Schwitzer Contracting is pleased offer an economic subsoiling and undersowing service using a sophisticated hydraulic system to
- aerate your soil,
- improve its structure, and
- increase dry matter production
How Soil Becomes Compacted
Soil is comprised of mineral or organic soil particles with spaces called “pore space”. This space contains varying amounts of air and water depending on soil type and conditions. The ratio of particle to pore space would ideally be 50:50 in natural un-compacted friable soils. However for most soils the reality is very different. The demands of grazing and the regular use of machinery, often in wet and highly unfavourable conditions, is very destructive to soil structure. Intensive stocking on wet soils can 'pugging' in paddocks, and heavy machinery can result in soil compaction. Either of these conditions can cause poor drainage, poor plant growth, greater fertiliser requirements and more topsoil and contaminant runoff to waterways.
Soil compaction starts at the surface and builds progressively throughout the soil profile often to considerable depths, preventing water penetration and the movement and up-take of all essential elements. As the soil particles pack closer and closer together pore space is eliminated and the soil becomes devoid of air and water, thus denying grass plants the “essentials of life”.
More Worms, Deeper Roots, Better Drainage = Increased Dry Matter
Clients who have used our soil aeration service have observed a considerable increase the number of earthworms in their soil, as the soil structure allows the worms to move more freely. Improving the soil structure with sub-soiling also allows the soil to be more free draining, so that grass production improves during wet months. Since soil aeration also allows plants to increase their root depth, grass growth also improves during both dry conditions. Independent tests on farms in the UK, that have used the same hydraulic subsoiling system that Schwitzer Contracting uses, have shown an average dry matter increase of over 20% in a fifteen month period. This excellent return on investment is in line with the feedback we're receiving from Waikato farmers.