I think you said you have been using notill on this plot for 20 years,how much has your organic matter increased in that time period,I have been using a ripper exclusively for the last 20 years and my organic matter has increased about 1/2 point in that time span,I Have no explanation ,I have never owned a chisel plow, my thoughts are maybe a chisel plow moves all the soil where as a ripper at 30" doesn't move as much soil
If your ripping in the direction of the rows it would make sense your OM increased. If you aren’t pulling up the roots and allowing it to stay in the ground undisturbed, they have a chance to decompose. Most OM is made by decomposing roots rather than surface residue. A chisel definitely would rip everything up so it’s good a thing you’ve been using a ripper the last 20 years.
Very interesting!
I think you said you have been using notill on this plot for 20 years,how much has your organic matter increased in that time period,I have been using a ripper exclusively for the last 20 years and my organic matter has increased about 1/2 point in that time span,I Have no explanation ,I have never owned a chisel plow, my thoughts are maybe a chisel plow moves all the soil where as a ripper at 30" doesn't move as much soil
If your ripping in the direction of the rows it would make sense your OM increased. If you aren’t pulling up the roots and allowing it to stay in the ground undisturbed, they have a chance to decompose. Most OM is made by decomposing roots rather than surface residue. A chisel definitely would rip everything up so it’s good a thing you’ve been using a ripper the last 20 years.
Just wow. I’m a rookie farmer in southern Mexico that has farmed for 3 years now. Love this info. Much appreciated.