Ground Breaking Advice

   / Ground Breaking Advice #1  

sqdqo

Silver Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2009
Messages
237
Location
Marquette Michigan
Tractor
Massey Ferguson 492 w/Quicke Q750 loader
Can I get some advice for a novice in breaking new ground for food plots. I will have appr. 13 acres of unbroken grass fields to break open and turn into food plots. I have a 90 pto hp tractor and am trying to determine which is the best way to get started with opening the fields. People have told me that I should get a 7 shank chisel plow for initial opening and follow with a disk. As far as the plow goes is the chisel type vs a bottom type the right way to go? Is 7 shank right for my hp? Should I use a 3 point or pull type? The type of ground varies from pretty rock free to pretty rock infested.

As far as a disk goes I am planning on a pull type 10'-12'. Should I find one with a harrow attached for smoothing or use a separate drag harrow?

Obviously I not a farmer so any advice is appreciated.
 
   / Ground Breaking Advice #2  
Not sure if this will help. When I broke sod for my garden, I used my 10 shank chisel plow and then used my drag disc. It really worked up well.
 
   / Ground Breaking Advice #3  
A bottom plow probably isn't necessary, and in some cases would be counterproductive, for food plots. For example, using a bottom plow in creek or river bottom land that floods might just result in a lot of your soil being washed away. Better, in my opinion, to simply use a heavy disc in those situations and not till too deeply. Most forage species for food plots don't need deep tillage to begin with. If you have upland food plots you might use a chisel plow or bottom plow, but again, a bottom plow would probably be overkill for most food plot species I can think of. Better to keep tillage to a minimum if you can get away with it. Just my two cents-opinions may vary.
 
   / Ground Breaking Advice #4  
With 90 hp (pto), that 7 shank chisel with hydraulic transport wheels should be no trouble. If I were you, I'd get that chisel and a 10-ft wide pull type transport disc (aka wheel disc, one with the hydraulic transport wheels). The transport wheels allow you to adjust the penetration depth easily to compensate for soil conditions (dry, hard; wet, soft). You can attach a spike harrow to the disc or rig up a DIY drag (chain link fence weighted with railroad ties or old tires/rims) and chain it to your disc.

Good luck.
 
   / Ground Breaking Advice #5  
Depending on what you call FOOD PLOTS. Food plots for deer etc likely don't need all the grass killed out and can be planted after chisel plowing. Garden plots would need all the grass killed out prior to planting and might even require a spraying of roundup first to kill off the grass then just a disk to turn it under. If you have a chisel plow, that would certainly be beneficial in allowing some aeration of the soil for deeper water penetration, followed by a disking to break up the clods. I don't think I would go out and buy a chisel plow just for this task though as a thorough disking (several passes) will accomplish your need task.
As far as chisel vs bottom plow, I would go with a chisel plow. I think the aeration of the chisel plow is better than overturning all the sod with a bottom plow, but either option is going to be needing a disc pulled over it afterward to smooth out the large clods.
 
   / Ground Breaking Advice #6  
I plow with a two bottom breaking plow, then go over it with tandem disks 3 ways, with the furrows first, then across the furrows and finally diagonally. Sometimes IF there are lots of weeds and clods that didn't get cut up sufficiently then I will use the spring tooth cultivators last.
 
   / Ground Breaking Advice #7  
I think you were given good advice. A 7 shank chisel would be good provided you don't try to run it to deep. Just see how your tractor handles it in your soil conditions. A 9 shank chisel could easily stop my 90 hp tractor in its tracks if I went over 7" or so deep in my soil. No more acres than you are covering either a 3 point or pull type would fine. Pull type is better but 3 point works ok especially if it has gauge wheels.

Your plan to chisel then disk sounds right on. Chisel is for primary tillage and disc is for secondary.
 
   / Ground Breaking Advice #8  
See I am just the opposite I think the turn plow is the way to go to get all of the sod gone and out of the way, then a wheel disk. I am old school and I just don't want that sod around making my life miserable, of course if it is just for deer or wild life then no a turn plow isn't necessary.
 
   / Ground Breaking Advice #9  
I use a 7 shank on my 88 hp tractor and I wouldn't want to go any bigger, but I use the turning blades and that adds to the drag. I can turn stubble/sod with no problem and hitting it a time or two with a heavy disc dragging a harrow and it's good to go.

Depending on your soil, take a serious look at getting scrapers for your disc, I would be dead in the water without them. Good luck!

image.jpg

Here's that same field 4 months later with clover and Egyptian Wheat

image.jpg

I use the Egyptian Wheat to divide the field up and on the other side is soybeans.

image.jpg
 
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   / Ground Breaking Advice #10  
I've tried breaking new ground using three methods. Using a 3pt hitch disk only - with a two bottom plow only and first with the plow followed with the disk. The plow/disk method leaves the soil in a condition for home garden planting. If you need even smoother/more broken then use a pull harrow as final prep. Use of disk or bottom plow only can be adequate for a food plot for animals. Honestly, I've never prepared or planted a plot for animals, only for home gardens. I'm completely surrounded by thousands of acres of wheat, alfalfa or corn.
 
 
 
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