Stuck in a Rut Again?

Harvest conditions in 2006 were less than ideal for much of the fall. In some places firm laneways and access roads gave way to ruts. Ruts and wet conditions put stress on both equipment and people. 2008 is shaping up to be another wet harvest, let’s look at what can be done to manage the situation. 

Apple orchards are perhaps the ultimate in controlled traffic. All traffic is confined to set tracks, generally, this results in a fairly narrow lane of packed soil with little rutting. The tree row retains lovely soil structure which supports good root growth. This packed traffic area will tend to shed rainfall due to the tighter soil structure unless there is a depression or an area that collects water. Much of the rutting observed in 2006 occurred in these low lying areas where water was trapped or on the sides of hills. The other key area where a lot of rutting occurred was on the access lanes throughout the orchard. The problem is not so much the weight and axles under any one load. It is the sheer number of trips under wet soil conditions that eventually causes the soil structure to fail. 

Observations since fall 2006 suggest that we can expect the ruts to rebound slowly due to the soil freezing and thawing. The sod cover in an orchard insulates the soil and slows the freezing in the fall reducing the degree of lift and soil improvement. It is a slow job waiting for Mother Nature to fix the ruts.

If 2008 is another wet harvest there are some things that can be done that may help to reduce rutting: 

1. Give the soil as much time to drain after a rain as possible before going back into the orchard, even if this means just waiting until after lunch to start rather than first thing in the morning after a rain.
2. Be strategic in your harvest if you can. Field vegetable growers often try to save a better drained area to move to under really wet conditions in order to allow harvest to continue. On rolling land consider the direction of your harvest. Side hill seep will tend to make the tires spin a bit more, creating more of a rut.
3. Reduce the load weight. This means perhaps fewer bins on a wagon. Switching to a bin on a tractor is not necessarily better. The weight per axle is going to be higher and you will have more trips through the row.
4. Take a look at your tires. Compaction work with field crops has shown that if the tire pressure can be reduced to 10-15 psi, that there will be less compaction. However, check your tire specifications and consult your dealer first to maintain the tire warranty.

Best wishes for a safe and dry harvest!

Figure 1. Side hill seep contributed to this rutting in 2006. Consider grading and further drainage to reduce the problem for the future.

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