Heavy clay stubbles cultivation options.

[DRC]

Moving half of it to a different field. Been down there with my fork. It's just too sad and wet to cultivate.

Got the salt and potash on the other field today. It's a light field and will plough this week.

The clay area of the originally intended field has two poles in it, a curved edge and the ditch could do with cleaning out though it isn't bad so that's what we will do there then get it in with under sown spring barley later. It will make a good grass paddock and the sheep will be able to access the beet tops from it.

I think generally we need to be cutting out "non starter" crop/soil type combinations and odd shaped patches with obstacles from the arable rotation. We can no longer afford to try it and see what happens or spend a fortune establishing a crop in bad conditions without there being a very good chance of success.

There are quite a few other triangular gearings of clay near watercourses that would also make useful paddocks for the sheep and cattle, and would leave the rest of the field an exact width of tramlines nice and square, with easy working soil.

Sounds like mid tier might've been a good option for you.

 

[DrWazzock]

Sounds like mid tier might've been a good option for you.

We had a lot of this heavy land down as ELS water course buffer strips as a lot of the heavy land was next to the water course. It just didn't look tidy though, and felt like a waste spot spraying docks and thistles then just mowing it all down once a year. It will be nice to see the sheep making better use of it, keeping the banks tidy and eating out the awkward corners.

 

[Flat 10]

Our nasty bits in a mostly nice field. Well baked. Ploughed in December. Rolled a week ago to crack crust and out with dreaded power harrow....
Making progress.

 

[DrWazzock]

View attachment 492770 View attachment 492772 Our nasty bits in a mostly nice field. Well baked. Ploughed in December. Rolled a week ago to crack crust and out with dreaded power harrow....
Making progress.

A very nice tilth there. Rolled first! Some people do that here and I have tried it myself. But sometimes I like to roll after power harrowing to leave it a bit finer and push the big clods down for the drill. I dare not roll the clay twice as it always seems bit wet underneath and could squeeze it together too much. So i tend not to roll before power harrowing.

But now I'm wondering. Maybe better to roll before power harrowing, then drill then roll if necessary. Never regretted rolling heavy land after drilling beet. Less gappy stand, as long as not too fine and caps.

We don't tend to get much tilth, just smaller and smaller marbles as it breaks down. Yes, we should have ploughed earlier and got a frost mould but if we don't plough before 1st October then usually there's no chance till about now, and if heavy rain over winter it can slump sad and flat.

All very interesting, and might appear to some I'm labouring it a bit, but it can be make or break with catchy soils.

 

[Flat 10]

A very nice tilth there. Rolled first! Some people do that here and I have tried it myself. But sometimes I like to roll after power harrowing to leave it a bit finer and push the big clods down for the drill. I dare not roll the clay twice as it always seems bit wet underneath and could squeeze it together too much. So i tend not to roll before power harrowing.

But now I'm wondering. Maybe better to roll before power harrowing, then drill then roll if necessary. Never regretted rolling heavy land after drilling beet. Less gappy stand, as long as not too fine and caps.

We don't tend to get much tilth, just smaller and smaller marbles as it breaks down. Yes, we should have ploughed earlier and got a frost mould but if we don't plough before 1st October then usually there's no chance till about now, and if heavy rain over winter it can slump sad and flat.

All very interesting, and might appear to some I'm labouring it a bit, but it can be make or break with catchy soils.

I will germinate that before drilling. I'm worried I have pushed it down too tight inside but I'm working on the basis that I would rather have a good stand of small sad beet than very poor establishment and a few big beet that get over crowned and roots snap off. I don't think you are making a meal of it I just included my pics for interest. It was plenty wet enough when I ploughed it in Dec.

 

[DrWazzock]

I will germinate that before drilling. I'm worried I have pushed it down too tight inside but I'm working on the basis that I would rather have a good stand of small sad beet than very poor establishment and a few big beet that get over crowned and roots snap off. I don't think you are making a meal of it I just included my pics for interest. It was plenty wet enough when I ploughed it in Dec.

Agreed. Always better to have a good stand than a few footballs.

 

[DrWazzock]

Finished ploughing the clay today with the DP8. I tried the chisel plough but was going to need several passes to relieve the serious compaction that seems to have occurred probably because we had a lime spreader on the ploughing a year ago in the autumn. The chisel plough tended to cut slots rather than crumble it up. The DP8 will allow the clay to dry and weather better and help the drainage.

 

[Flat 10]

Finished ploughing the clay today with the DP8. I tried the chisel plough but was going to need several passes to relieve the serious compaction that seems to have occurred probably because we had a lime spreader on the ploughing a year ago in the autumn. The chisel plough tended to cut slots rather than crumble it up. The DP8 will allow the clay to dry and weather better and help the drainage.

Have you thought of furrow splitters on the plough? Cheap and easy, just not sure whether they would cause an issue on the sand?
And I often try something and change my mind, it's good not to just carry on regardless, easy to chisel plough all once and just keep doing it again and again instead of going home to get the correct tool.

 

[Brisel]

Furrow splitters need a good mechanic to weld them on. Slightly wonky & they will stop the tractor dead or just snap off. You need a good template really. How about an old Claydon Furrow cracker?

 

[Andrew K]

You can get a template with the furrow splitters to make correct alignment easy when welding them on.

 

[DrWazzock]

Have never tried furrow splitters. Might be worth a go. When we had a 14" dp7 and a bigger tractor we used to tow a furrow press having 30 degree rings. It used to chop the clay up a bit but also packed it down and reduced drying. It firmed the sand a bit, but used to bog down to its axles and increase fuel consumption greatly. It wore out and wasn't replaced, preferring instead to whizz over with the light rolls and terras when it had dried a bit or just leave it rough if pre winter for the frost to do its work.

 

[DrWazzock]

The thing that would concern me about the furrow splitter is that it's working on damp clay and possibly smearing as it cuts the clay up. Smeared clay always seems like it's case hardened, rather than open to weathering. Working the clay while its at all damp is always counterproductive here.

 

[Farmer Miggins]

You can get a template with the furrow splitters to make correct alignment easy when welding them on.

Once you have the template you can weld on knackered skimmer points, landslides etc cut to length with a grinder. They cut heavy clay into smaller chunks allowing it to dry/weather more and do not 'smear' as they are essentially a vertical tine. If they are causing damage to structure then the share, wing and tractor will be causing far more damage well before they do.

 

[yellow belly]

Once you have the template you can weld on knackered skimmer points, landslides etc cut to length with a grinder. They cut heavy clay into smaller chunks allowing it to dry/weather more and do not 'smear' as they are essentially a vertical tine. If they are causing damage to structure then the share, wing and tractor will be causing far more damage well before they do.

when I ploughed I found that furrow splitters allowed heavy land to be ploughed level without big lumps and holes in the ploughing and reduced the post ploughing cultivations but the did catch stones and horse shoes

 

[Will 1594]

Flat 10 a little work after harvest is reaping rewards in this Was subsoiler then ploughed/ pressed Very tender underneath but wide tyres front press power Harrow and germinater .its in good order but some rougher bits up round a pit Comment was you'll never grow beet in that

 

[Flat 10]

Bit worried the first bit I drilled on the heavier land has capped.....
Quite a bit is up but would appreciate some rain to let the rest through. Put a bit of N on he worst field today

 

[Will 1594]

Flat 10 . We are going to make it rain next week 6 irrigators serviced and ash keen to get them pumping , he loves it

 

[Flat 10]

Flat 10 . We are going to make it rain next week 6 irrigators serviced and ash keen to get them pumping , he loves it

My seed has just cracked after 8days and would love some water out of your irrigator....