Avoid Compaction
Soil conditionWe went into harvest with wetter than normal soils. Driving on wet soils should be avoid if possible. This No-Till Farmer article on Minimizing Soil Compaction During Harvest is timely. It is short but thorough.
Showing posts with label Soil condition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soil condition. Show all posts
Sep 28, 2016
Jan 15, 2016
Soil Condition Today
Soil conditionI did a septic tank investigation today north of Litchfield. I was surprised that the soil was frozen 6 inches deep. It was softened a bit, but I still needed the hammer. Subsoil moisture was excellent. I was surprised there was no water table, but it was sloping, so some of the deluge ran off.
Apr 4, 2015
Corn Planting Started
Soil condition spring plantingWe have heard rumors of corn planting in Illinois. It is on well drained soils, but even so I question whether or not we are dry enough. We have been doing some sampling and soils are wet. I spotted some fields near Edwardsville where Anhydrous was being applied. Yes in general it is too wet for that too. If you see vapor, your trench is not closing properly. Compaction lasts for years in some cases, so heavy loads on wet soils are not a good idea. Soil Temperatures are surprisingly warm.
Dec 15, 2014
Wet Harvest
Compaction Soil conditionThis year's harvest would be memorable even if we had not harvested the largest crop ever. Wet weather and later than usual planting dates drove the harvest into late November and for some into December. I saw a rather large field of beans being harvested today.
The photos below are very representative of how many of our late harvested fields look. Wet weather plays a role, but maybe too much deep tillage as well. Deep tilling every year every year creates a nive rooting medium, but is can also create a loose base.
If you have deep ruts as below, how do you fix them. I have seen some have success by tilling parallel to the ruts to close them up a bit and then going at an angle to level them off. Certainly you should wait for drier or frozen conditions before trying anything, but water in the ruts will be slow to go away.
In the end, I don't think you can till deep enough to remove this kind of compaction. Deep rooted cover crops may be needed to correct the compaction in the long term.
The photos below are very representative of how many of our late harvested fields look. Wet weather plays a role, but maybe too much deep tillage as well. Deep tilling every year every year creates a nive rooting medium, but is can also create a loose base.
If you have deep ruts as below, how do you fix them. I have seen some have success by tilling parallel to the ruts to close them up a bit and then going at an angle to level them off. Certainly you should wait for drier or frozen conditions before trying anything, but water in the ruts will be slow to go away.
In the end, I don't think you can till deep enough to remove this kind of compaction. Deep rooted cover crops may be needed to correct the compaction in the long term.
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