Aggregates smashed: the surface powders, then turns to slurry in rain
A stable crumb is built, not bought in one bag.
- Dust when dry, slurry when wet, falls apart, raindrops paste it.
- You cannot roll crumbs.
- Sand leaks water; silt slumps after rain and skins when dry.
- Salty-alkali land has white crust and high pH; silt is not always salty.
- Don’t smash crumbs into pancakes on wet soil; don’t expect a bag to turn flour into bread.
- Organic manure: Keep putting it on, locally. More use than piling a mountain once
- Name what you see before you feed.
- If leaves, roots and the surface disagree, stop.
What you see in the field
Dust when dry, slurry when wet, falls apart, raindrops paste it. You cannot roll crumbs.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 “Sandy soil”
Sand leaks water; silt slumps after rain and skins when dry.
Looks like “Salty-alkali hard cap”
Salty-alkali land has white crust and high pH; silt is not always salty.
Do this / don’t do that
- 1Dust when dry, slurry when wet, falls apart, raindrops paste it. You cannot roll crumbs.
- 2Organic matter, cover against raindrop smash, traffic only at crumb-moist. A microbe bag will not build rooms in one season.
- 3Don’t smash crumbs into pancakes on wet soil. Use the range on this page only as a range. Confirm with a local station and the product label.
Don’t do this first
- Don’t smash crumbs into pancakes on wet soil; don’t expect a bag to turn flour into bread.
Rate range
Organic manure
Keep putting it on, locally
More use than piling a mountain once.
Cover
Straw or crop trash
Catch raindrops.
These are ranges. Confirm with your local extension station and the product label.
When you see Dust when dry, test. Take soil from the bad patch and from a greener neighbour, separately.
Lesson video
2026-03-21 · 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