Using a Penetrometer for soil compaction

[Chasingmytail]

Firstly I get the instrument but I dont understand the results. I cant find anything on this. I have searched and searched.

Been around a field that needs serious work reseeding, lime etc. Been asked to push the penetrometer into the ground all around the field to gauge depth. To the red line where compaction is 30cm on average. The soil has good structure and on a gentle hill.

So we need to reseed this asap where do we go on what machinery is best on this? Im clueless dont get subsoiler, ploughing, mole etc all out of my lil zone. Im not a machinery girl.

I cant find anything on depths on when issues are a concern or am I totally confused?

Help

 

[Hesstondriver]

Dig a hole with a spade , try to keep one side upright and smooth, then you will either see the compact area in the profile or feel it by pushing knife in say every 5 cm , I would expect that you will find different levels of difficulty in digging as you go down through the profile

 

[milkloss]

There could be some really dirty humour......... penetrometer!!!!! Hee hee!



I’m a child.

 

[Guleesh]

Firstly I get the instrument but I dont understand the results. I cant find anything on this. I have searched and searched.

Been around a field that needs serious work reseeding, lime etc. Been asked to push the penetrometer into the ground all around the field to gauge depth. To the red line where compaction is 30cm on average. The soil has good structure and on a gentle hill.

So we need to reseed this asap where do we go on what machinery is best on this? Im clueless dont get subsoiler, ploughing, mole etc all out of my lil zone. Im not a machinery girl.

I cant find anything on depths on when issues are a concern or am I totally confused?

Help

I'm not machinery orientated so can't help much there, 30cm before compaction seems quite deep to me (by standards here at least) Are you planning to do the works yourself? or get a contractor in?

 

[Hampton]

is it in permanent pasture?

 

[Chasingmytail]

is it in permanent pasture?

Plan to put arable sileage.

 

[Hampton]

I meant now. Is it permanent pasture or is it cultivated land

 

[SilliamWhale]

Basically don't bother now.

Ground needs to be saturated. And even then you need to get a feel for it.

There are some people (me included) that says a lot of compaction is overstated and there's never been much evidence that it is a yield harmer....

 

[som farmer]

completely disagree with above, we can spot the compacted areas here, by eye, but, to be fair, soils differ from farm to farm, we get a lot of surface compaction by cows, in a wet time. The easiest thing to do, is to dig a hole, and see what is there, how far down, do the grass roots go, is there any horizontal lines through, this can tell you, if you have a pan or not. The pressure instrument, shows you, the easy bits, and the hard bits, as you push it down, and gives you an idea there may be a problem. Digging your hole will tell you. If you are getting 'resistance' at 30 cm, unless the field has been heavily, and frequently worked, that seems to be rather deep, for a pan, dig your hole, and if not sure, ask someone who knows, Here, it's dead easy, you get a horizontal layer of red oxide deposit, so no doubt, go in with the sub-soiler, surface pan, aerator, soil structure, to us, is very important, the better your structure, the more it produces, the more profit potential.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Just push it in when the soil to be tested is at field capacity or below. You can generally speaking feel where your roots stop with a standard rod but a penetrometer puts numbers to it.
Some huge learning opportunities exist, eg where to concentrate stock in future or specific areas to rip.

 

[Chasingmytail]

I meant now. Is it permanent pasture or is it cultivated land

Pasture but had it.

 

[Chasingmytail]

I meant now. Is it permanent pasture or is it cultivated land

Pasture but had it.

completely disagree with above, we can spot the compacted areas here, by eye, but, to be fair, soils differ from farm to farm, we get a lot of surface compaction by cows, in a wet time. The easiest thing to do, is to dig a hole, and see what is there, how far down, do the grass roots go, is there any horizontal lines through, this can tell you, if you have a pan or not. The pressure instrument, shows you, the easy bits, and the hard bits, as you push it down, and gives you an idea there may be a problem. Digging your hole will tell you. If you are getting 'resistance' at 30 cm, unless the field has been heavily, and frequently worked, that seems to be rather deep, for a pan, dig your hole, and if not sure, ask someone who knows, Here, it's dead easy, you get a horizontal layer of red oxide deposit, so no doubt, go in with the sub-soiler, surface pan, aerator, soil structure, to us, is very important, the better your structure, the more it produces, the more profit potential.

Yeah I did with to see the roots (and worms) and they are shallow and there is little grass to talk of. The soil is good it has loose structure 15 - 20cm no lines but didnt go down to 30. I will do that later.

 

[Hampton]

If it’s been in pasture for years then that might be it’s natural soil structure

 

[Bury the Trash]

There are some people (me included) that says a lot of compaction is overstated and there's never been much evidence that it is a yield harmer....

Just spotted yr post.
That's actually what I've thought for a long time.
Not really sure why other than gut feeling sort of thing, trouble is it's made such an issue of one feels one should take heed and do some remedial..... I never do tho

 

[HarryB97]

If the compaction is at 30cm deep I wouldn't worry about sorting it.

 

[SilliamWhale]

Just spotted yr post.
That's actually what I've thought for a long time.
Not really sure why other than gut feeling sort of thing, trouble is it's made such an issue of one feels one should take heed and do some remedial..... I never do tho

Sells stuff. Remember most "experts" have never grown a crop...

Certainly lots of people making subsoilers etc won't have grown a crop.

 

[Jerry]

Just spotted yr post.
That's actually what I've thought for a long time.
Not really sure why other than gut feeling sort of thing, trouble is it's made such an issue of one feels one should take heed and do some remedial..... I never do tho

Soil here goes "tight" as it dries, whether it is cultivated or perm pasture thats not seen a tractor in 20 years.

Im having enough fun treading in electric fence posts at the moment let alone a potentiometer.....give it an inch of rain (yes I know Im joking).....and it will be a different matter!

 

[som farmer]

If the compaction is at 30cm deep I wouldn't worry about sorting it.

compaction here, can be a game changer, usual plough pan is around 8-10'' as shown by a line of red ochre, but we can very easily cap ground, whether by cows, or overworking, pre drilling, always say when we are 2 cultivations from an ideal seedbed, thats the time to drill, you then end up 'just right'. To many times having to re-plough/cultivate, because heavy rain has caused it to set like concrete ! The aerator, has been a really good implement here, yet not far away, rubbish ! I am hoping, that by using non turning cultivator, we will increase the soil structures ability, to retain more water, and worms and bugs, fungi etc, and increasing fertility

 

[Bury the Trash]

Soil here goes "tight" as it dries, whether it is cultivated or perm pasture thats not seen a tractor in 20 years.

Im having enough fun treading in electric fence posts at the moment let alone a potentiometer.....give it an inch of rain (yes I know Im joking).....and it will be a different matter!

Yes similar here devil of a job to.get fence posts in the ground atm and no theres no rain about I'm fairly sure.