Best approach and attacments for this project?

[bloody_peasant]

Ok here is what I want to do.

I have about 1.5 acres of fairly flat former horse pasture. Some parts have a very heavy sod while other parts are very spotty with some exposed dirt. It is fairly flat, but has a pretty heavy soil with a decent amount of clay in it. I just recently cleared the brush that had grown on it so there are some small sapling stumps and roots in the soil as well along with established weeds. Not very many rocks and no large stumps or roots. There are some rough areas that will need smoothing as well (small tractor ruts).

My tractor is a small MF 1010 (16Hp, ~1300 lbs, 2WD). My only current earth attachment is a 4' rear blade.

My eventual goal is to grow organic berries on it, but first I want to grow some green manure crops on it for about a year (or year and a half).

So my first set of goals are the following:
1. Break up the sod and level out the rough spots.
2. Spread and incorporate some manure especially on the back half where the soil doesn't appear to have much organic matter in it.
3. Amend the pH on the front half of the field for blue berries and for black berries on the back half.
4. Till in the existing sod.
5. Seed with my green manure crops.
6. Till that in and repeat again.

I have a fairly limited budget so I can't go out and buy every attachment under the sun or add an FEL , but I do plan on getting a 5' tiller because I plan on using that for my garden any ways.

So I'm thinking this might be my initial plan of attack:
1. Use a disc (maybe rent one) and go over it several times from different angles to break up the sod.
2. Use a box scraper (maybe buy one, since a 4' can be had for ~300) to level out the ruts.
3. Have the manure delivered and spread that using either the box scraper or the rear blade.
4. Add the other amendments for pH.
5. Till it, may take multiple passes.
6. Drag it with a length of chain link fence.
7. Seed it.
8. Spread a layer of straw (pine straw in the blue berry area).

Is this the best approach and selection of attachments to do it? I figure I probably could hire someone to come in with a big real tractor and do all of this for a lot cheaper, but I enjoy the work.

 

[CharlieTR]

Sounds like a good plan to me!
You'll want a box blade for other things too, but you can get by with smoothing out ruts by dragging a railroad tie on a chain behind disk.

 

[JerryG]

Given the size and weight of disc that you would be able to use with your tractor, I think that you would be very disappointed. It would need to be tilled with a rotary tiller or turned with a moldboard plow before the disc would be very useful.

 

[bloody_peasant]

Given the size and weight of disc that you would be able to use with your tractor, I think that you would be very disappointed. It would need to be tilled with a rotary tiller or turned with a moldboard plow before the disc would be very useful.

Jerry,

My thoughts on the disc was just to cut up the sod a little to allow the tiller to break it down. Will the tiller be able to break up the tough sod? And after tilling is there any reason in discing?

 

[bloody_peasant]

Sounds like a good plan to me!
You'll want a box blade for other things too, but you can get by with smoothing out ruts by dragging a railroad tie on a chain behind disk.

Yep exactly, I have another field a little smaller that I will want to smooth some ruts on as well, also these ruts have sod on them, so I will need to break that up with the scarifiers to get it nice and smooth.

Let me ask another question, after I tilled, what's best for final "smoothing", the chain link fence I mentioned or something like a landscape rake or something else?

Also what's good to do after seeding to rake the seed in? Rake by hand or some tractor method? Or do nothing?

 

[JerryG]

Jerry,

My thoughts on the disc was just to cut up the sod a little to allow the tiller to break it down. Will the tiller be able to break up the tough sod? And after tilling is there any reason in discing?

If you rotary till it, I really don't see a need for the disc. I really don't think that you will have a problem with the sod other than the need to go slow. Others here have more experience with rotary tillers than I do and will able to address it better.

 

[CharlieTR]

I think the chain link will do well for the final seed bed prep and to cover the seeds.
It will drag at 45 degree angle, but that’s OK if you don’t mind the odd angle.
Drag harrows are good for “smoothing” but I can’t see why so expensive, just twisted steel rods.

Before any dirt work, make sure the grass is short as possible. Once disked deep, we let the residue rot over winter. By planting time the field should be clean as possible so the stubble will not wick the water from the soil.

But I guess you’ll want to plant the clover in the fall, so you will have some residue left.
It is harder to go from sod to seed in the same short period, but it usually works out OK.

Why green manure anyway? Is that part of the organic plan? We only do that to save money on fertilizer; you only need 450 lbs. of fertilizer, around $80.

 

[randy41]

sod is pretty tough to till and the disk isnt gonna cut it. i'd pull a turning plow through it first then disc then till.

 

[Slamfire]

I'd use a moldboard plow to turn the soil over, along with the top cover, then disc or use a spring tooth or spike harrow. Sections of these old horse drawn harrows can be had cheaply. I think I'd skip the tiller, they are expensive, and the final seed bed is usually to fine.

 

[joe_ferrari]

What is a "green manure crop"? Some type of grass? If so, the ideal pH for blueberries and the grass crop will probably not be the same. Blueberries like ph 4.5-5.0, most grasses like above 5.5

Joe