Pasture renovation with modified with rototiller

[Luremaker]

I just read on Mother Earth News website about using a tiller with modified tines to renovate a pasture.

Pasture Renovation

Instead of using the standard curved tines the article says to use homemade straight tines to cut through the sod. I'm thinking of giving it a try. Anyone try this before?

 

[Egon]

Well, it couldn't hurt!

I wonder why people who depend on their pasture for a living do not seem to be using this method?

The type of grasses in the pasture may also be of importance in the way it is rejuvenated. Nature prairie grass seems to have lasted for many years with no cultivation help.

 

[jbrumberg]

I agree with Egon . There appears to be another "movement" in the homesteading/organic growing culture that he leaning away from the practices of heavy duty tilling in favor of spading. It is felt that spading minimizes soil structure damage and soil compaction that is caused by tilliing. A power spader sounds like what Luremaker is describing. Great another attachment to consider ! Jay

 

[MarkV]

I have thought about this for a slightly different application in the past. For over seeding lawns a vericutter (also called a vertical mower) is recommended to cut ½” deep slits in the lawn for new seed to have good soil contact and break up thatch build up. Tractor mounted vericutters are way out of my price range for once a year use. With thinner straight blades on a tiller that were off set from each other to space slits around an 1” a part you would be doing a similar job as a vericutter does.

One step farther would to mount a drop seeder and roller on the back of the tiller to simulate a slit seeder. It would drop seed in your newly cut slits and run the roller over them for ground contact.

I’m not sure I have the fabrication skills to do it but you got me thinking. If anyone has any thought I would enjoy hearing them.

MarkV

 

[MikeD74T]

One step farther would to mount a drop seeder and roller on the back of the tiller to simulate a slit seeder. It would drop seed in your newly cut slits and run the roller over them for ground contact.
I知 not sure I have the fabrication skills to do it but you got me thinking. If anyone has any thought I would enjoy hearing them.
MarkV

Good idea - the roller would also serve as gauge wheels for easy depth control & the tiller weight would ensure good contact. The wheels of a drop spreader could ride on the roller as well. MikeD74T

 

[Reg]

Seems a disc harrow (weighted if necessary) set to zero degrees could do same/similar job.

 

[Greyfields]

Even loaded with weights, my discs won't cut through the thick sod I have here where I live. I'm left two options, plowing or tilling. I've broke 5 tines on my scarifier already trying to rip through the sod, so I'm leaning away from using that. The two strategies that have worked best for me:

1) Plow. Disc. Disc. Disc.
2) Till on the highest setting to break the sod. Disc. Disc. Disc.

I have a blanket harrow for smoothing. After this year, though, I should never have to plow again and it will just be annual tillings or discing.

By the way, that is a neat article. I feel I understand the arguments for going to no plow / no till agriculture, but when you're rennovating neglected pasture you're not going to get good results using minimum impact techniques.

 

[Reg]

I was thinking of my little disc harrow tilted WAY back to run only on the rear set of (un-notched) blades, possibly with a couple of little 65 gallon water tanks on it. Only about 1,000 lb plus the harrow's weight, but on knife edges it should get SOME penetration.
Making up a set (6 x 9 = 56) of straight cutting knives for my tiller doesn't have much appeal, I would certainly try the weighted disc harrow first.

 

[charlz]

I suppose a lot depends on what you have to work with and what results you want.

I had a little corner of my hay field where two fences met, the previous owner used to spray kill along the fence lines as he also used it for pasture and there are electric fence wires. Pretty much weeds since I did not continue spraying and only hay the area. I decided to try to 'recover' that small area by spray killing all the weeds, tilling, spreading seed, blanket harrow to work in the seed, watering etc. A surprising number of weeds came back to compete with the Brome seed I put down. When I stopped to think about it "how does a real farmer get a fairly clean start on a hay field?" I realized plowing probably turns many of those seeds deep underground to rot away. Light surface cultivation just mixes them in with whatever seed you end up putting down.

So if you are doing more of an 'over seeding' operation light surface cultivation would probably work.

If you are working with a weedy mess plowing is probably the better answer.

Charles

 

[Egon]

One could use a cultivator with chisel teeth or, as it may be known to others a chisel plough.