I appreciate this comments, We are here permanently, Hardpan is very common in the Eastern US, in NH winery's are Uncommon.
Gypsum has been suggested in the past but only a hand full of it in for each grape planting. Hardpan in the NH is a sand like product with a bunch of stones large to small, it act much like quicksand when water soaked, water have a hard time penetrate it and that's way I need to drain my fields as grapes do not like wet feet's. We do not have any clay, as far as what I have seen. On top of the Hard pan we have 1 to 2 feet's of good top soil Some time more some time less pending on location and past cow manure deposit. We have consider ripping the hardpan whit a 2-3 foot "Hardpan buster" type of equipment but have fund that it is harder to do a good job of that type of equipment, a 3x3 dug ditch seems more functional. ( But more costly) and then the gypsum can do it's job !? I plan to cover the rows with wood chips, (and add goat and sheep manure)as a soil help and to prevent grass and competition. (I like to see chickens and Guinea fouls in the fields) Please describe the full BD cycle. Thanks Per Garp/NH ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lloyd Charles" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, December 14, 2002 06:02 AM Subject: Re: Perfect Orchard ?? > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Gil Robertson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Saturday, December 14, 2002 9:32 AM > Subject: Re: Perfect Orchard > > Hi Gil > I disagree very strongly with some of what you have recommended in > this post to Per Garp !! > lets have a look > > > but in the short term use one to four tonnes of gypsum to the > > hectare, will break the clay and allow water penetration and largely break > > the pan without ripping. > Man - four tonnes of gypsum is way way too much for the good health of > soil - sure it will open up that clay - almost blow it apart!! - and with > the rains or irrigation a whole bunch of valuable mineral nutrition will be > flushed out into the drainage system along with some of what is causing the > problem. For gosh sakes go gently with this stuff! Use a little bit! > > > Soil carbon and soil biota activity are inter-related. In Oz we have very > > low soil carbon and are for ever looking for ways of adding carbon. Coal > > dust from a coal washing facility/ some fly ashes from power stations, > Coal dust is inert carbon, almost USELESS for soil nutrition in the short > term - yes it pumps up the soil carbon numbers on a soil test but is not > active. Power station fly ash is a prime suspect for contamination and the > few samples I have looked at have in every case I tested brought the > radionic energy of the soil sample DOWN. > > > composts of high carbon materials etc can be used if available. > Thats better!! > > > Calcium will come from the application of gypsum. > And leave almost as quick as it came! LIME is the way to get good calcium > levels, gypsum is a real good source of sulphur at fertiliser rates and a > good softener for sodic soils but never forget that with gypsum you are > applying sulphur in the active sulphate form and too much will do a lot of > long term harm. There are farms in the US that started with applications of > 4 to 5 ton /ha gypsum and have progressed rapidly to using neat sulphuric > acid as a soil amendment because they blew all their nutrients off the soil > colloid with excess gypsum > > > As far as traffic impacted soil, try and keep the loading as low as > > possible, particularly when wet. Also I note that the soil does not > compact > > as much if the full BD cycle is carried out. > > > > Gil > > The other advice given with regard to green manuring, tillage, wet weather > traffic, etc is good and I agree with all of that just not these points > listed above. > Sorry but on this soil amendment stuff I just cant go the conventional big > hammer chemical agriculture track. > cheers > Lloyd Charles > >
