Which impliment

[DieselBound]

On my property you'll have a hard time getting any of that to grow. I've gotten upwards of 70" of rain in a year. Height of the drought here, almost two months with next to zero rain, I still (no, no irrigation either) had green grass. But, yeah, those are fine (nitrogen building) but they still require basic minerals in the soils in order to exist.

 

[Dadnatron]

I'll challenge you on that. Red clover, soybeans, lespadesa are all used to rebuild the soil. This is wht you always plant soybeans behind corn. Corn tends to drain the soil while beans tend to replenish the soil.

I'll challenge that... in a sense. The benefit of soybeans is that it 'helps' replenish the nitrogen content of the soil given the Nitrogen fixing bacteria inherent in its root structure. HOWEVER, ANY vegetation that is removed from the soil in any form will ultimately make the soil 'poorer'. Hay, soybeans, grass, etc. Organic matter in the form of nutrients are removed at fixed degree with crops such as both soybeans and corn. Corn does little to NO rebuilding given the ratio of 'Corn removed is >>> than organic/nutrient matter left over'. Soybeans do the same with everything but Nitrogen in which the ratio of 'Nitrogen left is >>> than nitrogen removed'. Soybeans still remove many other nutrients from the soil leaving it at a deficit.

The only 'real way' to rebuild soil is to plant something and leave it in the ground. Remember, the ONLY thing which is not in the soil to begin with is sunshine, nitrogen (obtained through the air) and water. Everything else which is in a plot of land is already there... whether it is the amount of Phosphorus in sandy or clay soil. The plants break down the soil particles and utilize the nutrients in some fashion. If we leave the plants on that soil, it will eventually have enough plants and roots to break down the soil and add organic matter back via roots and surface debris, to a 'rebuilt stage'.

But if we are taking crops of any sort 'off'... we are decreasing the speed at which that can occur. Many forage crops such as grasses etc which are removed are the worst, simply because of the tonnage of nutrients which can be removed in a year. However, those same grasses, if left on the land, can be some of the best ways to rebuild the land. Cattle can speed the process, IF they are not grazed at a rate which removed the plant material at a faster rate than the 'whole crop' can break down and rebuild. The action of hoof pressure combined with stimulation of cattle saliva on cut plants... (seriously... look it up) causes the plant being eaten to grow at a faster rate than if left completely alone.

There are a HUGE number of variables but the removal of nutrients must be less than the new structure of nutrients produced by the plant, in order for ANY crop to actually be 'rebuilding'.

 

[Egon]

It is a simple process. Garden is about 50x200. I have an old ground powered manure spreader. I usually put 2-3 loads of manure on garden and the plow it under. Then put tiller on and till garden. It tills easy and only one pass is needed. Till it all up in 20-30 minutes. You spend nearly as much time putting tiller on and off tractor an you do actually tilling. It does a really nice job, is very efficient, effective, and is easy on the tractor and tiller.

I think your conditions are very different from that of freshly turned long time pasture sod.



Which is also very different to the conditions of the OP's location. He is located on weathered Canadian Shield. His closest town has a population of just over 5000 people and is a long way from any major town. The area is not a farming region.

 

[DieselBound]

Dadnatron, great post!

I've been mowing for years now, building up soil health. Increased mole activity (in areas where I previously had none) tells me there's more life in the soils now.

 

[Piston]

Thanks for the explanation, that helps give me a good idea. As far as brome grass, I'm starting to think that maybe a Midwest thing cause you are not the first person who is unfamiliar with it. It kind of grows naturally here along road side and what not. It is kind of hard on the ground (drains the nutrients) so if you want to use it for hay you have to fertilize it every year to get a good hay crop. It has a tremendous root system that sort of spider webs beneath the soil. If you want to plow it under say to plant corn or soybeans it is best to spray it first. When you go to plow the terraces, boy does it pull and beak hard. As far as the grass and hay feature, it depends on how well you fertilized it. Properly fertilized it will be pretty thick and waste high. It make for an excellent choice of hay for cattle. Hope this helps.

Thanks for explaining that! I have a rule I try to live by, "learn something new everyday". Now I can check today off the list

 

[Dadnatron]

If you ever have access and time... put an add on Craigslist that you will take 'old moldy hay' if its delivered to 'your place'. Wherever that might be. Pull the twine and compost it for a year or so. Make sure its fully composted as unsold hay is typically weedy hay unless it's just unfortunate bad hay from inopportune weather.

After that hay has composted, take it out to your 'poor producing areas' on your property and lay it on thick. Don't work it in, unless you are specifically already tilling the soil. Just spread it on top of your ground/crop, preferably in the late winter/early spring before regrowth. And watch your production flourish.

If you feed cattle during the winter... feed in areas where your ground is 'weakest' . The left over hay which is stomped into the ground will compost and improve your ground. The only reason I wouldn't immediately spread out new 'rotten hay' is that you will be spreading weed seeds into your place if you don't compost and kill them first. But if you have hay that you KNOW is good quality but just happens to be bad/rain/etc, you could just take those rolls out to your pasture... roll them out, and leave them over the winter. You just have to be confident that you aren't transplanting another guys thistles to your place.

This is a good way to IMPORT soil health materials rather than our usual EXPORT via crop sell, of them.

 

[Phillip w]

I kind of like the idea of feeding cattle up.by the barn all winter and then in the spring spread the manure out in the pasture. Another good organic trick is to harrow the pasture every spring.