Preparing yard for trees

[boggen]

sod plus tiller, i can understand want to remove the sod due to roots and constantly spending more time getting tiller unstuck vs tilling.

plow would cut things up, but you may still have issues of bigger chunks of grass roots. and ya might need to plow one or 2 more times pending on the roots and chunks to break them up to a point it would be less tiller work.

plowing before any tilling generally helps just pure time it takes to till any how.

if you do not have a tiller yet, then perhaps, plow,disc,harrow setup.

perhaps box blade with sacraficers down. to cut the sod up.

if you had a FEL (front end loader) with general duty bucket. if you got a small start. it would be a pain, but you might be able to use it like a sod cutter. it would be rather time consuming slow as you take small little bits and keep watch full eye in how far the bucket cuts down into the ground. but *shrugs*

if you had a backhoe, you could just use it to dig up everything around it. then move down the line and re dig everything up. and repeat a bunch of times. to break all the sod up.

many ways of doing it. it all depends on what else needs to be done on property. if ya have tiller already, then it might just be a time consuming thing of pulling roots out of the tiller till it is done. vs trying to find a better tool, vs just getting out there and doing it.

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as far as removing sod. just seems odd to me. more so, due to size of saplings. but perhaps this is a tree farm. about only thing i can think of reason for wanting to till up the sod. and then do repeat tilling between trees. that or the area needs to be re graded and smoothed out and tilling is part of getting everything land preped for that. and trees are just after the land gets all smoothed out and landscaped.

 

[beenthere]

boggen
Interesting, but I till sod all the time and have no problem with grass roots winding up in the tiller blades. Not sure what the difference is, but the sod is well mown lawn so no tall grasses. The grass is blue grass for the most part.

 

[boggen]

boggen
Interesting, but I till sod all the time and have no problem with grass roots winding up in the tiller blades. Not sure what the difference is, but the sod is well mown lawn so no tall grasses. The grass is blue grass for the most part.

to me, you seem like a lucky person more often than i. perhaps when i have tilled or helped others over years. there was more compaction of the top few inches of dirt. (hard clay) and the roots would cause bigger clumps of dirt to be tossed in. and then the roots would start wrapping around everything and eventually just stop the tiller dead. ((ran out of Horse power and/or belt slipping, etc...)) maybe it was just going to fast, (tractor speed) vs how fast the PTO or engine on tiller was going. i just remember over the years having problems with sod.

an example putting in a new garden. and needing to make 2 to 4 passes over it all before finally reaching depth and getting everything fluffed up and loose.

first pass a couple inches enough to get roots, and some dirt mixed in, so the roots and any length of grass would more likely be grinded / chopped up. hit a bad spot (say thick area) and there goes the tiller...

second pass some bigger clods of roots still that have not been chewed up. and getting a couple of them jammed up in the tines and cover around the tines. and there goes the tiller...

third and forth pass easier going, just slow due to depth and pushing tiller to is max depth.

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perhaps explaining your steps to tilling up sod. might reveal something. that might seem like common sense, but i honestly don't know about?

 

[beenthere]

Step one is to make a slow pass with the tiller (60" on 3 ph) as deep as it will go. Sort out any rocks that kick out.
Step two, make a second pass to re-till and go a bit deeper. Toss out more rocks.
Have a fine, fluffy loose almost-powder.
Step 3, is to scoop up the loose soil with the bucket and take it to where I am spreading/filling/landscaping and need more black dirt. I like it with the grass roots mixed in as then it seems some of the grow along with the new seeding.

 

[boggen]

black dirt, sure is easy to till, but 90% of where i have troubles. is when black top dirt is less than a couple inches deep if any black dirt at all. and trying to till through clay, with sand, and rocks mixed in here and there in spots.

black dirt, is much easier to easily bust a chunk up with a your hands vs a chunk of clay same size. black dirt i might be able to put a finger down through it even after being compacted good. while clay dirt i have. i would need a shovel. or taking a chunk and tossing down on the ground onto something else (big rock or like) to act like a wedge.


sorry for the confusion, skipping a detail of type of soil makes a large difference!

 

[Mean Jean]

Buying a tiller this weekend.
Saving about $700 by going to the States (I'm in Winnipeg, Manitoba)
Ridiculous that I can save that much money on a tiller...
Hopefully buy a plow as well.

Thought about the box scraper idea.
Also thought about using something with jagged teeth. Drag over the lawn then pile it up with a back blade.

I used a tiller last year for a few strips of lawn.
The tines got jammed up a bit with grass, not too bad though.
Still worked the thing pretty hard.

Ran the tractor in 1st gear, low.
Did 2 passes on each row.
An inch an hour, 2 feet a day...

 

[Western]

That is what I would do then. Just keep it that simple.

I would mow it as short as possible, load up with fuel and till till till. No point making it complicated.

If you could burn off the grass safely, that would help you and the soil out .

 

[inveresk]

I agree with the view that Roundup isn't necessary. You might also want to check this out.

http://vanshardware.com/2011/02/usd...ncy-gm-soybeans-might-be-triggering-epidemic/

 

[Egon]

What about laying down some landscaping fabric with x holes cut for the transplants.

 

[Mean Jean]

The fabric is a pita.
I have used several different kinds, never been happy with the results.