With a low CEC soil you lack sufficient negative charged sites to bond with positively charged ions (cations). It also suffers from larger pore spaces which holds less water therefore water and nutrients move through the soil profile quicker. The only way to increase a soils ability to hold water and nutrients is to increase organic matter.
Surface residue is beneficial, that’s why I recommended vetch in my reply above. It will produce a lot of biomass but also fixes nitrogen. Additionally, its C:N ratio is lower helping offset the higher C:N from the rye and wheat straw.
With no till or limited till you’re going to need lots of N to break down that residue.
A good summer mix with millet and sorghum Sudan plus some N fixing plants will help your situation. Their massive root systems really help build OM.
That’s why a balanced program like Vitalize Seed CO’s blends work so well. They’re blended to provide the optimum C:N ratio so each planting compliments the next.
