Ever tried this common way of knowing your soil for farming? It’s simple. You can try it right away. Take some soil and squeeze your hand into a fist, then release it. The moist soil will have created a “sausage,” or ribbon, which you can see. Ribbons of solid clay soil will form. When rubbed back and forth in the palm of your hand, poor ribbons made of loam soil will break up. Voila!
You see? Understanding your soils is the very first stage in your farming gig. Knowing the type of soil you have and how to enhance it is the first step in soil preparation.
As the initial step in planting or garden landscaping, soil preparation receives a lot of attention from farmers and gardeners. However, soil preparation is a never-ending process. Improved growing conditions and important nutrients will result from thorough soil preparation, which will also benefit your plants’ growth. Compost and organic matter are added to the soil during soil preparation to help keep the soil moist and stop evaporation.
4 best tips to make use of farming soils
1. Determining and adjusting soil pH: Crops have a tougher time accessing soil nutrients when the pH is below the desired level. Evening out pH across farm areas may be possible with soil testing and the use of precision farming methods.
2. Determine the level of soil nutrients: It is essential to test the soil because you cannot effectively plan future treatments without understanding the existing nutrient status. You might not need to apply P and K to all of your crops the next year because you may already be at high status for these nutrients.
3. Add fertilizers to manures and slurry: When spreading, take a sample of the slurry and include it in your nutrition budget. Utilizing the nutrients in slurry and FYM could help you spend less on fertilizer.
4. Improve your soil: Avoid layering various soil types because this will make it more difficult for water and plant roots to pass through. Add organic materials, such as compost, manure, or sawdust that has decomposed, to plant soil to improve it. At the very least, dig these in to a spade’s depth. Organic materials will add nutrients to clay soil and improve water infiltration and drainage. It will help hold moisture in sandy soil. Where possible, regular deep ripping with a tool with tines, like a fork, is advised.
Great!
Happy farming.
