|
Driftless SW Wisconsin | There is a wide range of possible answers to your question.
Cover crops may help or may not. If your lack of root mass is due to subsurface compaction maybe you need to hire a neighbor to rip all or part deep enough to break up the pan. Maybe you need to look at tillage practices, are you working the ground when its too wet? Is it just tough clay? what is the OM?....and so on. Harvest traffic control often helps a lot on "tough" soils.
For starters, planting a fall cover crop such as oats or cereal rye or crimson clover as suggested above will definitely leave a better place to plant in the spring if killed at the right time and your planter is up to the task....
In tough tight clay soils, to me a wheat/corn/bean rotation is a long term improvement plan...but depends on your location too.
Jim at Dawn
Edited by Jim 7/17/2006 02:54
| |
|
How can I get a bigger root system in tough ground?
