Fields of rocks

[puttster]

Walking along the CF I see so many of the farming fields are full of rocks. It seems to me they would be pretty tough on the equipment so I wonder if there is a good reason for leaving them in the fields.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

They do act a bit like mulch keeping the water underneath and in their shade from evaporating as fast as in bare soil.

A couple of our daily walks in New England take us past corn fields where it looks like the pebbles in the picture you sent are the seeds for the Yankee rocks grown by the local farmers for use in their stone fences.

 

[Glenshiro]

Most of Spain has poor soil, sandy and full of stones. Removing them is very labour - intensive, and ultimately fruitless as the earth will constantly bring fresh layers to the surface. Spanish farmers have learned to live with them.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

They rise up to the surface with successive ploughings. In my part of Kent they used to collect the flint stones to build houses:



but then mass produced brick became available so you now see a bumper crop come up every year:

 

[puttster]

If the rocks constantly rise up to the surface and don't get removed then the rocks in my pic may have been there for many, maybe even hundreds, of years? Dang.

 

[LesR]

Walking along the CF I see so many of the farming fields are full of rocks. It seems to me they would be pretty tough on the equipment so I wonder if there is a good reason for leaving them in the fields.

possibly still there because it is impractical and uneconomic to remove them... and ploughing machinery can be hard-surfaced to better deal with abrasive soils.

 

[Peregrinopaul]

Walking along the CF I see so many of the farming fields are full of rocks. It seems to me they would be pretty tough on the equipment so I wonder if there is a good reason for leaving them in the fields.

where was the picture taken, puttster?

 

[bearwithme]

When I walked the Camino Frances in 2017, I referred to them as "big potatoes". Pretty hard to walk on them

 

[TrvlDad1]

Robert Frost ID’d the best use for the rocks.

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

This is a job for an agriculturist. To improve soil like this, it can take generations. The only way to do it is to either remove the stones and /or add soil. To add soil, there has to be a place where top soil is not required, then move and spread it. The other option is to introduce plant matter, roll it in and allow it to compost, add to the soil that is there. This is one reason why fields will lay fallow, (unplanted with harvestable produce), for up to several years, so, when tilled again, all plant life is worked into the soil to add to its volume as well as increase nutrients. Adding manure and all other fertilizers is a given. Removing stones can be done by machinery but is specialized and expensive.

Mention was made that moisture may be retained under stones. Well, stones heat up, being solid, much faster than soil, so, any soil will dry out faster because of the rocks and stones.

 

[Sue127]

This is a job for an agriculturist. To improve soil like this, it can take generations. The only way to do it is to either remove the stones and /or add soil. To add soil, there has to be a place where top soil is not required, then move and spread it. The other option is to introduce plant matter, roll it in and allow it to compost, add to the soil that is there. This is one reason why fields will lay fallow, (unplanted with harvestable produce), for up to several years, so, when tilled again, all plant life is worked into the soil to add to its volume as well as increase nutrients. Adding manure and all other fertilizers is a given. Removing stones can be done by machinery but is specialized and expensive.

Mention was made that moisture may be retained under stones. Well, stones heat up, being solid, much faster than soil, so, any soil will dry out faster because of the rocks and stones.

I agree with all, except the last sentence. Turning over largish stones in my field this morning, the soil underneath was definitely damper than that to the side. How labour intensive it would be to remove those in the picture and next year, more would be ploughed up.

 

[OBJ. i]

The stones/rocks act as storage heaters. They bring heat into the soil and encourage growth. As I heard it.
Joe

 

[Migueldc]

I agree with all, except the last sentence. Turning over largish stones in my field this morning, the soil underneath was definitely damper than that to the side. How labour intensive it would be to remove those in the picture and next year, more would be ploughed up.

 

[Migueldc]

Wine from rocks?

Monastrell / Mourvèdre vines typical of arid areas is eastern Spain eg Jumilla.

Image from Winetraveler


Winetraveler • Wine Vacation Itineraries & Insider Travel Tips

 

[puttster]

Picture is one of several taken on the meseta among bean, wheat sunflower and other plants. I see what you're thinking - maybe they are put or kept intentionally, to keep the soil from blowing away in the wind.
Also, I wonder if the rocks add trace amounts of minerals to the soil every time it rains. Or like OBJ says, maybe they retain heat meseta gets into the 40s at night in June.
I find it hard to believe they cannot be removed with some pretty simple equipment -dozens of implements for this purpose can be seen with a simple search - so there must be a benefit of some kind.

 

[Philtration]

Wine from rocks?

Monastrell / Mourvèdre vines typical of arid areas is eastern Spain eg Jumilla.

Image from Winetraveler


Winetraveler • Wine Vacation Itineraries & Insider Travel Tips



View attachment 129946

It's believed rocks can add trace minerals to the soil which affect the terroir and the ultimate flavor of wines produced. Some of the best wines come from rocky soil.

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

I agree with all, except the last sentence. Turning over largish stones in my field this morning, the soil underneath was definitely damper than that to the side. How labour intensive it would be to remove those in the picture and next year, more would be ploughed up.

Yes, large, deep stone will maintain some moisture, not like in the Author supplied photo, purely due to their depth, inability of the Sun to heat the stone to that depth, but large stones are plow breakers and crops would work harder to find that moisture deeper down.

 

[Sue127]

Agree, I don't have a plough, so no problem there, mainly grazing.

Yes, large, deep stone will maintain some moisture, not like in the Author supplied photo, purely due to their depth, inability of the Sun to heat the stone to that depth, but large stones are plow breakers and crops would work harder to find that moisture deeper dow