Strip tilling into new land

KANGROW Farmer

Member
Arable Farmer
Hi

I have a 12 meter 16 row strip tiller. The aim is to strip till in the autumn placing fertiliser in the row ready for a spring sowing program of corn.

Winters in Russia freeze the ground to 500mm plus so timing of these operations are very important.

The land is new cropping ground and has not been cultivated for over 30 years.

This natural vegetation has given beautiful soil structures, that handle everything that mother nature throws at it (high rainfall ie August 150mm plus) and total growing season over 600mm. And no erosion issues, slumping, etc etc. Its amazing.

In any case the point being I want to strip till direct into the sod which has 2 inches of root matter, and when I say root matter, it's like a carpet, but currently I can not build a berm, as the north Americans refer to it, the sod root matter simply stays put.

I dont want to plough the country I have, but I do have I plough.

I was thinking of retrofitting the Skimmers from the GB 10 furrow onto the front of the strip tiller row units to skimmer the root matter into the inter row.

I would like to get feedback on this and even better totally new ideas and experiences dealing with this. I've seen something that might fit my situation and comes from an organic system in Canada

I understand that my situation is very niche.

Regards,
 

Badshot

Member
Location
Kent
There was someone planting maize years ago with a machine that literally deep loosened, then strip rotavated and planted maize in one operation.
Would that be any use?
 

KANGROW Farmer

Member
Arable Farmer
There was someone planting maize years ago with a machine that literally deep loosened, then strip rotavated and planted maize in one operation.
Would that be any use?

Hi,
Yes I want to look at any system that has worked so I might be able to a little or alot of it to get the right fit for over here
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
844784


 

KANGROW Farmer

Member
Arable Farmer
844785

Please see the photo. I'll find more and post. More systems I've looked at work fine in a field that's got cropping history. The root mass can be seen in the photo. OM in the soils range between 4.5 and 6.5, and of course the top is off the scale IMG-20191103-WA0009.jpg
IMG-20191103-WA0010.jpg
 

Badshot

Member
Location
Kent
I'd DD winter beans into that over here.
Be fine for anything after that crop.
Doubt they'd survive the cold you get though.
 

KANGROW Farmer

Member
Arable Farmer
Hi nick,
This is just strip tilling. No planting in this operation but banding ferts etc
Issue is the root layer and this is turn is not producing a seedbed for corn/maize to be sown into

I'm still looking for a solution, but I'm going down the track of using my mixed Skimmers from my besson plough to Skim the top root matter into the inter row, this should leave me with some bare soil in play with.

The root matter that is skimmed on to the inter row has little soil content therefore I am hoping this rots down through the growing season and doesn't become an issue in the second year cropping phase

As always I'm open to ideas on what others have seen work etc

Cheers
 

KANGROW Farmer

Member
Arable Farmer
The shank on the strip tiller boils the soil ... within the slot under the root matter there are gaps and what can be best described as caves, therefore the seed could easily drop 4 inches and the seed depth placement is very important to get max yields. Needs to be 2 inches with good seed to soil contact. The root matter doesn't really allow for the best seed soil contact.

Although when I've direct drilled into the root matter with my JD 1770NT I have got a reasonable germination but could have been better too.
 

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