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chueh_gw

con't message:poor drainage:plant rye prior to wildflowers

chueh
16 years ago

Hi,

I posted a message earlier about my heavy red clay soil on the hillside. I was advised to plant annual rye in the summer which will give some organic nutrients when I plant the wildflowers in the fall. Since the clay is very hard, do I need to add top soil to it when I sow the rye seeds? Do I need to do anything before I sow the rye? Are the annual rye roots shallow? What about erosion problem? I am going to install erosion blankets when I sow the wildflower seeds in the fall, so they won't be washed away like twice before. What about now when i sow the rye seeds, do I need to put some mulch, at least prevent a little bit of erosion, but will the seeds sprout with the mulch?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

Comment (1)

  • ladyslppr
    16 years ago

    I would scarify the soil with a rake or similar tool. Make furrows or grooves in the soil perpendicular to the slope to slow water flow down the slope and to hold seeds. Scratches at least a half inch deep should be enough. You might want to moisten the soil a day before you try to make the scratches. Unless you add a lot (6 inches or more) adding topsoil probably isn't going to help much. Plants won't do well in a thin layer of soil over a much denser clay. I think if you scarify most of the soil surface, plant seed very thickly, and give it water every couple of days for the first several weeks to get the seedlings off to a good start, you should avoid major erosion problems. There will probably be some local spots where there is erosion, but most of the slope should be OK.

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