published on in Front Page News

Is it better to till wet or dry soil?

One of the purposes of tilling/digging is to increase aeration and reduce compaction,but tilling wet soil has the opposite effect,so its best to wait until the soil is merely damp, then till. Tilling very dry soil isn’t great either, it tends to increase the amount of dust, but your question is about wet soil.Click to see full answer. Also, should you wet soil before tilling?Before tilling, test soil moisture by digging down to a depth of 6 inches. If the ball does not crumble or breaks apart in large chunks, then the soil is too wet. If the soil will not form ball at all, then it is too dry. Leave wet soils to dry for 3 to 4 days before testing the soil again.Likewise, how dry does the soil have to be to till? Well amended beds with plenty of organic matter resist compaction when wet much better than clay or loam. The soil should be dry to the touch in the top 6 to 8 inches, with no held moisture in the lower zones of the bed. The effect of tillage on wet soil is simply not worth the impulse to till soggy garden beds. Also know, can you Rototill when the ground is wet? A rototiller can dig through wet soil, but it creates thick clods of soil that clump together instead of turning the soil effectively to improve aeration. Tilling when the soil is wet also can lead to a plow pan over time.Should I till my garden after rain?For best results when tilling, wait a day or so after it rains so the dirt is semidry. A little moisture will make the soil easier to till. Soil that is too wet will clump and eventually dry into hard clods that will be difficult to break up.

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