Re: very heavy, compacted clay
- To: K*@aol.com, m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Re: very heavy, compacted clay
- From: S* A* O*
- Date: Thu, 16 Dec 1999 12:05:04 -0800
At 04:09 PM 12/15/99 -0500, K1MIZE@aol.com wrote:
>In a message dated 12/15/99 9:08:00 AM EST, johnsaia@dnai.com writes:
><< I have to remain a skeptic, at least as it would be applied to heavy
>clay soil, and especially the compacted adobe clay we have in this urban
>environment. >>
>
>As much as I would like to believe in this method, I remain skeptical, as
>well. The land around my house is adobe clay. When I moved in, it had
>been so compacted by the developer's vehicles that one couldn't dig it
>with a shovel when it was dry. I ruined one shovel in the effort, and
>keep it as a conversation piece. It was literally as hard as cement. <snip>
Kurt -
I know the type of clay of which you speak - had the same problem once, on
the heavy, dark, blue-black clays of Santa Clara. This is what introduced
me to the no-till method. Using the same techniques that Ruth Stout touted
years ago, I had a mulch of approximately 10-12 inches onto of this soil at
all times. Yes, it was 'roughed up' a bit when I started, which helped a
lot. My very deep mulch rotted quickly into a stratified soil ON TOP of
the clay, and I planted directly into the 'mulch'. Over time, maybe 5
years, the clay was opening up considerably and was able to be dug a bit
more. When I wished to plant a large tree or shrub, I did have to get out
the pick-axe again, and there was a caliche layer (a very compacted layer
of salt accumulation common to alkaline clay soils in low rainfall areas)
about 12-20inches down that was almost always impossible to get
through. But overall, the garden became quite rich and lush - standing out
from the surrounding properties. It didn't happen overnight, but few
worthwhile things ever do. If I kept up my mulch depth (I collected almost
all of the organic debris in my neighborhood until people caught on to what
success I was having and why!) things just kept getting better and better.
Santa Clara Valley, which is mostly all heavy adobe clay, was once called
the "Valley of the Heart's Delight" because it was such rich farmland (this
was before 'Silicon Valley' replaced it!). Since then, as the water table
has been dramatically lowered and the topsoil ruined by heavy equipment and
regrading, homeowners now can't understand why anyone would ever think this
soil was good! Its sort of like the mid-west 'dust bowl' lesson - it you
don't treat the soil properly by interrupting and side-stepping the natural
systems which evolved with it, you may have trouble later on.
Not the rantings of an 'Organic Kook', just observable common sense.
Regards,
Sean O.
Sean A. O'Hara sean.ohara@groupmail.com
h o r t u l u s a p t u s 710 Jean Street
'a garden suited to its purpose' Oakland, CA 94610-1459, U.S.A.
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