This is just a guess but here’s what I think may be causing that particular area to grow better and it’s a little bit of a catch 22…….

For about a decade now I’ve been building top soil on this field and as I’ve done so there’s been a black layer of dirt that has been building over time getting deeper and darker. Currently its probably 10-12 inches thick across much of the field. That black layer of organic soil is a big nutrient reserve that acts like a slow release fertilizer as decomposition is taking place. As my dogs started digging that hole they took that black layer…….dug it up…. and piled it up behind them. What I think you are seeing is the rapid burning of that black dirt and the accompanying nutrient release. You’re seeing a part of that built up nutrient reserve being rapidly released.

The reason that it’s a little bit of a catch 22 is this……..When you’re talking about recreating that condition across the whole field what you would in essence be doing would be great for a very short period of time but devastating over the long term. Its all a matter of an accounting equation here and whether you are burning it faster than you’re adding it. I could take and stir up this black layer of soil and cause a rapid short term release of nutrients but if I do it over and over then I’ll be right back where I started a decade ago.

Now keep in mind what I’m about to say would only be something to consider once a substantial nutrient reserve was built up in the soil but there’s likely a sweet spot to this where if you could go in once or maybe even twice a year and simply stimulate the top one inch of residue and soil then you would provide the new plants with a little nutrient release without running into a long term deficit. Think about buffalo hooves passing through and moving on……

What I think would really benefit the field would be adding a manure application. I see what would happen if the system were fed more nutrients… I haven’t added anything to this… I think you have to be careful about using synthetics once you get a field to a certain point though. You have to take into consideration that it’s the soil life that’s causing this cycle to go round and round and if your heavy application of synthetic fert zaps a bunch of it then you haven’t really gained in long term fertility.