Soil compaction problems are significant in agriculture because in most cases they lead to reduced crop yields. Soil compaction has several causes: heavy clay or clay/silt soils, tractor pressure during cultivation and planting, flooded ground, naturally high sodium levels, or high sodium levels caused by sodium in the irrigation source. 

 

Until now, there have been two methods of compaction relief. One is mechanical – discing, plowing or chiseling. That process can still create a hardpan soil situation below the plowing line and the benefits usually go away after the first big rain. Also available are commercial mechanical aerators that have spikes or plates that push or twist through the soil, bringing dirt up to the top, usually creating more compaction than it relieves. 

 

The other method is the application of gypsum. Gypsum works, although with varying and inconsistent results. Basically, gypsum can not only relieve compaction, but also remove the sodium from the picture so that plants can readily use essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphate, potash, iron and zinc – nutrients that were tied up by the sodium. For a complete picture on what gypsum does, read soil biologist Dr. Bob Richardson’s report The Efficacy of Gypsum.
 

On the other hand, SoilTech produces the same results as gypsum although more consistently, more quickly, and at a greatly reduced expense of both time and money. Recommended applications of gypsum can be from 2 to 10 TONS per acre and sometimes require adding straw or mulch, as well as lots and lots of irrigation. (Remember- irrigation water may be one of the sources of sodium, so excess irrigation during the gypsum application process could be one possible explanation for the inconsistent results of gypsum.)

 

SoilTech was created specifically to alleviate soil compaction, and that’s exactly what it does. And it does it continuously, for months at a time, not just until the next rain. SoilTech actually fractures the soil, allowing for better air/gas exchange from the root system and soil microbes, and it also increases water infiltration at the surface and subsurface levels. This in turn creates healthier plants with an increased root depth, since the soil is less dense and roots can grow more easily in it. Additionally, SoilTech removes the sodium from the root zone.  Sodium  is one of the major causes of compaction and also prevents plants from accessing needed nutrients.

 

There are many products in the market that claim to alleviate soil compaction and some of them can for a while, but SoilTech will do it for months at a time. Its longevity allows you to apply it earlier, before cultivation, making cultivation easier and giving you better soil to work with all through your crops’ growing season. 

 

Removing sodium from the root zone is just as important as alleviating compaction. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension defines a sodic soil as …”a nonsaline soil containing sufficient exchangeable sodium (Na) to adversely affect crop production and soil structure under most conditions of soil and plant type.” If you are experiencing problems with high sodium or alkaline soils, SoilTech is your solution. It moves sodium down below the root zone. When sodium is removed, plants are free to use the nutrients around them. 

 

The Colorado State University Extension (Agriculture) explains this best on their website in a report entitled Managing Sodic Soils: "High sodium levels compete with calcium, magnesium, and potassium for uptake by plant roots. Therefore, excess sodium can prompt deficiencies of other cations (positively charged nutrients)."¹