We have been hearing some concerns expressed about dry soils in our area. Rainfall the past week should have relieved that concern in the short run.
Topsoil moisture on Wednesday when we went to the field was just OK. Topsoil should be well soaked at this point. Septic tank borings through the winter to a depth of 5 feet have showed that subsoil was at least moist and in some places saturated,
Soil Moisture does not change much until tillage and transpiration start. In a dry period it is easy to mess up your topsoil moisture with too much tillage. With wetter topsoil, that is even easier to do.
The real problem is that through the winter, the rainfall pattern was a dry one. Until the past 2 days, I can't remember the last time we had at least an inch of rain. If that dry pattern were to continue into the summer, crop yields would suffer. The fact is that we cannot grow top yielding crops without timely rains in June, July, and August.
Topsoil moisture on Wednesday when we went to the field was just OK. Topsoil should be well soaked at this point. Septic tank borings through the winter to a depth of 5 feet have showed that subsoil was at least moist and in some places saturated,
Soil Moisture does not change much until tillage and transpiration start. In a dry period it is easy to mess up your topsoil moisture with too much tillage. With wetter topsoil, that is even easier to do.
The real problem is that through the winter, the rainfall pattern was a dry one. Until the past 2 days, I can't remember the last time we had at least an inch of rain. If that dry pattern were to continue into the summer, crop yields would suffer. The fact is that we cannot grow top yielding crops without timely rains in June, July, and August.
Rainfall Shortage?
4/
5
Oleh
Cultivation My Favourite
