Jadam organic Farming & Gardening : The Way to Ultra-Low-Cost Agriculture, Make All-Natural Fertilizer, Pesticide and Microorganism Inputs Yourself

e total area of the root extension
decides crop health; it is
the basic condition for high yield and good quality. In other words, root area
equals money. Soil management and ensuring good root growth is your best
bet, particularly in this era of climate change.
Check the compacted soil layer
Check the presence of soil compaction with a simple method. First, dig
about 40 cm (8 in) vertically into your soil. Take out a chunk from 20 cm (16
in)-depth. If that chunk contains a lot of roots (see picture), it means the soil is
free from soil compaction. If you cannot ind any roots in soil deeper than 20
cm (8 in), then check a few more spots. If all spots return the same result, you
can conclude that a layer of compacted soil is covering your entire ield. Another
method is to use a sharp iron rod. Stick it into the soil. If you cannot push it in,
it’s likely you have soil compaction. If you have conirmed soil compaction, take
this seriously. Make all efforts to get rid of it. is is the main reason why farming
ULC영어본문.qxp_레이아웃 1 2016. 2. 19. 오후 6:40 페이지 91

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JADAM Organic Farming 
becomes so difficult. If you’ve done everything you can but still your crops are
suffering from diseases and yield is small, it is likely that soil compaction is the
underlying problem. Roots will not grow properly in compacted soil.