Try using imgur….It’s really simple.
The biggest root cause for most any of these fields is gonna be the lack of adequate organic matter in the soil. Our traditional techniques of heavily tilling fields until we work them down to a pristine powder burns up all the organic matter in the soil. Breaking it down so finely and mixing it in the soil until it “looks pretty” will cause most folks to start running a deficit. Over time it slowly decreases to none. This is something you can have tested for a few bucks and see for yourself.
The symptoms change as soil types change. In sandy soils, lack of OM kills the soil’s nutrient and water holding capacity. Sand has virtually no holding capacity so the OM is really all you’ve got to rely on. Without it, fields become very dry and very inefficient at holding nutrients and transferring those nutrients to the plants. As you add more clay to a soil though the issues change. Clay has the ability to hold nutrients and water but without the OM the clay particles become tight and compacted. The OM is what keeps the soil loose and what gives the soil some structure. Most of Alfisher’s issues are likely due to the physical properties of the soil and not the chemical. Even if you came in a ripped that field with deep tillage this year, you will need to change techniques long term or you will continue to be right back where you started. The only thing that is gonna change the physical properties of that soil long term is 1) Plant root structure 2) Increase in soil OM
Last edited by CNC; 08/19/17 10:36 AM.
