Removing compaction without machinery

[Gulli]

So I'm taking on some land in the spring and having walked it a few times some of the ground is suffering with surface compaction.

Obviously I could just run a grassland subsoiler through it but I'd rather not if possible. What are my other options?

 

[SilliamWhale]

Is it really suffering from compaction though?

Let the grass grow and do its thing

 

[Gulli]

I'd say so, wet on top, standing water in places and rock hard, soil is pretty dry 4 inches down

 

[Blaithin]

Plant something with a taproot.

 

[Samcowman]

Whats the grass like? I overseeded some chicory along with clover and grass a couple of autumns ago chicory came well in bare patches from feeding out that summer and in a gateway well but bugger all elsewhere. So as a seedling it’s not very competitive but had a dig down a couple of times last summer and tap roots a foot long for a first year plant were good to see. Who knows what it will be like this summer.

 

[GeorgeK]

Grass doesn't have deep roots, but if it's managed well the worms will burrow down to 2m. Better job than any machinery so just take care of the grass

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Quick CC of tillage radish/sunflower maybe?

Both have an super deep taproot which can get your lower horizons full of life, in the way thistles / docks do the same in grassland on a pan
Radish can be quick to seed if planted in spring is the only thing to consider, sometimes in a brassica rotation you'd want to plant them later maybe after harvest?

 

[hendrebc]

If it's only 4 inches deep let the grass grow to long it will probably do it at that depth. The roots will, or should, go down to the same depth as the grass on top is long.

 

[Chae1]

@Clive

Did the compaction not just cure itself?

 

[Angus1975]

How about this for soil compaction issues ?

 

[milkloss]

Some FYM will do wonders I reckon, encourage worms etc to work and loosen it up.

 

[Chae1]

Some FYM will do wonders I reckon, encourage worms etc to work and loosen it up.

This is rubbish in my experience. Have attempted ploughing many grass leys that have had muck and can only describe them as like a road. A struggle to keep plough in ground.

 

[Chae1]

I mean all you guys go on about. The soil will restructure and improve itself if not constantly ploughed/cultivated.

Its simply not the case in my experience. I ploughed up a ten year old ley last weekend and nothing spectacular. It had only been grazed so can't blame heavy machinery for compaction.

 

[milkloss]

This is rubbish in my experience. Have attempted ploughing many grass leys that have had muck and can only describe them as like a road. A struggle to keep plough in ground.

maybe you're right, worked for one field, maybe two that we had issues with. One was mossy with a hard surface which we limed, disced and reseeded with a strong growing grass but it didn't take well, got some good fym on there and the you could see the worms casts etc where they started working like mad. Good field now, the soil just seemed sterile and dead.

I think slurry is another cup of tea entirely.

Nothing is ever a written prescription in farming thats For sure.

 

[som farmer]

soil structure has been ignored, in many cases. It should now rapidly to the top again ! We are hearing about soils becoming less productive etc, and I think, the cause is pretty intensive farming, which is regarded as normal, and now, we are seeing the results. Compaction, both surface and plough, is common, easy to see in wet weather, when the water doesn't drain away. Waterlogged soils, along with regular ploughing, decimates the worm, bug and fungi, that are present in soils, and are necessary for maintaining a 'healthy' soil. Years ago, I would be ploughing, in a cloud of seagulls, no longer, why, not enough worms/bugs, easier food elsewhere. As above, soil will recover, but will not, if constantly moved, The answer, soil has to be 'protected', not by law, but by us, and the tools we have, are d/drill. min til, rotation, fym/slurry, animals and crops. What we have to do, is find the best system, for our farms, preferably before some nerd in NE decides to force us to. We live in a fast moving world, but our profession works in the long term, and improving our most valuable asset, soil, will take time. But, in the end, a well structured soil, will absorb more carbon, retain more water, and generally produce more, with less fertilizer, which, with todays buzz words, being, climate change, is exactly what people think they want. If we can do that, it will be a win/win situation for us, a very rare experience for farmers !!!

 

[Gulli]

Some FYM will do wonders I reckon, encourage worms etc to work and loosen it up.

Plenty of that to get rid of after this winter!

 

[Cowlife]

We tidied up a rough corner last year. It never seen fert or slurry and would have been grazed a couple of times a year. Big rough grass with tussock of stuff waist high.
The soil was like powder. I don't think you can do what you are talking about with ryegrass grazed or cut on a normal rotation.

 

[DanM]

I mean all you guys go on about. The soil will restructure and improve itself if not constantly ploughed/cultivated.

Its simply not the case in my experience. I ploughed up a ten year old ley last weekend and nothing spectacular. It had only been grazed so can't blame heavy machinery for compaction.

I don’t think anyone is advocating the soil will restructure itself - its the plants growing within the soil and the bugs, worms etc that are key. A standard ryegrass ley is never going to fix the structure. You need deep rooted plants. Plants with tap roots. Variety is key.

 

[Chae1]

I don’t think anyone is advocating the soil will restructure itself - its the plants growing within the soil and the bugs, worms etc that are key. A standard ryegrass ley is never going to fix the structure. You need deep rooted plants. Plants with tap roots. Variety is key.

I've got plenty docks. Deep tap roots.

 

[Bury the Trash]

I don’t think anyone is advocating the soil will restructure itself - its the plants growing within the soil and the bugs, worms etc that are key. A standard ryegrass ley is never going to fix the structure. You need deep rooted plants. Plants with tap roots. Variety is key.

how bout A standard ryegrass ley with chicory and bit of cocks foot added ? you dont have to stick with mixtures that are in the seedmans book. custom your own. few bags of 'straights' mixed in the hopper makes the job much more fun.

overseedings not much cop either , the likes of chicory is easy peasy lemon squeezy to establish in a nice seedbed. proper full on reseed means all the seedlings are little babies with no plants with big momma roots givin others a domininant role..and sayin 'hey little seedlin babies feck off.and die ... this is our show......

Happy days.