Creating spring seed bed on freshly ploughed heavy land.

[Feldspar]

T,hank you for your replies. I have to say ,that the land that was being ploughed is on the Cotswolds, BUT make no mistake there are some seams of heavy land at 700ft plus and this was one of them. The land is part of a very well known shoot and so I think they leave the land in stubble for the shoot ,need I say more!!!

Out of interest to those farming real heavy Suffolk/Essex clay,have you always ploughed your land in in the Autumn to allow it to overwinter, BECAUSE you rightly thought that the "over wintered stubble" payment/scheme did not compensate for the loss in yield and extra expense you would have if you ploughed your land in the spring i.e February.

We have extended overwinter stubble as part of ELS which involves an entire year out. Use this to clear up the worst black-grass fields. My uncle has slightly lighter land and they plough up after the winter but it's not great for the soil. We always plough in the autumn. If late then used to plough in frosts. Now just direct drill if we don't plough.

 

[Brisel]

I drove by some wheat stubble land today that was being ploughed and it was turning over very stiff . Got me thinking which implements those of you farming heavy land use in the spring to create a seedbed from freshly ploughed land. Or do you wait till your land dries out and then cultivate it rather than plough.Perhaps direct drilling really comes in to its own?

Not much you can do practically with horses heads now. Let it weather down. Power harrowing in the spring when the soil is cold and wet underneath just destroys any structure it might have once had.

 

[Tompkins]

I was thinking about this yesterday actually, I've got one block that has a lot of muck to be spread next week but if we plough it I'm worried it will turn into lumps of concrete. Ideally would of spread muck/ploughed over winter but it's just been too wet.
I'm tempted to disc the muck in to dry the top 3-4 inches, then see what happens!

 

[Feldspar]

I was thinking about this yesterday actually, I've got one block that has a lot of muck to be spread next week but if we plough it I'm worried it will turn into lumps of concrete. Ideally would of spread muck/ploughed over winter but it's just been too wet.
I'm tempted to disc the muck in to dry the top 3-4 inches, then see what happens!

This year more than the last few we do have some frost tilth even on undisturbed ground. In some ways it would seem a shame to bury that.

 

[Fuzzy]

I was thinking about this yesterday actually, I've got one block that has a lot of muck to be spread next week but if we plough it I'm worried it will turn into lumps of concrete. Ideally would of spread muck/ploughed over winter but it's just been too wet.
I'm tempted to disc the muck in to dry the top 3-4 inches, then see what happens!

Do you need to put the muck on now ? Could you wait till after harvest? I have tonnesssss of compost to spread but i think it will do more damage than good in the spring. Bought a spreader and it sits doing nothing!!!

 

[Tompkins]

Do you need to put the muck on now ? Could you wait till after harvest? I have tonnesssss of compost to spread but i think it will do more damage than good in the spring. Bought a spreader and it sits doing nothing!!!

We made a start spreading on Friday, to be honest I would rather get it in now before Linseed, then DD wheat in the autumn.

 

[Lincsman]

If you can plough it now its not that heavy, some medium soil thats well compacted can look stiff and heavy, but a little drying and it will fall down ok.

 

[Dman2]

Plough over winter here, but definately not press it down.
Needs to be stood up so that the frost gets in better, also lets the wind a bit more.
Anything that gets ploughed to soon around here just ends up a wet mess
Ploughed ours in January on the first frosts that would allow us to travel

 

[Flat 10]

I really ought to start another thread on this but some of ours is pretty heavy (there was a brickworks half a mile away) and you can roll sausages with it etc so it has quite a high clay content but I think you could probably plough and press leave a couple of days and then combi drill if you had to. (Though I ploughed it all late Nov early Dec). The reason I think though it is easier to work than many others land on here is due to the high amounts of Ca (and low Mg) we have here. Sound plausible? Back to the OP then perhaps it could come over livery and actually just haze off and drill ok?

 

[multi power]

If you can plough it now its not that heavy, some medium soil thats well compacted can look stiff and heavy, but a little drying and it will fall down ok.

Heavy land where I grew up it would be April before you could start ploughing

 

[DrWazzock]

We try to avoid spring ploughing heavy land but if there's no other option plough it when as dry as possible. leave to weather as long as you can. (even rain and drying helps break it) then power Harrow during the one day when it is changing from plasticine to concrete.

Or just don't bother and leave it fallow.

 

[RBM]

We would plough in the autumn here for all the reasons mentioned, I did see someone close by do this in early March last year. The result was not pretty, wet to concrete in a short space of time and a poor seedbed with patchy establishment and a spring barley crop that was still green in August! I would rather direct drill than plough at this stage.

 

[Rainmaker]

You plough it in September then through with subsoiler with a d d type packer to semi work it That's for sugar beet. Vining peas. And Spring barley on heavy Carr land Usually comes down like an ash hill. But patience is a must till it's dry enough to carry for a pass with machine in 3 red pic

Mother of pearl that's heavy soil, If you don't mind me asking why use the red tine harrow not a power harow?.Over time do you find the land getting easier to work?

 

[Will 1594]

Mother of pearl that's heavy soil, If you don't mind me asking why use the red tine harrow not a power harow?.Over time do you find the land getting easier to work?

If you get structure right and plough it right. And subsoiler to level and half work it so its level and even. Then a pass with the rau. We took the spikey sterntillers out and put 3 more rows of tines so there is 120 tines in 6 m it moves every thing. Put levelling boards on front and it makes a super job so you can just work the top couple inches. And a lot quicker than power Harrow.

 

[SillyPhily]

Would a rexius twin do anything in spring on heavy clay? with enough hp and tines in.

 

[Bossfarmer]

our land is quite easy to plough/work. im guessing these heavier places will be worth it tho as theyre likely to yield heavier?

 

[Brisel]

Would a rexius twin do anything in spring on heavy clay? with enough hp and tines in.

Yes, but beware of how fragile the soil is at depth. If it's like snot below 4" then all you will do is compress it into a pudding that never allows roots to penetrate. The cultivators mentioned in the thread other than your Rexius Twin & a power harrow all run light & shallow. The wet stuff is best left untouched and below the surface.

 

[bobk]

That wants grassing down .

 

[Flat 10]

That wants grassing down .

Hmmmm, he's not making a lot of difference is he?

 

[Will 1594]

Would a rexius twin do anything in spring on heavy clay? with enough hp and tines in.

Probably nail it flat Spring seed beds need to fall. Not be made.