How to repair compacted soil

[quicksandfarmer]

restoring land after hogs at DuckDuckGo

That search just took me to some fly-by-night website called "Tractor by Net." Looks sketchy.

 

[Creamer]

I'm going to try the Daikon radish, I just ordered some seeds. It's recommended to seed in early fall and I'm a little late but it's been so hot lately I think it might work. Other than adding whatever mulch I can find I think I'll leave it alone over the winter, there are still muddy spots and I think driving on it when it's wet will make it worse. Hopefully we'll get some freezing and thawing that will help break it up.

One thing a lot of people discount is earthworm activity. Covering with a of organic matter will keep the soil warm all winter and will keep the earthworms active. they can dig a lot of holes which really helps the porosity. I remember a narrow field we had at home that had some hills and in between the hills were wet spots that we had difficulty farming. Early one fall my Dad decided to haul lots of manure into these low spots - truckloads - which made no sense to me because all that organic matter holds water. But the next spring it was no problem farming because the earthworms had created water passages. For years after that it was not a problem in that field.

Your combination of radishes and organic matter should do you well. Good luck!

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

That search just took me to some fly-by-night website called "Tractor by Net." Looks sketchy.

:laughing:

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

Early one fall my Dad decided to haul lots of manure into these low spots - truckloads - which made no sense to me because all that organic matter holds water. But the next spring it was no problem farming because the earthworms had created water passages. For years after that it was not a problem in that field.

Bingo! The problem isn't that the earth was packed down - the problem is that the organic matter was taken out, and now it's dead.

Cover crops, layers of vegetation (chips, leaves, hay), manure - all of these will help, and the more alive it is the better. Organic material and time will have your soil in good shape.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

I remember a narrow field we had at home that had some hills and in between the hills were wet spots that we had difficulty farming. Early one fall my Dad decided to haul lots of manure into these low spots - truckloads - which made no sense to me because all that organic matter holds water. But the next spring it was no problem farming because the earthworms had created water passages. For years after that it was not a problem in that field.

Bingo! The problem isn't that the earth was packed down - the problem is that the organic matter was taken out, and now it's dead.

Cover crops, layers of vegetation (chips, leaves, hay), manure - all of these will help, and the more alive it is the better. Organic material and time will have your soil in good shape.

Thanks. This squares with my amateur assessment of the soi: all the life has been taken out of it. I feel that plowing or tilling would just kill it more, that it needs to be brought back to life some before I can even think about working it.

It's amazing what the pigs do. First they eat all the greenery, then they root in the soil and eat the roots and any worms and bugs they find. Then they'll eat the dirt itself in search of any organic content. What's left reminds me of the layer of mud that's left after a flood, rock hard where it's dry and soupy where it's wet.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

If you study extinction by starvation of the two Viking colonies in Iceland you will find human behavior is not too different in extremis.

Oh, let's not go there.

 

[2458n]

Cover crops put down some serious roots. Come springtime about the second time you mow your yard everything gets round up. Soybeans are planted without working the ground. Field beside the house has some nice hip high beans this year.

 

[Creamer]

Here is a good researcher explanation of the issue. I find him very interesting as he talks about changing how we manage soil for improved sustainability. Dwayne Beck Closing - YouTube

The fact that his research farm has been able to grow corn five years straight on dryland in central South Dakota without any herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers. Interesting concepts.

 

[Egon]

Many of the new seeds available have been modified in such a manner that fertilizer is a necessity.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

Here is a good researcher explanation of the issue. I find him very interesting as he talks about changing how we manage soil for improved sustainability. Dwayne Beck Closing - YouTube

The fact that his research farm has been able to grow corn five years straight on dryland in central South Dakota without any herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers. Interesting concepts.

That's good stuff there. :thumbsup:


Here's a (sort of) neighbor of mine who is doing and teaching along the same lines. Amazing stuff.

Polyface Farms

Polyface farm - YouTube