Re: crops that drain the soil?

Posted by paul on October 05, 2005 at 19:16:57 from (66.44.137.225):

In Reply to: crops that drain the soil? posted by diggerdave on October 05, 2005 at 13:36:38:

Alfalfa adds N and a deep root mass - organic
matter - if allowed to grow 3-4 years. It
removes a great deal of P. It is terrific for
keeping erosion under control.

Corn depletes N from the soil, and as silage it
removes organic matter.

Liquid manure adds N and a lot pf P.

If your land is short on rainfall & is sandy, I
would watch the organic matter, as the
surface is getting cleaned off over & over. On
more normal soils, should not be a problem
as the alfalfa roots help to keep it up.

The N from the Alfalfa will last 2 years to help
the corn.

The manure will replace the P, and also help
with N for the corn.

So, all in all, you are getting one of the best
rotations around, unless it is depleting your
organic matter. I'm sure he is balancing the
N,P, & K with commercial fertilizer to keep
things up & in balance.

An additional step a few have started around
here is to plant rye after corn silage, harvest it
for haylage in spring, plant corn for silage
again, & then go into alfalfa.

This gives 3-4 years of alfalfa.
Corn for silage.
Rye for silage basically over winter (fall &
spring).
Corn for silage.
Back to alfalfa.

This works well if you have too much manure.
The rye will use up extra nutrients, and you get
an extra crop out of the 5-6 year rotation. As
well the rye helps control erosion by being in
place over winter. Folks that get set up with it,
are short on land, and can manage the
nutrient issues with good soil testing program
can do real well with this.

--->Paul

Follow Ups:

• Re: crops that drain the soil? James2 20:18:46 10/05/05 (1)
  • Re: crops that drain the soil? paul 21:21:12 10/05/05 (0)

Post a Followup Name: E-Mail: Subject: Comments: Optional Link URL: Link Title: Optional Image URL: Email Notification: If you check this box, email will be sent to you whenever someone replies to this message. Your email address must be entered above to receive notification. This notification will be cancelled automatically after 2 weeks.

TRACTOR PARTS	TRACTOR MANUALS

We sell tractor parts!  We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]