might as well add my 2 cents.....i would cut the grass/stubble/weeds as short as possible. then i would use a turning plow (moldboard plow). a half an acre aint much...with a single bottom 12" plow it would take 2-3 hours if the ground is not very hard. i would do this when its still cold enough for the ground to freeze. this will help to break up the plowed soil some. then i would disk it one or 2 times and then rotary till. if you dont have any of this equipment you could probably find someone who does and just pay them to do it.
Cultivating Implements
- Thread starter Iplayfarmer
- Start date
I wonder if you could find a shaft to which you could bolt a six inch sweep that would fit into the slots where the rippers go on a box blade. You might even be able to get a larger sweep type plow than 6 inch, it seems that we used to have some with a wider wing than 6 inches for our cultivator to run between the rows or in the "middles" as we called it. If you replaced all the rippers with that type plow, you could turn over a lot of ground in a couple of passes with the box blade, and it shouldn't pull the tractor too hard.
OP
Iplayfarmer
Super Member
The ground is probably going to be HARD. No one around here remembers the last time that this spot of pasture was worked. I've had animals on it for 4 years and the guy before me had animals too. There are some spots where it is a little rocky too.
I've tried the rippers on the box blade, and my tractor won't pull them very deep. I actually bought some old parts off a guy at a yard sale thinking I may make a middle buster. I may still try that. From all I've heard so far in this thread it sounds like it's either pull a middle buster with my little tractor or hire someone else to do it with a bigger tractor.
Hiring someone else takes half the fun out of it, but I may just go that route. I actually have a few farmers in the area that owe me a few favors.
One other question...It's been suggested that I work the ground pretty early in the spring. One of the reasons I want to till and re-plant is to get rid of some weeds. Would it be better to wait until the foilage is growing and then spray before tilling everything up, or should I just go ahead and till early in the spring?
I've tried the rippers on the box blade, and my tractor won't pull them very deep. I actually bought some old parts off a guy at a yard sale thinking I may make a middle buster. I may still try that. From all I've heard so far in this thread it sounds like it's either pull a middle buster with my little tractor or hire someone else to do it with a bigger tractor.
Hiring someone else takes half the fun out of it, but I may just go that route. I actually have a few farmers in the area that owe me a few favors.
One other question...It's been suggested that I work the ground pretty early in the spring. One of the reasons I want to till and re-plant is to get rid of some weeds. Would it be better to wait until the foilage is growing and then spray before tilling everything up, or should I just go ahead and till early in the spring?
Farmwithjunk
Super Member
Iplayfarmer said:
If you work the soil before your weeds come out of their winter dormant stage, you'll merely bury them. That isn't the worst thing when we're talking about weeds that result from germinating seed, but SOME noxious weeds sprout from the roots of last years weed crop. Plowing them under doesn't change a lot. The BEST way to kill weeds is to spray them when they're growing plants. Some manufacturers of herbicides even recommend spraying with or shortly after fertilizing. That makes the now healthy, growing weeds want to take up more of the weed killer.
Also, you're going to be contending with weed seed that was dropped last year. Bury them and they can survive months, even years under the soil. For best results in most cases, wait until everything is out of dormancy and growing, but BEFORE they produce this years crop of seed, THEN nuke 'em with the appropriate weed killer(s).
There are literally hundreds, maybe even thousands of species of weeds. No one method of eradication will be the "do all" for every one, short of a complete total kill that may sterilize the soil for a time.
Green is Keen
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- Guess...! It's green and rimes with "Cold Beer".......
Mr. Farmwithjunk,
I'm eager to hear more about the ways to prepare soil for the planting of grass from someone in the "Bluegrass State", for I'm about to begin a project where I wish to turn 5 acres of very hard clay soil in central Texas into a lush evergreen/lawned park like setting. My neighbors think I'm crazy, but the family is ready to buy some lawn furniture. So tells us more......
I'm eager to hear more about the ways to prepare soil for the planting of grass from someone in the "Bluegrass State", for I'm about to begin a project where I wish to turn 5 acres of very hard clay soil in central Texas into a lush evergreen/lawned park like setting. My neighbors think I'm crazy, but the family is ready to buy some lawn furniture. So tells us more......
Last edited:
RalphVa
Super Member
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- Dec 19, 2003
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- 7,873
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- Charlottesville, VA, USA
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- JD 2025R, previously Gravely 5650 & JD 4010 & JD 1025R
To answer Mike, 18 hp is more than enough. The problem is weight to get traction. In the early history of tractors, the large majority of these were 16-18 hp, but they were 3,000+ # monsters. The old JD M was about 3,000 # but was only 18 hp.
So, the Iseki will probably pull a moldboard plow if you affix some rear wheel weights.
The problem with a moldboard (and a disc plow, but a little tractor will have trouble keeping from being pushed aside using this type (disc) plow, probably; whereas, the moldboard anchors itself from being pushed aside by digging down into and riding in the soil vs. the disc just lifting it and casing it aside) is that it leaves the ground very rough. Normally, a multi-disc and harrow are used to smooth the humps left behind. They'll be smoothed by weather if you could plow in the fall and not have to use the ground until spring. The rototiller may be a good tool for smoothing out the humps. I used the soil ripper (originally made for the M noted above) behind my little 18.5 hp 4010 to remove the raised rows I'd made with the old Gravely rotary plow. I remade the rows by mounting opposed discs behind each wheel. These were mounted onto the diamond bar that the soil ripper cultivator tines were bolted to.
The soil ripper, which is similar to what is called today a "cultivator", would rip up the soil, but my 4010, like the Iseki, is too light to pull these 7 tines through ground with vegetation. Plus, the soil ripper really won't turn vegetation over to kill it, like a plow does. So, affixing weights to the wheels and pulling a cultivator through the vegetation won't do the trick, unless you first kill the vegetation with Roundup. Most of us don't want to use Roundup extensively in our vegetable gardens. Still, one would probably prefer a plow to turn the dead vegetation over to "compost" it, even if it was killed first.
Ralph
So, the Iseki will probably pull a moldboard plow if you affix some rear wheel weights.
The problem with a moldboard (and a disc plow, but a little tractor will have trouble keeping from being pushed aside using this type (disc) plow, probably; whereas, the moldboard anchors itself from being pushed aside by digging down into and riding in the soil vs. the disc just lifting it and casing it aside) is that it leaves the ground very rough. Normally, a multi-disc and harrow are used to smooth the humps left behind. They'll be smoothed by weather if you could plow in the fall and not have to use the ground until spring. The rototiller may be a good tool for smoothing out the humps. I used the soil ripper (originally made for the M noted above) behind my little 18.5 hp 4010 to remove the raised rows I'd made with the old Gravely rotary plow. I remade the rows by mounting opposed discs behind each wheel. These were mounted onto the diamond bar that the soil ripper cultivator tines were bolted to.
The soil ripper, which is similar to what is called today a "cultivator", would rip up the soil, but my 4010, like the Iseki, is too light to pull these 7 tines through ground with vegetation. Plus, the soil ripper really won't turn vegetation over to kill it, like a plow does. So, affixing weights to the wheels and pulling a cultivator through the vegetation won't do the trick, unless you first kill the vegetation with Roundup. Most of us don't want to use Roundup extensively in our vegetable gardens. Still, one would probably prefer a plow to turn the dead vegetation over to "compost" it, even if it was killed first.
Ralph
Farmwithjunk
Super Member
Green is Keen said:
The "Bluegrass State" got its name from the "Bluegrass Region" around Lexington in the central portion of the state. (And some smaller areas in west-central Ky) Bluegrass itself is native to the Pacific Northwest. Grass in the bluegrass region of Kentucky gets its name from a blue-ish hue the grass gets during peak growing season. That blue is from high concentrations of naturally occuring lime in the soil. Most of the state ISN'T Bluegrass country. Only 55 miles from Lexington, and we need to ADD significant amounts of lime every few years to keep soil ph in check.
My experience planting "grass" is mostly from re-seeding hay fields. Commonly used pasture or hay grass's here are Timothy, Orchard grass, endophite free fescues, rye, bluegrass, along with clovers and alfalfa.
Grass doesn't need, nor does it do nearly as well with a deep, loose seedbed. Over-working soild into talcum powder consistancy is one of the worst things you can do to prep for seeding grass. Work it to a minimal depth, then FIRM soil after seed is dropped. (Use a cultipacker)
Plant when soil temps are correct for your seed. Some grass's can be "frost seeded". Others can't. Consult your seed supplier for that advice. Soil is merely a carrier for nutrients. Have soil tested before planting. Add nutrients as required. Continue fertilizer program AFTER grass is up and growing too.
I get a laugh when people give advice as if it's carved in stone, one way to do things. Growing any crop, from grass to corn, you read and react. If you aren't skilled at reading plant tissue, I'd also suggest taking a sample for a plant tissue analysis at some point. (Most state Univ. Ag programs, and/or county extenstion programs can guide you to proper testing facilities. And so it goes.... After each and every step, read the results and determine the NEXT step.
A 12" single bottom moldboard plow would be best. This would do a good job, turning over the sod completely to a depth of around 6". The middlebuster would leave strips unturned and is definitely the wrong choice here. If your tractor has R1 tires, it will handle this small 3-pt hitch plow without the need for wheel weights or tire loading. If you have R4's or turfs which severely limit the tractor's ability to deliver drawbar horespower because of traction issues, then you will need to add tire chains and possibly wheel weights (if the ground is real hard). Late spring is the best time to plow, after greenup but while there is still adequate moisture in the ground. As the soil dries in the summer, it gets harder, but if you go in too early, mud will be a problem. You do have about double the required horespower for this plow and depending on your tractor's weight, with loaded R1's you may even handle a 12" two-bottom. I used a JD-M like that mentioned above for many years on a 12" 2-bottom and it never struggled. A rototiller is not good at breaking new hard ground as you have descoverd. The nice thing about a rototiller is it lets folks with limited traction (usually due to having R4 tires or turfs), put more of thier tractors power into working the loose soil. After you turn the ground over with the plow, that tiller will give you a good seedbed.