This extra step can identify abnormalities in soil that influence water movement, such as
hard pans or pockets of rock or sand.
The presence of
hard pan created due to repeated tillage practices at same depth had adverse effect on crop yield which may be removed through deep ploughing.
The story: Ten-year-old Lucky struggles to find control in her life in
Hard Pan, population 43.
The second site sampled on Hackberry Creek was located upstream from the cattle activity and had vegetated banks, clear water, and a
hard pan clay substrate with occasional small sandbars.
The best land preparation is achieved using a deep tine to penetrate the soil to a depth of 18 inches to overcome the mechanical
hard pan that usually occurs at eight to 10 inches below the surface, which arises from years of disc ploughing and harrowing.
For soft to medium rock, shale,
hard pan and caliched ground conditions up to 10,000 psi, use the Gauntlet bit.
The other unfortunate side effect of rotovation is that the plot eventually develops a
hard pan just below the four inch depth that the tines usually get down to, and as a result, the drainage goes to pot as well!
Neither is a rotavator a good enough substitute for spade or fork, because besides cultivating the soil to little more than six inches, it eventually creates a
hard pan, and, consequently, a waterlogged soil.
If it's getting wetter gardeners need to focus on improving drainage, especially on clay soils or where it is suspected a
hard pan has been allowed to build up a foot or so beneath the surface because cultivation has previously been neglected.
The Gauntlet bit is designed for use in soft to medium rock, shale,
hard pan and caliche ground conditions up to 10,000 psi with exceptional steering capabilities.