Burn or plow under?

I burnt off my cornfield the other day, after having it bushogged down, and letting it lay for a week or so for the deer to eat off, we burnt it.

One uncle says it's better for the soil to let it lay, and then harrow it under. Other uncle says it's best to burn it.

Which is best?

To me, it all goes to the same place, burnt or not, and actually it being ashes, the soil, to me, would absorb it better and make it easier to harrow and then plow after the corn starts coming up.

Harrow it under

one word, compost.

To Burn Or Not Burn

Good question Delton. Will try to give you the lowdown on what is involved. This will enable you to make the final choice.

Burning releases all of the elements (nutrients) immediately in the form of ash. These newly released elements are subject to being leached from the soil before planting time in the spring.

Bushhogging the stalks leaves them flat on the ground where they are prone to rot by spring. It helps to harrow over the stalks if you have the capability. This speeds up the decay process.

Allowing the stalks to rot adds organic content to the soil. Soil organisms then feed on the organic matter and thereby slowly releases the nutrients in a form that is available to your spring crop. Under this scheme, very little nutrient is lost by leaching.

As soon as I gather my corn, I bushhog the stalks and make one pass with an offset harrow. By spring planting time the stalks are rotted and offer no obstruction to the next planting operation.

You can do a search on soil organisms as well as organic matter in the soil and it will help you better understand the above information.

Vernon

Harrow in your stalks.When you burn it makes for good harrowing but in the end you will have to purchase the nutrients you distroyed by burning.Go to the burn and take a soil sample and another where you haven't burned and see the difference in the minor elements.

Burn or Plow Under

Tommy: Would- be Foresters once received a well rounded education. I was required to take courses in Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Physical Geography, Botany, Forest Soils, Surveying, Drafting, Forest Dendrology, Mensuration (the science of measurement), Forest Management, Fire Protection, Forest Utilization, Plant Pathology (insects and diseases), Public Relations (speech and composition), and Ecology. As electives, I also took Wildlife Management and Wildlife Techniques.

With this as background, I was blessed with the opportunity to put into practice virtually all that I had studied. For almost 40 years I worked directly in the field of Forest Land Management, which being interpreted is nothing more than practicing General Forestry on vast acreage of prime forest land.

I had the opportunity to see two rotations (crops) of trees harvested from lands for which I was responsible. Gratifying indeed.

During this period of time, I was privileged to enjoy the bounty of the land, which I might add, involved some of the top wildlife habitat in the state.

God has been good to me, for which I am grateful. I am pleased to be able to humbly share just a bit of my knowlege and experience with you, my Friends

Vernon

I guess I have my answer.

Bushhog, and then harrow.

Though I must admit, the aforementioned isn't NEAR as fun as setting a torch to 40-50 acres and watch it "WHOOF" when the wind catches it...

Thanks Vernon, and others for the advice.