Soil condition this spring

[Neddy flanders]

Where its drying, it seems to be leaving the surface unbelievably hard and solid? particularly where it was left fine in the autumn in an attempt to get BG to chit back then.

So how are you drilling it?

a) Cultivate again? tends to smear below where any cultivator tine is dragged through. but needs a strong tine ahead of a tine drill. Will it dry seed bed out too much ironically ?

b) 750a disc type drill to cut it in shallow. Will roots be able to penetrate soil below?

 

[radar]

Untouched stubbles will need something done to them. Trying to avoid discing cos of smearing - first option will be pig tine from out the nettles. Some local fields have been ploughed but now they have dried unfortunately will need some rain to do much with them! All heavy land here.

 

[teslacoils]

Awful here. Stubbles sopping. Moved land just as bad. Ploughed is pudding. Will go straight in.....even if it's in may.

 

[Brisel]

1. Let it dry first. Sorry to teach Grandma how to suck eggs, but months of impatience makes moving wet soils seem urgent.
2. How hard? Roots will get through anything that isn't compacted seriously. Rain doesn't cause compaction - heavy machinery does that.
3. If you're opening it up for some tilth around the seed there's a risk a strong dry easterly wind will dry it into clods. Avoid anything with a press for now - it will still be fragile underneath. A spade will tell you what it's like below.
4. 750A will cut through it but the seed will be at the bottom of the trench. If it's too wet the disc could smear which will seriously compromise rooting, hence point 1. Letting it dry then the 750A would be the best way of letting nature do the work for you.
5. Tickling the top couple of inches will help it dry out but beware of smearing at depth & the wheelings will not do well.

 

[richard hammond]

1. Let it dry first. Sorry to teach Grandma how to suck eggs, but months of impatience makes moving wet soils seem urgent.
2. How hard? Roots will get through anything that isn't compacted seriously. Rain doesn't cause compaction - heavy machinery does that.
3. If you're opening it up for some tilth around the seed there's a risk a strong dry easterly wind will dry it into clods. Avoid anything with a press for now - it will still be fragile underneath. A spade will tell you what it's like below.
4. 750A will cut through it but the seed will be at the bottom of the trench. If it's too wet the disc could smear which will seriously compromise rooting, hence point 1. Letting it dry then the 750A would be the best way of letting nature do the work for you.
5. Tickling the top couple of inches will help it dry out but beware of smearing at depth & the wheelings will not do well.

I feel in the spring it is not about the time a crop goes in but how it goes in!

 

[shakerator]

1. Let it dry first. Sorry to teach Grandma how to suck eggs, but months of impatience makes moving wet soils seem urgent.
2. How hard? Roots will get through anything that isn't compacted seriously. Rain doesn't cause compaction - heavy machinery does that.
3. If you're opening it up for some tilth around the seed there's a risk a strong dry easterly wind will dry it into clods. Avoid anything with a press for now - it will still be fragile underneath. A spade will tell you what it's like below.
4. 750A will cut through it but the seed will be at the bottom of the trench. If it's too wet the disc could smear which will seriously compromise rooting, hence point 1. Letting it dry then the 750A would be the best way of letting nature do the work for you.
5. Tickling the top couple of inches will help it dry out but beware of smearing at depth & the wheelings will not do well.

flooding can cause compaction though !!

 

[yellow belly]

With My notill when it is hard and dry just go slower
2013 was no problem

if it smears wait a bit longer
the worst thing to do is work soil when it is not dry enough at the depth the drill works same applies with a cultivater
patience

 

[fudge]

Our ground is drying on top and will soon bear the weight of a tractor. Having ploughed and pressed most of it I am sure going straight in with the drill is the right policy. I guess we will start next week.

 

[Brisel]

flooding can cause compaction though !!

True. The OP didn't say anything about flooding but prolonged waterlogging really kills the soil biology.