Maybe ploughing is the answer?

clbarclay

Member
Location
Worcestershire
I have enough areas where subsoil has been brought up over the years (digging trenches etc.) and definitely not about to try bring up more of it to replacing my topsoil. One lot of apparent madness from not ploughing is quite enough.
 

EddieB

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Staffs
It's certainly an interesting idea, although I am not sure that carbon sequestration is about effectively locking away the biologically active layer of your soil away 16" below ground. Carbon is continually cycled and I would guess that the best long term sequestration is achieved through increasing that cycling by building up microbiological activity and populations.
 

Pan mixer

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Near Colchester
It's certainly an interesting idea, although I am not sure that carbon sequestration is about effectively locking away the biologically active layer of your soil away 16" below ground. Carbon is continually cycled and I would guess that the best long term sequestration is achieved through increasing that cycling by building up microbiological activity and populations.
The double digger though only cultivated the subsoil, it left it under the topsoil where it belongs.
 

EddieB

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Staffs
This was the part of the article that gave the impression that topsoil was being buried...
“Teagasc has stated that ploughing to 40cm (16 inches) results in carbon-rich top soil being deposited to lower levels of the soil, which protects carbon stocks.”
 

delilah

Member
This was the part of the article that gave the impression that topsoil was being buried...
“Teagasc has stated that ploughing to 40cm (16 inches) results in carbon-rich top soil being deposited to lower levels of the soil, which protects carbon stocks.”

Yes, sorry, my fault for posting the article about the double digger, two different processes at play, I was just reminded of it by this talk of deep ploughing.
 

EddieB

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Staffs
Yes, sorry, my fault for posting the article about the double digger, two different processes at play, I was just reminded of it by this talk of deep ploughing.
No worries, not heard of the double digger before seeing this thread. You learn something every day on the FF.
 
Deep ploughing mixing high clay with the more loamy top soil ruined Many heavy fields and necessitated the need of a power Harrow and soil loosener

traditionall ploughing was shallow just deep enough to burry the weed seeds
The most important lesson learnt is never work land when it is too wet most farmers have to get it wrong to learn their lesson some just never learn
 

Bury the Trash

Member
Mixed Farmer
16 inches would be hard to avhieve mist places i would guess, I know There's not much grou d around here that can be safely ploughed deeper than 8 or 9 inches. Either because its to close to shale or stone or clay .

Anyway
 

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
16 inches would be hard to avhieve mist places i would guess, I know There's not much grou d around here that can be safely ploughed deeper than 8 or 9 inches. Either because its to close to shale or stone or clay .

Anyway
They are talking about ploughing an actual desert in that article!
 

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