Disc or Tiller

[kburtt]

I have an IH 574 with a front loader... I used a 2 bottom plow and plowed up 5 acres and now I need to determine what's next...I believe my steps listed below are correct. I have a 6' 3 pt disc and one 6' tiller and I'm looking at a used 10' transport disc... Something tells me I can use the tiller and not even use a disc (I'm concerned about the huge rocks I saw while plowing, plan on clearing what I can find) but I think I would like to get/use the 10' transport disc... What is the right thing to do? I'm trying to put in a new better hay field since it has been 15+ years since the soil was turned and the field contents are not so desirable right now... Would like to have horse, cattle, chickens and goats next year...

Any advise or suggestions?

Planned Steps...
1. Plow
2. Disc
3. Harrow
4. Till
5. Harrow
6. Plant

Thanks
Keith

 

[flusher]

I have an IH 574 with a front loader... I used a 2 bottom plow and plowed up 5 acres and now I need to determine what's next...I believe my steps listed below are correct. I have a 6' 3 pt disc and one 6' tiller and I'm looking at a used 10' transport disc... Something tells me I can use the tiller and not even use a disc (I'm concerned about the huge rocks I saw while plowing, plan on clearing what I can find) but I think I would like to get/use the 10' transport disc... What is the right thing to do? I'm trying to put in a new better hay field since it has been 15+ years since the soil was turned and the field contents are not so desirable right now... Would like to have horse, cattle, chickens and goats next year...

Any advise or suggestions?

Planned Steps...
1. Plow
2. Disc
3. Harrow
4. Till
5. Harrow
6. Plant

Thanks
Keith

Plant what? Last Oct I planted Kanota oats on my 5 acre hayfield. Flat pasture land that hadn't been farmed in decades. I cut the weeds with the brush hog, ran the 7-ft offset drag disc over it twice in criss-cross patterns and planted with my restored Minneapolis Moline P3-6 grain drill (10 ft wide, 20 drops). I'll be mowing, raking and baling in 3-4 weeks.

My soil is gravely and thin, so plowing is out.

 

[kburtt]

Just planting a mixture of a horse friendly forage... Orchard grass, clover, Timothy, etc... The field had a city of groundhogs, ivy, etc... Just a varity that is not the best for a horse... I plan on taking some soil sample to the local feed store for analysis, add what they recommend, etc... I was/am looking at getting a Woods Turf Renocator but that's a large expense that I'm not sure I want to take on... I just know the field of grasses I had were not the best and I want to make 'better' hay ...
Thanks
Keith

 

[MMagis]

The 10' disk would make the shortest work of it. All will work, just at different speeds.

 

[kburtt]

One question I do have... How long do I wait between the different steps? Once plowed wait until 'dry' (dirt flakes or crumbles) then disc or till and at that point I can move to the next steps...
Thanks
Keith

 

[Egon]

Just use the rototiller.

 

[sweettractors]

One question I do have... How long do I wait between the different steps? Once plowed wait until 'dry' (dirt flakes or crumbles) then disc or till and at that point I can move to the next steps...
Thanks
Keith

We usually wait for a rain between each step. Ken Sweet

 

[jagyzf]

The steps we use when re-seeding from weeds/grass to grass.

Round-up a few weeks before plowing or even the fall before
Plow
Disk
drag/harrow
pick stone
drag
roll/cultipack
seed
roll again across the direction of rolling the 1st time.

 

[flusher]

Just planting a mixture of a horse friendly forage... Orchard grass, clover, Timothy, etc... The field had a city of groundhogs, ivy, etc... Just a varity that is not the best for a horse... I plan on taking some soil sample to the local feed store for analysis, add what they recommend, etc... I was/am looking at getting a Woods Turf Renocator but that's a large expense that I'm not sure I want to take on... I just know the field of grasses I had were not the best and I want to make 'better' hay ...
Thanks
Keith

Find yourself a used 6-7 ft wide disc and a broadcast spreader. That's all you need for a food plot. Drag a log, steel pipe or tires behind the disc to break up the clods and smooth out the soil. Then broadcast your seed.
My neighbor gave me my 7-ft offset drag disc, another supplied the tires free and I bought the grain drill (actually two drills) from my neighbor for $275 plus about $100 in parts to refurbish the drill. Spent about $160 for seed.











You don't need to spend a lot of bucks to do food plots if you shop around for used implements and free stuff.

 

[sweettractors]

The steps we use when re-seeding from weeds/grass to grass.

Round-up a few weeks before plowing or even the fall before
Plow
Disk
drag/harrow
pick stone
drag
roll/cultipack
seed
roll again across the direction of rolling the 1st time.

Nice to see that you utilize the cultipacker for maximum germination and to prevent soil erosion,bust clods and prevent seed washout. You have a real good program. Ken Sweet

 

[AKfish]

My first drag/harrow was a welded pipe-frame with a section of heavy-duty fence attached in the frame.

I also chained some old tires to drag along behind to break up the sod and bigger chunks.

I bought a tooth-harrow for $450 and I sometimes think that the old fence worked better..

Wished I could afford a culti-packer! Have you priced one of those, lately?? Like a 10 footer?

AKfish

 

[jagyzf]

Nice to see that you utilize the cultipacker for maximum germination and to prevent soil erosion,bust clods and prevent seed washout. You have a real good program. Ken Sweet

Thank you for the compliment, the steps are the same the 1st farmer I worked for as a teen did. Now I help a neighbor up the road when he needs it and he follow the same steps. It has worked very well for us.

The cultipacker also works great and pushing any small stones back into the ground so when we harvest they don't get mixed into the hay.

 

[sweettractors]

Thank you for the compliment, the steps are the same the 1st farmer I worked for as a teen did. Now I help a neighbor up the road when he needs it and he follow the same steps. It has worked very well for us.

The cultipacker also works great and pushing any small stones back into the ground so when we harvest they don't get mixed into the hay.

You learned your lessons well. Yes, I forgot about the pressing down of the smaller stones. I am not much on dragging a bedspring and hoping for the best?? You know, I have heard, that the Biologic seed company that caters to wildlife foodplot guys won't guarantee seed germination without use of a cultipacker during the seeding process. I guess that is one reason we sell well over 100 used packers per year for foodplots. Ken Sweet

 

[AKfish]

Forgot to mention that I finish up after the 'ol "bed spring" with a 2,500 lb roller-packer..

Cheers;

AKfish

 

[TXSQBALER]

Thanks for posting all those great pictures. You mentioned broadcasting the seed. I'm going to be planting some Bermudagrass seed. Is it Okay to use a broadcast spreader on the back of the tractor and then drag over it with a pipe or board or something like that?

Thanks
TXSQBALER

 

[JasG]

Thanks for posting all those great pictures. You mentioned broadcasting the seed. I'm going to be planting some Bermudagrass seed. Is it Okay to use a broadcast spreader on the back of the tractor and then drag over it with a pipe or board or something like that?

Thanks
TXSQBALER

I would roll or cultipack, seed then roll again with a spreader seeder. That is if you tilled the soil

 

[JCB]

Guys/Ken.

Do you really recommend all kburts steps? I'd imagine everyones method works fine and I'm ready to be wrong on this, but I've always preferred Flushers method or like Egon said, if I had a tiller I'd expect seedbed quality immediately after that step.

To me in Kburts original list I'd treat the disc/tiller as an either-or proposition and let size of my plot determine which I would use. I guess I'd just be a little concerned with wind erosion when working a field that much.

Am I wrong on this?

Thanks,

Joe

 

[sweettractors]

Guys/Ken.

Do you really recommend all kburts steps? I'd imagine everyones method works fine and I'm ready to be wrong on this, but I've always preferred Flushers method or like Egon said, if I had a tiller I'd expect seedbed quality immediately after that step.

To me in Kburts original list I'd treat the disc/tiller as an either-or proposition and let size of my plot determine which I would use. I guess I'd just be a little concerned with wind erosion when working a field that much.

Am I wrong on this?

Thanks,

Joe

On our own farm,here are the steps we use for seeding, (Provided we are not no till drilleng in sod)

1. Plow
2. Wait for some good rain to melt the soil
3. Double disc and sow field and cultipack the same day
4. Finished

 

[Egon]

I guess I'd just be a little concerned with wind erosion when working a field that much.

Wind erosion is definitely one problem depending on your location.

Another is wind and blown particles cutting off freshly sprouted seed. This may be very important in sandy soils.

Rain and runoff must also be considered.

As always the methods used will vary from district to district depending on prevailing weather conditions, the type of soil and the contour of the land in question.

And lastly the size and type of equipment available will definitely decide on how the land is prepared.

Many of us just have to do the best we can. Not what we'd like to do!

 

[whodat526]

if u are planting Bermudagrass why dont u plant sprigs it is a whole lot easyier and less work all u need to do is disc real good spread the sprigs with a sprig are a old manure spreader and then set disc ganges straight and dics the sprigs in and be on your way