What is the best way tp prepare flood prone field for planting

   / What is the best way tp prepare flood prone field for planting #1  

JNB

Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2006
Messages
31
Location
West Palm Beach, FL
Tractor
2006 New Holland TC40
I live in Florida and have a 2 acre plot which I would like to farm. The land fllods easily when it rains. I have a ditch in the center where I can have the water run into so I can pump it off. I am thinking of running my moldboard plow on both sides of a line creating a bed - but because the soil is so sandy, it might was down when it rains. If I create beds, I will not be able to use my brush hog near the plants - A lot more weedwacking will be involved. I am thinking of planting coconut palms since they are not easily damaged by flooding.

If I plant my coconut plants 10 feet apart and run a ditch with the plow for draining in the center of the row - would that be a better option? Using the brush hog would be a problem here also. I have a New Holland TC 40DA with a bush hog, a box blade (6ft) with tines, A disk harrow, A soil buster. FEL bucket and pallet fork.

Thanks for any input. I know there is no right or wrong answers but any suggestion would help.
 
   / What is the best way tp prepare flood prone field for planting #2  
4" drain tile every 30' for drainage to the ditch, and plant on slightly elevated beds.

Instead of brush hogging between the trees, just band spray Glyphosate and a good pre-emerge matched to the problematic weeds.
A simple spring loaded spray boom with 2 tips, allows for getting right up to the tree without actually spraying the tree or any green tissues. Just run an offset 45 on the outside overlapping to a conventional fan of the same rate on the inside tip for 2-3' coverage.

The use of heavy weed shield and/or mulch will keep your spraying to a min. and provide protection for buried drip irrigation/chemigation line, and will hold your sandy ground.

Sandy ground drains pretty fast, and as long as the water keeps moving, roots wont get oxygen starved as they will with slow and standing water.
That ditch in the middle could come in darn handy for flood irrigating in really dry years, as it would act somewhat like a recovery system to draw from.
Just mind the turtles and gators stuck in the intake.;)
 
 
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