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Iowa

So what studies have you read that prove tilling kills microbes? I'm thinkin "No Till" applies to big farm fields that have massive amounts of run off.

4/22/2011 3:45:04 AM

Muddy Waters

Ive read this No till movement,I have about 8000 sg feet of clay,I not working all this by hand,have arthritus,real bad at times,it must be loosened I drve a car that kills frogs ants rabbits deer etc.Im not walking 35 miles to save these wonderful creatures, Sorry tree huggers!!!

4/22/2011 7:15:50 AM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

Tilling itself doesn't kill microbes. In fact tilling under organic matter and introducing oxygen into the soil actually stimulates the microbes that break down organic matter. If you have organic matter to spare this probably isn't too bad, as the breakdown releases CO2 into the air and leaves the rest of the nutrients in the soil for the plants. But if you are just marginal on organic matter it will hurt. Organic matter will bind up and hold lots of nutrients and water, keping them from leaching out of the root zone.

What tilling kills is your earthworms and soil structure. It destroys the macropores left by worms and dead roots casuing compaction and reducing infiltration of water. When you break the soil structure and reduce it to real fine particles it compacts and crusts on the surface.

All this is why I try to limit my tillage to fall applications of large amounts of organic matter. I like to leave it rough without totally pulverizing the soil. I sometimes do a shallow cultivation pass in June to turn weeds into the soil but that is about it. If I till my silty soil when it is too dry it turns to powder and the first rain leaves a hard crust.

4/22/2011 9:16:13 AM

Iowa

Iowegian, All what you typed makes good sense, what I was finding on the net seem to say tilling kills your microbes.
There is a reason for asking, long story but I put 5 round bales of organic corn stalks on my patch. Started out about knee deep last fall and now that I have tilled, I must say my soil is completely different. But I had to till more than normal last fall, for me normal is a lot. Hardpan yes maybe for this year but I noticed most of the break down has happened in the past three weeks, seeing less brown and more black! My soil is clay but I can now walk on it and it is like stepping on a sponge.

4/22/2011 12:14:11 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

Sounds like you will be OK with that much OM added. That sponge like textue sounds good.

4/22/2011 12:19:50 PM

Iowa

One other thing I would like to say is that Stan posted about his soil in my last post; I would say his words describe my soil to a T.
But one worry I have is that my soil is over tilled and when the rains come this summer my soil will settle, become solid with lack of air. So what does one do? Get out the tiller? I guess time will tell.

4/22/2011 12:31:38 PM

i have been lucky to visits a few people patches all over i got chance to see stans in washington he plows his up i have since took to that also let it crumble over time there something to be said about plowing under and not just tilling i do both here i dont want to talk for stan maybe he add to this

4/22/2011 12:37:56 PM

Iowa

Yep good stuff Don, i did just that this spring it was the only way to get soil on top of the chopped up corn stalks. lol

4/22/2011 2:00:01 PM

milford, CT,

This might be interseting to N0-Till growers. I have used other products from this company...This year I am trying Aerify Plus...Breaks up Compaction and has Humic Acid and Kelp. http://www.natureslawn.com/aerify-plus.php.

4/22/2011 2:01:31 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

Steve, it takes a long time for corn stalks to break down. I know that laying on the surface they will last at least 2 years, maybe 3 or more. I wouldn't worry about this year or the near future. Unless you have a HUGE patch, that many corn stalks will keep the microbes happy a long time. Organic stalks do break down a lot faster than the new GMO Bt varieties. They are like small trees in the fall and are still tough by spring.

4/22/2011 5:48:06 PM

Iowa

Thanks for all the info Iowegian, yep know all about them GMO stalks.

4/22/2011 9:37:16 PM