Is a Subsoiler worth it?

[Baranx4]

I was thinking about a subsoiler for my fields. I have a few areas that stay wet longer and really don't drain well. I was thinking of drain tile but think that would be an overkill. Anyone with any subsoiler experience. I know whatever I purchase will be shear pin protected.

 

[Dakota_male]

I built my subsoiler from a grader blade, works great opening up the ground and at flipping boulders out and cutting tree small roots away from my septic bed.
Click on Utube for farms running subsoilers in their fields, cheap way to see them in action .

 

[Dakota_male]

here is how it turned out doesn't tear the ground up too awful bad.

 

[Dakota_male]

this pic just shows how deep it can go, it is sharpen to slice better as well.

 

[sixdogs]

Yes, a subsoiler will definately allow clay soil to drain more completely and also increase crop yields because the roots have less of a struggle. The clay soil takes a while to fall back in on itself so the drain aspect works.
A gravel type soil is hard to compact and also subsoiling does little good because it is fragile and seals itself over quickly.

 

[Botabill]

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.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I dont think a subsoiler is going to help you in the drainage problem. It may allow the surface water to penetrate deeper into the soil but beware that breaking the clay hardpan also will allow you to bog deeper into the ground if you venture into with your tractor. We used them on the farm to loosen up the middle where the tractors tires ran on rowcrop farming. Other than that, they didnt seem to be of much value in increasing root penetration. Most of your usable nutrients are in the top 6 inches of soil for the feeder roots. Tap roots dont seem to have any problem with penetration into tight soils.
A good drainage ditch sounds like what you need to cure your problem. We just finished up with some dozer work laying some rock for erosion prevention, spreading out some dirt piles and while we had the dozer, we had several more ditches opened to remove some standing wet spots from weeping springs. Our land seems to have them at the bottom of every hill. They dont run but just weep and keep large areas wet. We put in some swales to drain them to local creeks nearby to hopefully eliminate the problem. Amazingly the dozer stood up on the mud much better than our tractors which tended to sink deeply into the quagmire. Should have got a photo of my Yanmar setting with the floorboards below ground level a few years ago in one such area. Luckily we had a backhoe nearby to pull me out.

 

[CharlieS]

A subsoiler won't promote drainage so much as allow soil at depth retain moisture better. The advantage will be rain will soak into the ground more readily though excess still needs to run off. So while you may see less of a standing water problem, it won't be a cure. proper sloping of the ground for drainage is still the key.

 

[Baranx4]

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.

Our issue is also the hardpan. When we built our home it took digging in several areas to find an area that would perk due to the hardpan. I'm interested in less lying water. I'm not looking for it to be perfect just less standing water.

 

[sixdogs]

Our issue is also the hardpan. When we built our home it took digging in several areas to find an area that would perk due to the hardpan. I'm interested in less lying water. I'm not looking for it to be perfect just less standing water.

In the clay of central Ohio, a subsoiler at 12" breaks the hardpan. Any deeper tends to invert the soil and science now suggests not to go too deep. On drainage, I subsoiled my wet areas at 12"-and 14" and my wet problem was solved. There is no more standing water and we are around 15" above normal rainfall for the year with an especially wet spring.

For reference, the Deere 22B single shank subsoiler (look it up) has a "mole ball" attachment that looks like a long cast iron egg and is attached to the foot of the subsoiler with a chain. It is said to make drain channels in soil to allow more water to vent. I don't know about that but I did see that attachment on the ones I have seen for sale.
This is a pretty subjective opinion thing here so ask a couple local people as well.

 

[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.