First timer- field prep for field grass

[sd455dan]

Have a couple of small fields that have been compacted (20 years, horses running on them) also have been fighting a Knapp weed infestation. Bought a well used 6' disc, and JD pull type 3 bottom plow, going to try and plow and disc, New to (field prep and planting) want to plant field grass. Ok today hooked up the plow and discovered one of the hydraulic lines was to short when turning the tractor, picked up a drawbar for the disc (didn't come with one) and a short piece of hydraulic line and female swivel, got the hose lengthened, works good no leaks, Headed out to the field made 4 counterclockwise laps (that's the direction) the previous owner said plowing is done, sometimes furrows looked ok some ended up looking like a sod truck had overturned- and so it begins...got to dark- so tomorrow will try again, will try to post pictures of progress.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Must have pictures!! Must have pictures!!!
Soil test? lime? fertilizer? Rocky soil need rocks picked? Picked your seed mix yet?
I'm thinking about all of these things myself for some food plots I want to put in but there is close to three feet of snow on them at present so while I wait it will be interesting to see how you get along. Don't worry about the sods that didn't roll over pretty. Let them dry out and pass over them with the disk a couple of times and you will chop them up well enough.

 

[Verticaltrx]

Sounds like a good project, how many acres are you doing?

As for moldboard plowing, you don't go round and round. You start by 'opening the field' by plowing from one end of the field to the other directly down the center. Then you turn around and make the 'back furrow'. Basically you just come back right along the first pass so you end up with a furrow on each side. Then it's just a matter of plowing up and back until the field is done. On a large field, say over 10ac, you might do this process a couple times instead of once down the middle of the field. This will save some time driving back and forth on the end rows. Once you have done all the way to the edge of the field you can go along the ends plowing inward to clean up the edges.

Once you have that done you can disc, harrow, and seed.

This is a thread with a couple pics of some moldboard plowing I did year before last. The pics aren't the greatest but you can get an idea of how it's done:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/203558-spring-farm-work-pics.html

 

[DB Pilot]

I have been fighting invasive plants for about 6 years now. It is called Dogbane. I mow the field three times a year. Mowing does help but in some cases seems to encourage more than kill off the invasives. I have been using a 1.5% solution of roundup that does a good job, not great but good job of removing invasives while not killing the grass. That solution attacks broad leaf invasives and leaves the natural thin blade grasses alone. Again I have been using the roundup for about 5 years. Discing did very little.
What I think I have learned is that the invasive plants come up at different times so repeated applications of expensive roundup is not always effective. If I spray to early some of the same species of plant will grow later and be unaffected. If I spray to late some of the plants are so hardy that they survive and come back with a vengeance.
While I have had success with keeping the invasive plants down if I miss a year I can see they will come right back and ruin the fields. That means I would waste all the fuel time and herbicides that I have spent to date. So this year I am going to take a section of field and use roundup to kill off everything, keeping erosion in mind. Disc the area after all is gone and plant something I want. I think it will be much less expensive than year after year with so so results and hopefully a great hay field. That's my :2cents:s good luck

 

[rustythe4x4]

I ran a 7 foot cultivator with a set of spring harrows behind it many many times to prep a new spot for grass (about 4 acres). It still wasnt quite right, so I ran a set of overturned diamond harrows over the area to break up the big lumps and pull out the larger stones, then I ran a 20 foot spring harrow over it several times to make it relatively smooth and flat. We broadcast seeded and re-harrowed and in 3 weeks we had a decent grass cover.

 

[sd455dan]

Sounds like a good project, how many acres are you doing?

As for moldboard plowing, you don't go round and round. You start by 'opening the field' by plowing from one end of the field to the other directly down the center. Then you turn around and make the 'back furrow'. Basically you just come back right along the first pass so you end up with a furrow on each side. Then it's just a matter of plowing up and back until the field is done. On a large field, say over 10ac, you might do this process a couple times instead of once down the middle of the field. This will save some time driving back and forth on the end rows. Once you have done all the way to the edge of the field you can go along the ends plowing inward to clean up the edges.

Once you have that done you can disc, harrow, and seed.

This is a thread with a couple pics of some moldboard plowing I did year before last. The pics aren't the greatest but you can get an idea of how it's done:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/203558-spring-farm-work-pics.html

I'm sure that's true with a 3 point plow, but not so sure that is entirely correct for this style pull type John Deere (how about it? deere pull type plow owners) here's a picture the amount of work to stop, back up, re-align the plow would make this a real hassle.
The property is only 10 acres and the fields have been fenced into some really small fields,also it is partially treed further complicating plowing...here's how it looked after my first attempt with the JD 3bottom, the frost wasn't completely out of the ground then switched to the Ford 3000 and disc anyway going to start on it again tomorrow, liked your plowing pictures you the plow and the NAA did a nice job:thumbsup:

 

[sd455dan]

I have been fighting invasive plants for about 6 years now. It is called Dogbane. I mow the field three times a year. Mowing does help but in some cases seems to encourage more than kill off the invasives. I have been using a 1.5% solution of roundup that does a good job, not great but good job of removing invasives while not killing the grass. That solution attacks broad leaf invasives and leaves the natural thin blade grasses alone. Again I have been using the roundup for about 5 years. Discing did very little.
What I think I have learned is that the invasive plants come up at different times so repeated applications of expensive roundup is not always effective. If I spray to early some of the same species of plant will grow later and be unaffected. If I spray to late some of the plants are so hardy that they survive and come back with a vengeance.
While I have had success with keeping the invasive plants down if I miss a year I can see they will come right back and ruin the fields. That means I would waste all the fuel time and herbicides that I have spent to date. So this year I am going to take a section of field and use roundup to kill off everything, keeping erosion in mind. Disc the area after all is gone and plant something I want. I think it will be much less expensive than year after year with so so results and hopefully a great hay field. That's my :2cents:s good luck

I have also been rough cutting with a 6' brush hog about 3 or 4 times a year where the Knapweed is the worst, can't use the roundup with the horses, the wife would kill me- before the Monsanto product killed the weeds...so that's why I decided to work the soil, it literally hasn't been touched other than mowing or hand pulling the weeds since 1985- anyway tomorrows another day, and my new favorite saying is we learn by doing

 

[sd455dan]

Must have pictures!! Must have pictures!!!
Soil test? lime? fertilizer? Rocky soil need rocks picked? Picked your seed mix yet?
I'm thinking about all of these things myself for some food plots I want to put in but there is close to three feet of snow on them at present so while I wait it will be interesting to see how you get along. Don't worry about the sods that didn't roll over pretty. Let them dry out and pass over them with the disk a couple of times and you will chop them up well enough.

started to load a picture and a google malware warning about tbn covered the screen, went into the advanced area and was able to get back here ?? who knows?? anyway first- here are my helpers who will do most of the work. 1967 Ford 3000 ,W/6' interco? disc and a 1993 Rhino 554 w/ JD 3 bottom pull plow and hydraulic lift,
also here's how i finished today ,going to be 22 degrees or so tonight may have to fight the frost again in the morning... Right now everything's on a shoe string budget, Got a fair amount of Horse manure from the barn and run outs (been composting 2 years) and need to move it anyway probably going to bucket that out and plow it again... Thinking about getting a 5 gallon bucket from various parts of the field before and another after the manure is added, Possibly check with county extension office (next week)and find out what the charge is to test the soil...

 

[vtsnowedin]

started to load a picture and a google malware warning about tbn covered the screen, went into the advanced area and was able to get back here ?? who knows?? anyway first- here are my helpers who will do most of the work. 1967 Ford 3000 ,W/6' interco? disc and a 1993 Rhino 554 w/ JD 3 bottom pull plow and hydraulic lift, View attachment 309604
also here's how i finished today ,going to be 22 degrees or so tonight may have to fight the frost again in the morning...View attachment 309605 Right now everything's on a shoe string budget, Got a fair amount of Horse manure from the barn and run outs (been composting 2 years) and need to move it anyway probably going to bucket that out and plow it again... Thinking about getting a 5 gallon bucket from various parts of the field before and another after the manure is added, Possibly check with county extension office (next week)and find out what the charge is to test the soil...

I would not plow it again this year. You want the sods you got upside down to rot in place to kill all the weeds you turned under. Spread your manure and let it and the soil dry out in the spring sunshine and wind for a few days until clods fall apart to dust when kicked then disk again to chop in the manure and give yourself a fine even seed bed. It looks good so far especially considering how wet it still is.

 

[blueriver]

Fall plowing is best ... it has the winter rains, snows, thaws to break down the clumps ... sort a "dissolve" on there own. Then come spring run the disc over it ... a drag harrow and plant.

There are a lot of pre-emergent weed controls on the market ... talk to your local coop they may have something for you.