To improve soil pH at depth and improve soil structure
There are many and varied soil types on this farm, and many areas where subsurface drainage is required to prevent fields from being too wet to achieve satisfactory yields and to enable normal farming operations to occur. SIS mapping and historical knowledge of the farm have been used to identify areas to implement subsurface drainage. This block had subsurface drainage issues and ag-pipe was installed to rectify this issue. However, after the installation of the ag-pipe there was still something restricting growth in these areas. Further investigation has revealed that the soil pH below 20cm depth (4.9 pH) is much lower than the soil pH in the top 20 cm (5.4 – 5.7 pH) in the same areas.
George believes that the low pH at depths is causing the growth restrictions he is observing in this field, and he also believes that the installation of the subsurface drainage in these areas along with the drier season has exacerbated the issue.
When George has been digging in these areas he has also noticed that the roots will only go down to a shallow depth and then they cease.