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Compaction / plough pan

Compaction is a closed road. Subsoiling is roadwork, not this season’s fertiliser.

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  1. Compaction / plough pan。
  2. Compaction is a closed road. Subsoiling is roadwork, not this season’s fertiliser.。
  3. A hoe that will not enter, ponding, sideways roots. The hard lid under the rotavator layer is a plough pan.。
  4. A hoe that will not enter, ponding, sideways roots. The hard lid under the rotavator layer is a plough pan.。

How it appears on the sheet

A hoe that will not enter, ponding, sideways roots. The hard lid under the rotavator layer is a plough pan.

A sketch. Do not fertilise from the picture alone.

Common units

Read bulk density, pores and a dug pit — not a bag of fertiliser.

How to read the number

A hoe that will not enter, ponding, sideways roots. The hard lid under the rotavator layer is a plough pan. Tilling wet, wheelings, and rotavating without subsoiling iron a shallow lid. OM is the glue Easy to mix up: Dry hard soil melts when watered; a pan is a shiny lid underneath that water cannot cross Compaction is a closed road. Subsoiling is roadwork, not this season’s fertiliser.。

Thresholds only, not a prescription. Rates live in the field guide. This page does not hand you a bag count.

What it looks like in the field

A hoe that will not enter, ponding, sideways roots. The hard lid under the rotavator layer is a plough pan.

Don’t do this

  • A wet rotavate counted as subsoiling.
  • Inverting raw subsoil every year.
  • Dry hard soil melts when watered; a pan is a shiny lid underneath that water cannot cross.

Lesson video