How Do You Rehabilitate Compacted Soil?

#permaculture #soilhealth #soilregeneration
Compacted or degraded soil doesn't always need to be turned over. Geoff explains how a chisel plow can progressively loosen hard ground, how deep to rip, and why soil moisture, machinery and the future use of the land all influence the approach.

This clip comes from Geoff Lawton’s weekly student Q&A inside his Online Permaculture Design Course. Learn how to assess soil, water and landscape conditions and choose the right strategies for regenerating land: Explore Geoff’s Online PDC at https://www.discoverpermaculture.com

Key takeaways:

Both heavily used agricultural soil and compacted grassland may need rehabilitation, depending on what you want the land to become.
A chisel plow can loosen compacted soil deeply while causing relatively little disturbance at the surface.
Deep ripping may need to happen progressively, starting shallow and going deeper as compaction is relieved.
Soil moisture, the severity of compaction and available tractor power determine how deep you can go on each pass.
The goal is to loosen and aerate the soil, not turn the entire soil profile upside down.
Other implements can help disturb or loosen the surface before establishing cover crops or trees.