Bulidng soil/step #1

[MarkDarvin]

Lack of water absorption, compaction issues, drought and cracking are the things I try to counter when picking plants for crops.

Gypsum. It mellows that clay out.

 

[Smallplot]

Hey Catscratch, I am in northern Michigan, sandy, and my average OM is 2%.
For everybody, on this page is a downloadable .pdf, on building soils. I have read yields for different crops, but not so much on roots. Here is some info:
Estimated Root Residue Produced by Crops
Crop Estimated Root Residues (lbs/acre)
Native prairie 15,000–30,000
Italian ryegrass 2,600–4,500
Winter cereal 1,500–2,600
Red clover 2,200–2,600
Spring cereal 1,300–1,800
Corn 3,000–4,000
Soybeans 500–1,000
Cotton 500–900
Potatoes 300–600

Sometimes it is more about selection for specific purpose than selection based on numbers. For instance let me use the corn and beans from your example. There is a very distinct difference in soils from year to year following each crop on the same fields. The corn root system consists of more larger roots (which weigh more) and these root systems can go deep into the soil searching for nutrients and water. The soybeans on the other hand have smaller sized roots which spread out more and don’t usually go quite as deep.

Soil after corn tends to be a little on the tight side while in the same field after beans the soil is usually looser. So Which is best option? Based on numbers it is corn but based on physical characteristics it tends to fall towards beans.

Now when we start mixing seeds so they are not a monoculture, and we start getting both bests. Still using the corn and beans looking at a mix for kicks and giggles, we get some roots going deeper with some roots being larger so after they die and rot (decompose turning into OM) we have larger channels for air and water infiltration along with more smaller roots which allow the soil to act more mellow by distributing OM that breaks down quicker but spread out over a larger area.


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[Smallplot]

Sometimes compaction is misidentified and is actually crusting. When ever someone is not using heavy equipment, working on the ground when too wet, or having constant traffic then compaction is usually not an issue.

Yes Gypsum can help loosen and mitigate this issue if it is available in your area. Chicken litter can also have an impact, again if it is available in your area.



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