Clay that won’t till, then cracks
Work it at the right moisture or you forge a brick.
- Sticky when wet, cloddy and cracked when dry, roots torn.
- The tillage window is short.
- Clay texture is born with the field; a plough pan is pressed in by rotary tillage.
- Clay cracks wide and deep; sand rarely cracks like that.
- Don’t rotary-till after rain; don’t smash dry clods and call it subsoiling.
- Moisture for tillage: A handful that balls, then falls apart when dropped. That is the right moisture
- Name what you see before you feed.
- If leaves, roots and the surface disagree, stop.
What you see in the field
Sticky when wet, cloddy and cracked when dry, roots torn. The tillage window is short.When a hoe bounces or footprints sink, dig twenty centimetres and look for a shiny hard pan. Roots that turn sideways count. Cracked dust is extra. Keep machines off wet soil.
Tap to enlarge. The caption says what to photograph. Missing field photos are marked as to-be-added.
Why it looks like this
The field looks like this because the root cannot take water or nutrients the usual way. Fix the soil condition first — drainage, salt, acidity, compaction or a salt of fertiliser — then a thin feed. Rates live in the range on this page; confirm with a local station and the label.
Easy to mix up
Looks like “A plough pan under hard packing”
Clay texture is born with the field; a plough pan is pressed in by rotary tillage.
Looks like “Drought cracks”
Clay cracks wide and deep; sand rarely cracks like that.
Do this / don’t do that
- 1Compare the worst plants with a neighbour ridge. Photograph whole plant, close-up and soil surface before you add fertiliser.
- 2Match roots, leaves and the soil surface to this guide. If they do not line up, do not copy a bag count.
- 3Use the rate range on this page only as a range. Confirm with a local station and the product label.
Don’t do this first
- Don’t rotary-till after rain; don’t smash dry clods and call it subsoiling.
Rate range
Moisture for tillage
A handful that balls, then falls apart when dropped
That is the right moisture.
Organic manure
Keep putting it on, locally
Change the structure.
These are ranges. Confirm with your local extension station and the product label.
How soon after a spray or a feed it showed
A 1–3 day burst looks more like spray injury / fertiliser burn.
When you see Sticky when wet, test. If the leaf and the soil disagree, test before you pour.
Lesson video
2026-03-13 · Li Zeyu · For learning. Serious damage: local agronomist or a soil test.
For learning only. Fertiliser and pesticide decisions need a local agronomist and a soil test.
Not sure? Photograph the field to identify the problem