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Torrance, California

Does anyone have any thoughts on ripping virgin soil to a depth of around two or three feet and amending with cow manure at the same time. I have a large area to amend but hit hard pan at around 8". Double digging is out of the question. This one's going to require heavy equipment.

Bob

12/29/2002 1:26:58 AM

In the shade - PDX, OR

Bob - an option..you might want to think about going up with a raised bed instead of digging down that far.

If you have the resources, what the heck..bring in the tractor.
Good Luck

12/29/2002 2:03:22 AM

huntsburg,ohio

i rip mine every couple years to about 18 inches.it helps break it up plus i tiled the patch and it helps drain the water to the lines.Jerry

12/29/2002 10:07:33 AM

Deer Park WA

I ripped my virgin patch (roughly)to about 24 inches just to open it up, I then spread about 25 yards of aged cow manure over it. I will spread out the compost piles this spring and plow it to 18 inches. I had to do something because the discs wouldnt touch it!

12/30/2002 8:28:46 PM

Puyallup, WA

If you can have access to the equipment, Bob, I'd have a "sub-soiler" do it's "thing"! Sure made a difference in my patch! No more standing water! Once the hard-pan is broken up, you ought to add "mucho" organic material.
Lincoln Mettler just added 120 cubit yards of compost to his new patch.

12/31/2002 12:40:41 AM

Caceres, Spain

If you can't bring a big tractor with a subsoiler, do this task by hand is very hard, not only because is a lot of heavy work, but because is almost impossible to do without turning over the deepest part of the soil. It is advised that you don't get out the soil bottom as it would damage the structure and texture of the surface. In ancient times subsoiling was made with horses, one or two working with a "malacate", which is wheel with a cable set on one side of the patch, the horse walk around the wheel, pulling an arm connected to the wheel and rolling up a cable attached to the plough or subsoiler. The subsoiler advanced very little, crossing slowly the patch, for each turn around of the horse, and this way it can go deep. If you demultiply much the mechanism, you can even do it by yourself instead using a horse. I will try to publish in the Photo Gallery a shot of an ancient drawing showing it.
Don

12/31/2002 3:37:31 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

I've been doing it with a rototiller. the patch is sloped so I rip it down on top and drag the soil towards the bottom refill the hole with organics and start again. everytime I do it the slope reduces a bit...and the organics spread a little further down the hill...At some point the hardpan will be still be down there and I'm hoping will help in irrigation since the water can't penetrate past it. I try to avoid digging Holes in the slope as I rototill to avoid catch basins in the hard pan. Hope to have two feet of soil by 2005. It takes alot of time to grind the hardpan but each pass through it gets easier. Good Luck...keep digging! Chuck

12/31/2002 6:48:01 AM

Sloughhouse, CA

Hi Bob, In the Sloughhouse -Elk Grove are the old timers used to use dynamite to get through the hard pan. The big time grape growers use a huge bull dozer type machine to rip the ground. They started 2 fires behind our house when the did the new field. A big name developer inthe Sacramento area just lot a fed. court case for not getting permission to "rip deep". He destroyed vernal pools on his land.

1/7/2003 9:34:02 PM

Tacoma, WA

Isn't California the place were a farmer was sued and fined
something like $30,000 for running over a kangaroo rat?

Stan

1/8/2003 2:52:28 PM