Tiller plow or tiller?

[johndeere4720]

Hi all!
I am wondering what would work better to blend in cover crops and composted manure on a 5 acre plot-a rototiller or moldboard plow and disc?

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Actually, a plow and a tiller make a pretty good team. Plowed ground tills deep and consistant. I've got mixed feelings regarding use of a disc. They can result in highly compacted soils if over-used.

 

[LBrown59]

I like plow an till betteren plow and disc.

 

[johndeere4720]

Do you think that heavy clay would make a difference?

 

[Botabill]

Farmwithjunk makes a good point. They are a great team. You live in Michigan so I assume you get a pretty cold winter. Fall plowing and leaving the clods / furrows over the winter is a tried and true northern technique. It kills the bugs and the winter frost breaks and areates the soil. In the spring the plowed clods can be tilled earlier as they dry earlier. If you till in the fall the land is flat and doesn't dry as early in the spring. Also water run off can erode the overly prepared patch and lose water which soaks in better on plowed land. I Also like plowing ruble, green cover crops and old crops. When I till the strands get wound up in my tiller. Get both! If you have both I don't think you'll need other land engagement agricultural stuff. However you may just want to get more for the fun of it.

 

[taborekle]

I use my tiller to blend in my grass clippings. The tiller does a good job, but I have to often run over the clippings several times to get a good blend and to get the desired depth and to keep it from clumping. It can be slow.

The clumping is probably not much of a problem with covered crops. My grass clippings are dumped in rather large deep piles.

Don't have a plow, so can't comment on it. I do believe that a plow tiller combination would be better then tiller alone. However, if given a choice of only one, I would take the reversing tiller.