Is a Subsoiler worth it?

[Ford850]

I agree with what Sixdogs says, don't go too deep. It works ok for me, but don't expect miracles. With only few more inches of rain this will be the wettest year on record for northern Ohio but the wet areas I have subsoiled are not much wetter than any of my other areas. They weren't so wet that they were standing in water before though, just areas that never dried.
I also used my subsoiler as a potato digger this year. I replaced the point with a blade from Agri Supply and it looks like a middle buster. It sure saved my back on those potatoes!

 

[franklinute]

Deep subsoiling is used for certain crops it really depends on the type of soil you are in. For internal drainage in clay subsoiling is a short term solution because the subsoiled area will close up after a couple trips over the field or several good rains.
I do some subsoiling at approx 30"+ depth and it really takes some horsepower to pull the load. I took the gauge wheels of my subsoiler and can only pull 2 shanks with my 170 hp tractor. For me it works best when the soil is very dry. The shanks seem to break the ground open instead of just slicing through.
In California farmers subsoil 6-7' deep before they plant fruit tree orchards. They use large dozers or monster tractors to pull one shank.

 

[jonyyuma]

I bought the TSc subsoiler and will pull it with bagged mulch already spread on the ground. The clay hardpan here was only 6 in deep. It was worth it to me for the cost, effort and results..Plus this year was my first to use tractor rotary tiller, definitely worth the money.

 

[uphill]

There are many other uses for a subsoiler that you find once you buy one.
It is my "most borrowed" implement I have. Note...My subsoiler can be converted to a plow and a towing device also.

 

[veresjwv]

I did quite a bit of research on the internet with regards to the effectivemness of subsoiling and there is no definative answer. There are just as many situations where subsoiling decreases the productivity of land as there are where it helps.

I went ahead and bought a Fred Cain subsoiler however haven't had it long enough to determine if it solves the soil challenges I have. My problem clay hard pan that prevents the moisture from properly soaking in. The ground stays wet way too long in the spring. I guess drainage is what I too am hoping to solve.

From the crop point of view...What time of year would be best for subsoiling?
Spring before you plow? or Fall before you cover crop? or Several times a year?

 

[flusher]

Deep subsoiling is used for certain crops it really depends on the type of soil you are in. For internal drainage in clay subsoiling is a short term solution because the subsoiled area will close up after a couple trips over the field or several good rains.
I do some subsoiling at approx 30"+ depth and it really takes some horsepower to pull the load. I took the gauge wheels of my subsoiler and can only pull 2 shanks with my 170 hp tractor. For me it works best when the soil is very dry. The shanks seem to break the ground open instead of just slicing through.
In California farmers subsoil 6-7' deep before they plant fruit tree orchards. They use large dozers or monster tractors to pull one shank.

Yep, you need to really subsoil deeply when you plant orchards. Investors have bought up several thousand acres around here for almond orchards. Those fields are ripped using large Cat bulldozers and single shank rippers. My neighbor established a 30 acre alfalfa field several years ago. First step was ripping to 30" with a single shank subsoiler pulled by his D7 Cat.

 

[sixdogs]

Yep, you need to really subsoil deeply when you plant orchards. Investors have bought up several thousand acres around here for almond orchards. Those fields are ripped using large Cat bulldozers and single shank rippers. My neighbor established a 30 acre alfalfa field several years ago. First step was ripping to 30" with a single shank subsoiler pulled by his D7 Cat.

How wide is that shank? It must be a monster to have a D7 pulling it.

 

[sixdogs]

From the crop point of view...What time of year would be best for subsoiling?
Spring before you plow? or Fall before you cover crop? or Several times a year?

In midwest clay it's only done in the fall when dry. If done when ground is wet you can actually cause more harm than good. Rule is is subsoil or "rip" every two or three years. Ideally you would rip 30 or so inches apart and under the row where the crop will be. Max depth here is 12" to 14" or you invert the soild and that is not recommended..

 

[EE_Bota]

In central NC, I grew ONE corn crop when I was a kid, to feed my hogs.
A hog farmer (my mentor, I guess you'd say) loaned me his single shank sub-soiler, told me to break the hardpan so it would drain.

I subsoiled over 24"deep with a red belly Ford. It was a tough pull, WOT in lowest gear, but the ground seemed to well up behind the tractor. It cured the drainage problem in that part of the field, at least for that year, but I did no other planting.

I did it in the spring, before the corn crop was planted. The corn did not fair well in that part of the field because the soil was lousy there, and it was a dry year. Red soil fine, orange-yellow soil lousy on the homeplace. Reindeer moss and cedar nearby..a sign I think of soil conditions.


(Oddly, I planted the corn WAY too deep, and it seemed to be the only thing that saved the crop, since most others failed. Apparently there was moisture where I planted the corn, not much higher up in the column. Mentor fretted crop failed, then said just as well, since everyone's did, then said praise be, your ignorance saved you. I shocked all the corn, and fed it all fall and winter, and into the spring. Mentor friend said "God looks after the ignorant, and the worried too; I'm thankful for that!")

 

[gabby]

Here is a streak where I ran my subsoiler during the drought to try to cut a pvc water pipe I couldn't locate. Didn't find the pipe but it put a hurtin' on the grass. It ran about 15 inches deep.