How often should you subsoil? When? Preferably after harvest

Jak często głęboszować? Kiedy? Najlepiej po żniwach

The period just after harvest is the best time for subsoiling.
In what conditions is it best to perform this agrotechnical procedure?

It is worth performing subsoiling periodically

Subsoiling is a bit like liming. This is not an activity that is performed every year, although in many places it is almost necessary to subject the soil to this treatment periodically. In any tillage system, the subsoiler is actually the only tool that effectively prevents the formation of plow sole. It has a very good impact on shaping favorable humidity and air conditions, thus enriching the soil and significantly improving its fertility. However, it is a procedure that generates a lot of energy and time. When and under what conditions is it worth subsoiling the soil?

Under what conditions should you subsoil?

When it comes to the optimal soil conditions for subsoiling, the rule applies: neither too wet nor too dry. In both conditions, the treatment will be ineffective. Therefore, we certainly do not undertake subsoiling if there is a severe drought or in the event of excessive moisture. On the other hand, worse results are obtained when the treatment is performed in very wet soil. Excessively high humidity causes damage to the soil structure.

How often should you subsoil?

This is quite an open question, and what's more, there is no single answer to it. It is certainly worth deepening systematically. Most recommendations recommend that subsoiling be carried out at least once every four years. This is in fact the necessary minimum, although some say even 5-6 years. However, taking into account the regularly occurring spring droughts, this is too long a time interval, so it should be assumed that subsoiler in the field should appear at least once every four years. However, there are farms that perform subsoiling more often, even every two or three years. It is also a good practice to deepen paths every year in fields that are the most dense parts of the soil (similar to "pre-fields"). It is in places where machines move most often that the plow sole develops the fastest.

However, it is worth taking a closer look at the soil before deciding to use a subsoiler. You can dig small holes and check the condition of the soil. It may turn out that a given site is so permeable and equipped with a large number of channels (created, among others, by earthworms and deep-rooted plants) that there is no need for deeper digging. However, here is a note: any mini-excavation of the soil must be made to an appropriate depth, which takes into account the layer below the standard crop in a given site.

You go deeper, of course, but how much?

The subsoiling procedure itself is related to the appropriate depth. This makes sense when it is performed below the standard cultivation depth. For example, if we usually plow at 25 cm, the subsoiler can work at 40 – 45 cm. Generally, subsoiler treatments should be performed primarily below the arable layer (regardless of the cultivation system) at a depth of 10 – 20 cm greater. For example, if we normally perform shallow cultivation at 10 cm, it is usually enough for the subsoiler to work at 30 cm. Sometimes there are recommendations to subsoil to a depth of up to 80 cm. Of course, this is possible, but at such a great depth you have to be careful with the drains. Damage to the elements of the drainage system will result in huge losses, disproportionately greater than the benefits from subsoiling itself.