What to do before tilling?

   / What to do before tilling? #21  
I'm in a similar situation and I elected to just till. It works fine. So far I've just tilled the area twice and am letting it dry out a bit before running the tiller another one or two times.

I don't understand why one would need to use a subsoiler on land that has not been farmed for a long time. I thought hard pan develops largely as a result of farming and tractor use so if there hasn't been any and there is no evidence of poor water absorption then why use a subsoiler?

Likewise, plowing before tilling seems a bit odd to me. If you plow grass under and then till you will just bring the grass back up to the surface anyway. No question that it would be nice to get rid of grass but unless you are plowing it more than 8 inches or so underneath and don't think you will disturb it with the tiller it seems a waste of time to me.

The last time I worked up about an acre of old pasture I only used my tiller. I felt that it took too long and I was constantly hitting larger rocks that would bounce my tiller all over the place. This time I plowed first, picked all the larger stones and I am letting it sit for a week or so to help kill many of the roots. Then I'll pull out my tiller and till it all up.

All in all in my case I hope to cut my time in half by plowing first. Now if I did not already have the plow I would only use my tiller.
 
   / What to do before tilling? #22  
The last time I worked up about an acre of old pasture I only used my tiller. I felt that it took too long and I was constantly hitting larger rocks that would bounce my tiller all over the place. This time I plowed first, picked all the larger stones and I am letting it sit for a week or so to help kill many of the roots. Then I'll pull out my tiller and till it all up.

All in all in my case I hope to cut my time in half by plowing first. Now if I did not already have the plow I would only use my tiller.

It may differ with the soil you have to work with but after plowing, one pass with the tiller was more than enough to get it ready to plant.
 
   / What to do before tilling? #23  
Gregkabob, Howdy Neighbor to the North! If your soil is like ours down here in Altus and I were you (since you have a plow, disk and tiller) I'd plow, then a quick once over with the disk and then I'd till it up. Since all I have is a tiller and middle buster then I'd middle bust and then till. You'll have the best prepared garden around! Good luck and let us know how it turns out. Take some pics of each phase so we can see the progress! :p

Troy
 
   / What to do before tilling? #24  
Equipment is not the only thing that can compact dirt or form a hard pan. Water can also and have been told cows especially can. If you have an area that water often sits on it could be due to a hard pan there not letting the water soak through. Of course the type of soil you have makes a difference.

If the grass is something that will give you problems in the tilling and will not have time to rot..there is the option if legal there and you can control it..burn the grass off before tilling. But you probably want a rain shower between the rain and working it to reduce the ashes.
 
   / What to do before tilling? #25  
Without fail, I ALWAYS plow ground before tilling if it's virgin soil. Usually, after plowing, one pass with a tiller will get it in good enough shape to plant. A second pass in some instances is required, but vary rarely from my experience.

That procedure is a LOT easier on a tiller too. Grinding through hard ground on repeated tillings is rough on even the best tillers, not to mention time consuming.
 
   / What to do before tilling?
  • Thread Starter
#26  
phyxer - Troy, I use to spend a bunch of time around Altus riding motorcycles but gave it up for a blue tractor. Once I get settled on the farm a new bike will be in the barn with the tractor. Yes the dirt is quite like that in Altus. It's very heavy clay and I'm so glad I got a BH with my tractor as I hate to break out the shovel and try to dig. With all the advice and since I do have the equipment on hand I'm going the use the sub soiler, then plow, disk and then till. I'll be sure to take some pics and post them as I go through each stage. When I'm all done I'll try the tiller on virgin soil and see how it does with out any other work being done to it first just to see how it goes. I might discover that I can skip a step or two in the future.

This Fall I hope to get started on the vinyard getting the planing areas ready for spring 2010 planting.
 
   / What to do before tilling? #27  
Greg, I have a 2006 Yamaha Stratoliner (1854 CC/113 CID V Twin) cruiser. I love it! Maybe someday I'll be able to add a BackHoe to my inventory. Good Luck with the vinyard! One other thing, the saying in your signature has been one of my favorites since I beat Cancer in 2005. Every Day Above Ground Is A Good Day! :p

Troy
 
   / What to do before tilling?
  • Thread Starter
#28  
Troy, Yep, we have to be thankful for everyday we are not "Pushing up Miss Daisey". Good for you on beading the Big C! I worry about that sometimes as I spent almost 6 months working on Enewetak Atol cleaning up radioactive debrei for the USAF in the early 80s. So far all is well I try to live each day to it's fullest. If you ever get up this way give me a shout. Can't wait to get back on a big bike.

I hope the weather holds off for a few days so I can get the dirt work done and when I do it I'll be sure to take pics and post.
 
   / What to do before tilling? #29  
Greg, another thing I learned fighting the "Big C" was......."Don't worry until you have something to worry about" ;) If I get up that way and remember I'll send you a PM and see if we can hook up for a visit! :p

Troy
 
   / What to do before tilling? #30  
The fun part about all of this is getting seat time and fun playing with all of the toys and being lucky to have friends like "redbug" who has helped me out with farm projects.
 

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