What implement works best for controlling weeds, foxtails.

[2ndhalf]

Regardless of how you till your soil you will have weeds the very same year. You have to plant something to choke out the weeds. I would call your extension agent and ask them what a good cover crop for your growing climate is. Then ask them how to prep soil to plant that and do exactly as they tell you.

Bottom line is... something is going to grow on your land... it is up to you to decide what that is. Below is a guide you should read and decide what you want growing to fit your upcoming needs on that land.. are you wanting cattle some day?

http://ceshasta.ucanr.edu/files/234771.pdf

 

[jeff9366]

Yes. Different, but not necessarily better.

Learning to plow is a long, process and the result would not necessarily be superior to tilling in Texas, where most areas do not have an extended period of heavy frost. The two main reasons to plow are 1) to break sod in Primary Tillage 2) To mechanically process heavy clay soil for alternate freeze/thaw cycles to break down. Lesser reason 3) To bring fresh micro-nutrients to the crop root zone about once every ten years as micor-nutrients are depleted.

In Texas plowing would likely be a once-in-ten-years event for your field, and then you require a Disc Harrow, tiller, heavy Landscape Rake or another alternative implement to level 12" to 14" furrows created by the plow.

Why do you have such negative feelings for your roto-tiller? Do you NOT have roto-tiller operation "figured out?" Have you read roto-tiller's Operator's Manual from cover to cover several times?

The most common size plow is 12", which will turn soil 5" to 7" deep. Your roto-tiller will likely till 8" deep, if necessary, once you thoroughly understand its operation.


Good infö from 2NDHALF in Post #31.

 

[Egon]

The rototiller would do a nice job but may seem slow.

In long past days grass fields would be ploughed then worked down with a disk or tiller. After the first growth of plant life it would be blackened with a cultivator, Rod weeded or cable weeder and then harrowed with a diamond tooth harrow. This procedure would be repeated at intervals dictated by the rate of new plant growth. Basically allowing germination of seeds present and then cultivating to kill them over the summer. Next spring more germination would be allowed and then cultivation and seeding of the desired crop.

[video]http://www.oacc.info/Extension/ext_weed_summerfallow.asp[/video]

. ( Summerfallow ). Long since out of practice due to loss of land production, soil erosion, emergence of sprays, and loss of soil nitrogen.

 

[Ford850]

Why can't it just be mowed occasionally before it goes to seed?

 

[fishwhiz]

Every time you turn the soil, you will bring up new weed seeds. A sequence of mowing as close to the ground as possible, then watering to get remaining seeds at the surface to germinate, then more mowing and burning new growth can work the quickest since you only need to exhaust the surface seed source. If tilling is your only option, then till as shallow as possible, then water, then till again... repeat as necessary until you exhaust the seed bank BEFORE the weeds nearby go to seed. Finally seed heavily and get it greened up before the weed seed hits again.

All of this depends on which weeds you are dealing with since some can tolerate repeated short mowing.

 

[bruceatlam]

Best solution that I've found is to disk it before the weeds drop their seeds. Simple and relatively quick. Two times a year will probably work well. Your larger problem is the weed seed that blows in from neighboring property.

 

[jeff9366]

Best solution that I've found is to disk it before the weeds drop their seeds. Simple and relatively quick. Two times a year will probably work well. Your larger problem is the weed seed that blows in from neighboring property.

Are you not just planting annual seeds for germination the next Spring?

 

[Catman8]

Jeff9366, I don't have negative feelings for my tiller, I finally got the hang of it and I worked out all the bugs and it's working really good. I just felt it was slow going but maybe that was from my first impression when I was doing things wrong. A lot of people on this forum said you need to be careful not to over till because you can ruin your soil structure, and turn your dirt to dust, and me just learning did not want to do that. So I was just thinking there was a faster implement to use that I wouldn't have a chance of ruining the soil structure.

 

[Catman8]

Why can't it just be mowed occasionally before it goes to seed?

I tried flail mowing but the ground squirrels dig up the soil and make mounds of dirt and mowing an uneven field is not like mowing a golf course. I have noticed when I mow, the next growth has seeds coming out at the base of the plant, mowing that close to the ground is not possible with a uneven field. So that's why I was looking to till the weeds under before they even have a chance to grow, and then maybe find another grass that will take over as others have suggested.

 

[Catman8]

This is an area around my house that I used the roto tiller on to control the weeds and you can see the new growth already cumming up, I ran a chain harrow over it and that did not work to remove the new growth.

Unfortunatly, I don't have the time to plant a crop or another type of grass at this point in my life, way to many projects that are a priority, so in the meantime I just want to turn the weeds over before they have a chance to produce those nasty foxtails and then drag an implement over the top of the new growth, as you can see from the second picture a chain harrow does not remove even the smallest new growth, there has to be some type of drag implement that would cut just deep enough to remove the new growth without over digging the soil. Do you guys know of one?

I appreciate everyone who has posted on my thread