"Don't pulverize the soil...."

[randy41]

i would till it again but with the tiller set to minimal depth just to chop up the clumps on the surface. it looks like good soil to plant in.

 

[JDgreen227]

Thanks all for your input. Just about all soil in mid-Michigan is pretty much heavy clay which is why I have tried to improve the soil by adding compost and sand, etc. It has been very hot and dry the past 10 days but no matter how much I till the clumps will not break down, I borrow a neighbors rear tine tiller and tried that...still end up with clumps.

What I find so irritating about the clumps is that because where I live there is farmland on two sides of us and the wind comes from those two sides, and because of all the quackgrass and other weeds, any bare soil here is immediately covered with seeds that quickly sprout. Because of the seeds, I have to put down that black fabric landscape ground cover or I can never keep up with the weeds. Trying to pull the weeds from the clumps means they break off in the soil. And the clumps make it almost impossible to level the soil so I can put down the fabric.

As to the original question about "don't pulverize the soil" when I did a Google search about how I could better break up the clumps, many of the hits from Google said "DON'T PULVERIZE" and I could not find out why that was the case. I use a walk behind Rally front tine tiller. No matter how I set it to till shallow or deep, it just moves the clumps around without breaking them down further.

 

[Yellowhair42]

heavy clay which is why I have tried to improve the soil by adding compost and sand, etc.

Quit adding sand.Sand+clay=concrete.Only organic material will help.

 

[JDgreen227]

I mentioned in a post above I have a real problem with weeds sprouting in any bare soil, I tilled this up less than two weeks ago and look at the new growth. At least THIS area doesn't have clumps.

 

[oldmech]

I mentioned in a post above I have a real problem with weeds sprouting in any bare soil, I tilled this up less than two weeks ago and look at the new growth. At least THIS area doesn't have clumps.

Hi! Soil is life. Plant need air water and food for grownt . For me less is sometime better. For your soil. Look for correct the PH. If you can add some lime this can improve quality of soil. More easy to work after. Good luck Oldmech

 

[downslope]

I mentioned in a post above I have a real problem with weeds sprouting in any bare soil, I tilled this up less than two weeks ago and look at the new growth. At least THIS area doesn't have clumps.

I am not a weed expert, but some of those weeds (viney things) look like perennials. Are you sure they're not regrowing from underground roots or rhizomes and not seeds. If they are perennials growing from roots they will be difficult to eradicate, especially with the clumps. If you are not organic you could try an application or two of Roundup (glyphosate) and then go back to organic growing.
Then keep adding compost and tilling in. Keep in mind, howver, that improperly composted material can also contain viable seeds, rhizomes, etc, and cause continual problems. Maybe you could try a heavy roller before laying the ground cloth. Ground cloth and/or black poly may be your best solution, at least for awhile.

 

[schoolsout]

I think the pulverizing soil part has to do with disrupting the natural ecosystem found in soil. Mychorrizal (sp?) fungis, worms and whatever else that lives in the soil that benefit plants can be disrupted.

 

[JDgreen227]

I think the pulverizing soil part has to do with disrupting the natural ecosystem found in soil. Mychorrizal (sp?) fungis, worms and whatever else that lives in the soil that benefit plants can be disrupted.

You make a REALLY good point there and that (about pulverizing) was the actual basis of my original query....THANKS.

And Downslope asks if the growth in the picture is from roots or rhizomes....no, because I carefully removed any and all roots that were in that area. Good query, however. When the plot was new, I went to a LOT of work to kill all the vegetation before tilling, and for several years afterwards I kept hoeing to dig down deep and be sure ALL the quackgrass roots and rhizomes were removed. It was quite a headache.

 

[randy41]

i think adding gypsum to your soil will help to break up the clumps.