Tom,
I live about 15 miles NW of Winston-Salem, NC, on about 90 acres of
beautiful red clay. It does tend to stain the clothes of folks not smart
enough to wear khaki, which is the only color clothing in our stores.
While the soil test on the ex-pasture where I started my orchard did show
no detectable phosphorous, a few 80 lb bags of superphosphate took care of
that. A few years of tilling in manure and leaves have turned my planting
areas black, but the now-masked red clay is great because it holds
nutrients and water. Places I have lived with sandy soil demanded much
more water and fertilizer.
Jim
>===========
>
>Now, North Carolina's red clay soil, that is miserable. Just standing next
>to a dirt road you will accumulate stains in your clothes that are never
>coming out. (smile)
>
>My sister lived in NC for a while, and I have never seen soil like it, or
>so much of it.