Dry Fall Offers an Opportunity to address Compaction

BY Dairyland Seed Agronomy Team

2024 Nutrient Management

This spring’s frequent rain events forced field work and planting to happen in less-than-ideal conditions, which contributed to compaction issues. Soil compaction can reduce water infiltration, increase runoff, and hinder root growth of the crop. Addressing compaction now will reduce the chances of compaction issues persisting into next year. The most effective way to break up soil compaction is to fracture the compacted areas while the soil is dry. Below are some tips for dealing with compaction.

Figure out at what depth the compaction exists. Take a shovel and dig up some crops roots to see if they hit resistance and stopped growing or turned and started growing horizontally. This will give you a good indication of where the compaction exists. Using a penetrometer to check for subsoil compaction is effective when the soil is at field capacity with moisture but is not very effective in dry conditions.
Determining the depth of tillage. After you identify the depth and location of the compacted areas, then you need to decide how deep to run tillage. The rule of thumb is tillage should be 1-2 inches below the depth of compaction to effectively fracture the compacted layers.
Choose the right tool for the job. Modern subsoilers/rippers do a nice job fracturing compaction layers while minimally disturbing the surface residue. The narrow shanks are able to reach decent depths and keep most surface residue in place to help with erosion.
Be careful with excessively dry soil conditions. Ripping excessively dry soil can cause more damage than good. Excessively dry soils can produce large clods that will not easily break apart in the spring. Trying to rip dry soil will also increase fuel usage and put more wear and tear on equipmentt.

Building soil structure will also help greatly in combating compaction. Some ways to build up soil structure are by using cover crops, controlling field traffic and reduced tillage practices. If you have any questions, please contact your local Dairyland Seed DSM or Regional Agronomist.