Hey everyone! Didn’t see a thread dedicated to improving the quality of your soil using plants, let me know if there is another thread this can be folded into. This is a pet project I have been working on and feel very strongly about. There are vigorously productive plants that are adapted to every single type of soil. Over time, regardless of soil type, the soil becomes more hospitable to less well adapted plants (that taste good!). Additionally these plants can be used for composting or mulching to concentrate the organic material around your crop plants or used in hugelkultur mounds constructed to store water, keep the root crowns out of waterlogged soil, or create a more favorable soil pH. In thin, rocky, or sandy soils and added organic matter is appreciated by your crops. Certain plants thrive in and effectively break up heavy clay soils. In waterlogged soil well placed drainage channels can be added and water-sucking tree species can be planted upslope of the drainage. I know at least Clark has some experience in this regard but I’d love to get anyone else’s real world experience with this stuff.
Here are the various challenging soils types I can think of with some mound compositions and listed species with basic info about them. The listed plant species I currently have tabulated are for the South Central and upper Southeast US (growing zones 6-7, 1000 chilling hours, 45+ inches of rainfall) as that is where my current “clients” are looking for property. Though I hope we can expand this thread for all growing areas so we can all grow huge amounts of fruit on “worthless” land!
Heavy Clay Soils:
Large wood: 30-40%
Thin branches, twigs: 20-30%
Herbaceous material: 30-40% - Increased emphasis on organic matter to enrich the clay and improve soil structure.
Soil: 10-20%
Long term: keep planting clay busters and expanding mounds, plant shumard and post oaks especially if far from current crops
Narrow swales if dryness is an issue with periodic deeper areas to make ephemeral ponds.
Mechanically decompact soil just downslope of swale
Post oak - white oak
Shumards oak - red oak
Daikon (Raphanus sativus): Full sun, 6.0-7.5 pH, well-drained, moist.
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale): Full sun/partial shade, 5.5-7.5 pH, well-drained, moist.
Jerusalem artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus): Full sun/partial shade, 5.5-7.5 pH, well-drained, moist.
Fava beans (Vicia faba): Full sun, 6.0-7.5 pH, well-drained, moist.
Southern peas (Vigna unguiculata): Full sun, 6.0-7.5 pH, well-drained, moist.
Grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor): Full sun, 5.5-7.5 pH, drought-tolerant, well-drained.
Turnips (Brassica rapa): Full sun/partial shade, 6.0-7.5 pH, well-drained, moist.
Beets (Beta vulgaris): Full sun/partial shade, 6.0-7.5 pH, well-drained, moist.
Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea): Full sun, 5.0-8.5 pH, well-drained, occasionally wet.
Honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos): Full sun, 5.5-7.5 pH, drought-tolerant, well-drained.
Chinkapin Oak - Quercus muehlenbergii, full sun, 5.0-7.5 pH drought tolerant, well drained, moist
Thin rocky soils low in organics:
Large wood: 30-35%
Thin branches, twigs: 20-30%
Herbaceous material: 35-40% - Increased emphasis on organic matter to enrich the clay and improve soil structure.
Soil: 15-25%
Long term: continue expanding mounds and bringing in bulk organic matter
Jujubes
Chinkapin oak - white oak
scarlet oak - red oak
Leadbush- Amorpha fruticosa, Full Sun, 5.0-7.5, Drought tolerant, well-drained
Comfrey- Symphytum officinale, Full Sun/Partial Shade, 5.5-7.5, Well-drained, moist
Sunn hemp - Crotalaria juncea, Full Sun, 5.0-8.5, Well-drained, moist, occasionally wet
Fava beans - Vicia faba, Full Sun, 6.0-7.5, Well-drained, moist
Crimson clover - Trifolium incarnatum, Full Sun/Partial Shade, 5.0-7.0, Well-drained, moist, occasionally wet
Hairy vetch - Vicia villosa, , Full Sun/Partial Shade, 4.5-7.0, Well-drained, moist, occasionally wet*
Siberian peatree - Caragana arborescens, Full Sun/Partial Shade, 6.0-8.0, Well-drained, drought tolerant
New Jersey tea - Ceanothus americanus, Full Sun/Partial Shade, 5.0-7.0, Well-drained, dry periods
Buckwheat - Fagopyrum esculentum, , Full Sun/Partial Shade, 4.5-6.8, Well-drained, acidic soils
Jerusalem artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus): Full sun/partial shade, 5.5-7.5 pH, well-drained, moist.
Chinkapin Oak - Quercus muehlenbergii, full sun, 5.0-7.5 pH drought tolerant, well drained, moist
Dry sandy soils:
Long term continue expanding mounds with green mulch and compost
Dig shallow but wide swales and plant sunn hemp in the bottom. Dwarf chinkapin oaks on the upslope. Peashrubs and leagumes on the downslope. As the swale develops organics add better tree species.
Dwarf chinkapin oaks - white oak
scarlet oak - red oak
Jujubes
Sunn hemp - Crotalaria juncea, Full Sun, 5.0-8.5, Well-drained, occasionally wet
Millet (Panicum miliaceum): Full sun, 5.5-7.0 pH, fast-growing, drought-tolerant, good for suppressing weeds.
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium): Full sun, 5.0-7.0 pH, drought-tolerant, deep fibrous roots, attractive ornamental grass.
Fava beans (Vicia faba): Full sun, 6.0-7.5 pH, well-drained, moist.
Southern peas (Vigna unguiculata subsp. unguiculata): Full sun, 6.0-7.5 pH, well-drained, moist.
Jerusalem artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus): Full sun/partial shade, 5.5-7.5 pH, well-drained, moist.
Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus): Full sun, 5.5-7.5 pH, well-drained, moist.
Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa): Full sun, 5.5-7.5 pH, drought-tolerant
Mounds for poorly draining soils
Large wood (logs, branches): 40-50% - This forms the core of the mound. Use a variety of sizes for optimal drainage.
Thin branches, twigs: 20-30%
Herbaceous material: 20-30%
Soil: 10-20% - Top off the mound with a layer of soil for planting. Add more soil gradually as the mound settles.
Wet sandy (acidic) soil:
Add crushed limestone to the mounds to buffer pH
Pin oak and water oak - red oaks
Swamp white oak
Sandbar willow (Salix fluviatilis) (full sun/partial shade, 5.0-7.0 pH, 6-8 ft, adaptable, pest- and disease-resistant) - Thrives in wet soil, tolerates extended waterlogging
Coastal plain willow (Salix caroliniana) (full sun/partial shade, 5.0-7.0 pH, 10-15 ft, drought-tolerant)
Prefers moist soil, tolerates occasional wet periods
Pond Cypress - Taxodium distichum, Full sun, 5.0-7.5 pH, Waterlogged, occasionally wet
Water Tupelo - Nyssa aquatica, Full sun/partial shade, 5.0-7.0 pH, Waterlogged, occasionally wet
Buttonbush - Cephalanthus occidentalis, Full sun/partial shade, 5.0-7.5 pH, Occasionally wet, moist, well-drained
Wild Rice - Zizania aquatica, Full sun, 5.5-7.5 pH, Waterlogged, occasionally wet
Swamp Dogwood - Cornus foemina, Full sun/partial shade, 5.0-7.0 pH, Occasionally wet, moist, well-drained
River Cane - Arundinaria gigantea, Full sun/partial shade, 5.0-7.0 pH, Occasionally wet, moist, well-drained
Elderberry (shade/partial shade, 5.0-7.0 pH, 6-10 ft, - Prefers moist, tolerates occasional wet
Apios americana (Groundnut) - Apios americana, Full sun/partial shade, 5.0-7.5 pH, Occasionally wet, moist (not prolonged waterlogging)
Sunn hemp(if not waterlogged)
Wet alkaline soil:
Long term plant black willows upslope from drainage and continue expanding mounds. Amend mounds with sulfur, iron sulfate, or aluminum sulfate.
Swamp white oak
Shumard’s oak - red oak
Swamp Rosemallow (Hibiscus moscheutos):Full sun, 7.0-8.5 pH, occasionally wet, Waterlogged
Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica):Full sun/partial shade, 6.0-8.0 pH, Occasionally wet, moist
American Bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia): Full sun/partial shade, 6.0-8.0 pH, Occasionally wet, moist
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis):Full sun/partial shade, 5.0-7.5 pH, Occasionally wet, moist
Wild Iris (Iris spp.): Full sun/partial shade, 6.0-8.0 pH, Moist, occasionally wet
Black Willow (Salix nigra): Full sun, 6.0-8.0 pH, Waterlogged, occasionally wet (fast-growing, potential for erosion control)
Chinkapin Oak - Quercus muehlenbergii, full sun, 5.0-7.5 pH (slightly acidic to mildly alkaline), drought tolerant, well drained, moist