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Plants for cicada holes

 
Dan O'Brien
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I am in the process of attempting to establish a few fruit tree guilds. There is about 8-10 of soil, followed by pure clay. I think we could have 10 year drought and my soil would still be wet. So I started digging a small swale to take water to other parts of the property as well as a nearby rain garden. While digging I hit a lot of cicadas arond 6-8" deep. Turns out there is a 17 year brood emerging this spring from right under my planned guilds. To me, this translates as a LOT of free aeration in my otherwise solid clay. As they emerge, I want to make the most of their tunnels before they collapse and I miss this rare opportunity.

I'd like to scatter some kind of seed that germinates very quickly around early May (zone 6, Chicago) grows well in wet clay soil, and quickly puts down deep fiberous roots to take advantage of all those cicada burrows.

Any suggestions?

Why stick to your guns if they keep shooting you in the foot?

 
K Kaba
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I'd wait til the brood is done before planting trees, and if it's too late, plant the trees next year. Cicada broods can kill young trees.
 
Anne Miller
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I saw the cicada holes when they emerged while we were in Indiana one year.

The larva could possibly damage the roots of trees and plants while they do not eat leaves.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

 
Dan O'Brien
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K Kaba wrote:I'd wait til the brood is done before planting trees, and if it's too late, plant the trees next year. Cicada broods can kill young trees.



I should clarify that what I'm looking for is suggestions for a seed which will quickly root in the holes left by the cicadas, so the clay doesn't wash back into them, losing all that valuable aeration. This is for the purpose of helping the soil to drain in preperation of the site. Doesn't matter if the plants live or die. In fact, better if they're a short lived annual. What I want is preservation of the soil structure the cicadas are giving me for free. If I wait until it's all over, there will likely be a rain event, which will fill the holes with heavy clay instead of roots.

Hopefully that makes more sense.

Why stick to your guns if they keep shooting you in the foot?

 
Mk Neal
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Maybe sunflowers or native grasses?

Weeds are just plants with enough surplus will to live to withstand normal levels of gardening!--Alexandra Petri

 
K Kaba
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Ah! I'd reach for daikons then, maybe with a mix of a nitrogen fixing annual.
 
Pearl Sutton
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I agree with the daikons, or drop blackeyed peas in there, or both.

Gardens in my mind never need water
Castles in the air never have a wet basement
Well made buildings are fractal -- equally intelligent design at every level of detail.
Bright sparks remind others that they too can dance
What I am looking for is looking for me too!

 
Jay Angler
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K Kaba wrote:Ah! I'd reach for daikons then, maybe with a mix of a nitrogen fixing annual.

Someone bred a specific daikon for this sort of job.
Territorial seeds call this variety "Tillage radish" - https://territorialseed.com/products/radish-groundhog-daikon-radish
Don't know if you can get some of those seeds fast enough, but it might be worth a try. In my climate, we would fall plant daikon as it is better in cooler weather, but if you get a lot of heat as well as heavy rain coming, think of ways to create a bit of shade with what you have available.

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Pearl Sutton
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I'm in zone 6 southern Missouri, and I plant daikon from mid-spring to august. The freeze kills them. And tillage radishes are just a bit bigger, any daikon will work well, and harvest easily if you want some.

Gardens in my mind never need water
Castles in the air never have a wet basement
Well made buildings are fractal -- equally intelligent design at every level of detail.
Bright sparks remind others that they too can dance
What I am looking for is looking for me too!

 
Anne Miller
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Now that the Cicada event has passed, how many folks were able to witness the phenomenon this year?

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

 
Dan O'Brien
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They are still emerging here, but so far the brood doesn't seem as innumerable as it seemed in 2007. I remember them being inescapable and completely covering the ground. Not so much as yet. We still have a few weeks to go though.

Why stick to your guns if they keep shooting you in the foot?

 
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