water well. On the subject of clay you can ammend that, fix two problems at once and grow most anything. The key is adding powdered charcoal at one part in five or higher ratio right up to a 50% mix. It will RADICALLY increase the water holding capacity of your soil and break it up, making it more friable and adding loft. You can make your charcoal yourself from available biomass or you might be able to score a lot of waste pine lumber from construction projects. You don't want to use charcoal briquets because they contain toxic substances. Cowboy brand is ok but I would consider it cost prohibitive. The charcoal doesn't have to be 100% perfectly powdered, it will continue to work into the clay over time by natural processes as well as through the normal cultivation of the soil. It'd be hard to cover the whole lot that way, the best approach is probably digging beds 5 feet wide and however long you choose then ammend the soil in those beds. Leave three feet between the beds for a walkway, you can throw all weeds and crop residues in the walkway, it'll just compost naturally and work its way into the soil. If you dig down 18" to 24", break up the clay and add the charcoal you will in effect have created a built-in resovoir as water will tend to collect in the ammended soil and be resisted by the natural clay. The other benefit is that gives roots plenty of space to grow in so you'll get strong, healthy plants. After the char application you'll want to add a one time nitrogen boost. Fish emulsion or other high nitrogen fertilizer will work. I just water from my pond. From that point just manage normally. You can also cart in bags of topsoil from the hardware store, that runs about $150 for enough to treat 500sqft where I am. You can get dirt cheaper from the places that sell bulk and deliver via dumptruck but there's no telling where that dirt came from and you might be importing problems. The bagged stuff averages a better bet. Peanuts won't work well in clay but red core chanteney carrots will. McCormack's blue giant corn is another to try in clay.

Mastro | 11-19-2007 06:34 PM
Re: What grows well on this kind of soil? Thanks a lot REV127, your posts have been really helpful.:D

low_five | 11-20-2007 12:31 AM
Re: What grows well on this kind of soil? what can I plant on my land? i have about a half acre and wild raspberries grow pretty readily. at least 200 days of rain a year a 50 more are sleet or snow. blueberries tend to grow wild. an apple tree in my back yard didnt do so good this year. I want to grow potatoes.

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