The roller is a double edged sword it is a tool that must be used wisely. Up here in southern ontario we have all soil types from sand and gravel to extremely heavy clay. If it’s a wet year park the roller it will make a mess on clay. But on a very dry year the roller is what saves us on the clay by helping retain soil moisture. I do agree surface residue always helps. And I try to keep as much as I can
We in our area of the NorthEast Arkansas have a mixture of soil types from heavy clay/gumbo to course Sand. Sandy loam worse scenario is recieving a hard 2inch plus rain after planting not so much on the gumbo but really on the sandy loam soils.. I've actually pulled up cotton stalks that had a perfect curly Q in the stalk a 1/2 inch to an inch below the surface so in my estimation that meant it was 1 to 2 days delayed emergence...the worst scenario that occurs is in the rice crop we use a practice called flushing that is turning on well and putting on a flood to soften the crust it is an awful amount of work and cost...a .2 to .3 inch shower is best. It can take several days to flush a field
In eastern Arkansas that soil is so sandy that crusting is always a concern. I remember pulling up a cotton stalk that had a perfect curly cue in it about .5 to .75 inches below the surface. I think it recieve a shower just before it was going to die....In rice cranking up the wells to flush a field is always a consideration that rice farmers must contend with every spring....
This is more of a cure instead of prevention, but I'm surprised they didn't mention the rotary hoe to break surface crusting. I used it in organic production for weed control, once before and once after both corn and soybean emergence. Dirt and old stalks are flying everywhere and you think you're annihilating your crop, but it usually doesn't cause much damage. The faster you go, the shallower it goes in the soil. 6-12mph is the recommended range, iirc.
The roller is a double edged sword it is a tool that must be used wisely. Up here in southern ontario we have all soil types from sand and gravel to extremely heavy clay. If it’s a wet year park the roller it will make a mess on clay. But on a very dry year the roller is what saves us on the clay by helping retain soil moisture. I do agree surface residue always helps. And I try to keep as much as I can
We in our area of the NorthEast Arkansas have a mixture of soil types from heavy clay/gumbo to course Sand. Sandy loam worse scenario is recieving a hard 2inch plus rain after planting not so much on the gumbo but really on the sandy loam soils..
I've actually pulled up cotton stalks that had a perfect curly Q in the stalk a 1/2 inch to an inch below the surface so in my estimation that meant it was 1 to 2 days delayed emergence...the worst scenario that occurs is in the rice crop we use a practice called flushing that is turning on well and putting on a flood to soften the crust it is an awful amount of work and cost...a .2 to .3 inch shower is best.
It can take several days to flush a field
In eastern Arkansas that soil is so sandy that crusting is always a concern. I remember pulling up a cotton stalk that had a perfect curly cue in it about .5 to .75 inches below the surface. I think it recieve a shower just before it was going to die....In rice cranking up the wells to flush a field is always a consideration that rice farmers must contend with every spring....
Brian and Darren addressed your comments on Ag PhD Radio: soundcloud.com/agphd/01-14-22-farmer-friday?si=27ee9f246fb74fc5a2e4317c2a90075f&#t=22:48
This is more of a cure instead of prevention, but I'm surprised they didn't mention the rotary hoe to break surface crusting. I used it in organic production for weed control, once before and once after both corn and soybean emergence. Dirt and old stalks are flying everywhere and you think you're annihilating your crop, but it usually doesn't cause much damage. The faster you go, the shallower it goes in the soil. 6-12mph is the recommended range, iirc.
Brian and Darren addressed your comment on Ag PhD Radio: soundcloud.com/agphd/05-31-22-planting-and-crop-progress-updates?#t=57:59
We still keep a rotary hoe around for that exact reason, just in case the weather does something wierd and we get a crust
@@Beyonder8335 Brian and Darren addressed your comment on Ag PhD Radio: soundcloud.com/agphd/07-18-22-late-season-soybean-insects?#t=38:04
Thanks for the lectures