Plants Beat Steel When It Comes To Reducing Soil Compaction

Alan Sundermeier, a researcher at Ohio State University says, “You can’t solve your problems with steel.  Even with a subsoiler that may have minimal surface disturbance, it’s really not solving the problem. We’re seeing that soil structure can be better solved by using natural rooting systems through cover crops.”

In this video you’ll see the results of their experiments on compaction plots comparing subsoil steel vs. cover crops.  It’s just 4 and a half minutes, but it could change the way you look at soil compaction and what you can and should do about it.  Enjoy!  And stay tuned for additional videos from this great series.

Here’s the link for our tablet readers.

Want one more reason to leave the steel on the lot?  Chip Hines writes about the dangers of “Iron Disease.”