Logging Slash..

[nchunter1989]

I'm going to preface this with saying I know the answer ultimately will be in a soil sample.

But-- Whats ya'lls experience with logging slash after 5-6 yrs? I was bushhogging on the farm last month & cut into an area of slash that was so thick nothing had grown there. I tilted the deck & chopped it up, it was so degraded it was basically pulp or mulch.Soil was rich & black underneath-by appearance anyway. . Got to wondering about the soil quality in those areas? I know if it was mostly pine then it would have likely made it more acidic. Just curious what others have experienced?

 

[ruskbuckss]

I'm just taking a guess but I think it would make nice soil. I would think it would be similar to the composting that everybody is doing now. Pine and oaks are known to cause acidity in soils. I have heard a few people talk about aspen when they fall are fertilizer for the woods. I don't know if there is any truth behind it, but I heard it more than once.

 

[IkemanTx]

I would bet it is the best soul you have on the place. Lots of people are deep mulching gardens with wood chips now. That method is called "back to Eden" gardening. The heavy mulch layer keeps the soil under it constantly moist and the continued breakdown of carbon and mineral feeds all kinds of microbial life. The more microbial life, the healthier the soil.


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[nchunter1989]

I would bet it is the best soul you have on the place. Lots of people are deep mulching gardens with wood chips now. That method is called "back to Eden" gardening. The heavy mulch layer keeps the soil under it constantly moist and the continued breakdown of carbon and mineral feeds all kinds of microbial life. The more microbial life, the healthier the soil.


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Yeah I was wondering about that.. It at least looks richer then the other 200 yrds of sandy loam I planted my rye in.Going out thurs, putting the wife on the atv w/ drag harrow to scratch the soil while I cut a few trees from the lane. Going to broadcast some buckwheat in my standing rye, planning to take a soil sample of this slash/mulch area.

 

[yoderjac]

It will be high in OM, but the rotting bits of wood will tie up a lot of N. It can make a nice plot in time. I'd focus on clover or some legume that can fix its own N until the wood bits are fully decomposed.

 

[IkemanTx]

If tilled in, yes the chips will tie up nitrogen. Laying on the surface, though, they will only tie up nitrogen in the top inch or so. The OM, increased microbial activity, and moisture retention could be worth it in certain circumstances.


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[bbcoach]

Pine plantations in Eastern NC are really acidic and require about 2 to 3 tons of lime per acre to get the soil PH up to 6.5. Most Pine plantations will have a PH at around 4.5. My avatar PIC, on the left, is a shooting lane cut out of a pine plantation that had a PH of 4.7. After adding 3 tons of lime on this 300 yard by 15 yard lane the PH is now 6.4. It is planted with winter rye, oats and durana clover. Soil test now, add the required lime now and she'll be ready to grow most cool weather crops this fall. Here's a couple of PICS of the durana, taken last May, it still looks the same this spring. Good Luck.

 

[nchunter1989]

Pine plantations in Eastern NC are really acidic and require about 2 to 3 tons of lime per acre to get the soil PH up to 6.5. Most Pine plantations will have a PH at around 4.5. My avatar PIC, on the left, is a shooting lane cut out of a pine plantation that had a PH of 4.7. After adding 3 tons of lime on this 300 yard by 15 yard lane the PH is now 6.4. It is planted with winter rye, oats and durana clover. Soil test now, add the required lime now and she'll be ready to grow most cool weather crops this fall. Here's a couple of PICS of the durana, taken last May, it still looks the same this spring. Good Luck.

Yeah it's running around 5 as of soil sample last year. It was mostly hardwoods that were cut.


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[yoderjac]

It is worse up here in my area of VA. It is 3 to 4 tons to initially amend. However, the nice thing about clay is that, once amended, it takes 3 or more years before it needs a ton of maintenance lime.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[nchunter1989]

It is worse up here in my area of VA. It is 3 to 4 tons to initially amend. However, the nice thing about clay is that, once amended, it takes 3 or more years before it needs a ton of maintenance lime.

Thanks,

Jack

Nice! It's all sandy loam here, so i know it'll leach quick.. trying to get the OM up & build the soil for long term.


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[Steve Oehlenschlager]

I have a similar place where an old hay stack once stood ( 40 years ago) before it rotted away to oblivion. The organic matter is so high that it has been a nightmare trying to get something to grow there. It is almost like peat...but it is not. The top organic material dries out so fast the seeds have a hard time germinating. It is getting better but yes clover has been the most successful. I swear I could start the soil on fire in a drought there.