Let's talk about subsoiling grassland and compaction

[Sebastian]

I am not sure if this should be in here, or in machinery, but I am more interested in discussing the art and theory of subsoiling itself, rather than specific machinery, so I figured it should go in here. A couple of questions:

When is the best time to subsoil grassland? (depending on soil types)

Should the slits be closed with the tractor wheels/roller?

If so, how long after subsoiling should this be done?

I have my own experience and ideas, but I am wondering what the knowledgeable ones on the forum think and I have an open mind that is willing to learn. The first person to start talking about a shovel will be shown to the door

 

[S J H]

We've tried it but I can't see how you can find the right time to shatter the pan without opening the turf and leaving ion soil. Even if it's the slightest split it's a place to grow weeds. We did it one year and ended up with a field as rough as hell and rows of thistles.

It's not the cheapest job to do either, so I would personally save the money and spend it on subsoiling when we reseed.

 

[Pan mixer]

I am not sure if this should be in here, or in machinery, but I am more interested in discussing the art and theory of subsoiling itself, rather than specific machinery, so I figured it should go in here. A couple of questions:

When is the best time to subsoil grassland? (depending on soil types)

Should the slits be closed with the tractor wheels/roller?

If so, how long after subsoiling should this be done?

I have my own experience and ideas, but I am wondering what the knowledgeable ones on the forum think and I have an open mind that is willing to learn. The first person to start talking about a shovel will be shown to the door

I have got on very well with an aerator, it just broke up the surface a bit and the grass did seem to grow better after.

I hate moling in PP as it takes years to come flat again, our land usually cracks at some point (not in 2012 - I spiked a lot in spring 2013) so no good subsoiling.

I had a cunning plan to fill the cracks with pea gravel to help, tried a bit on our lawn, 1 tonne of pea gravel did an area just the same size as the kids trampoline and it didn't make much difference subsequently.

Another fine idea consigned to the rubbish heap.

 

[Sebastian]

I have got on very well with an aerator, it just broke up the surface a bit and the grass did seem to grow better after.

I hate moling in PP as it takes years to come flat again, our land usually cracks at some point (not in 2012 - I spiked a lot in spring 2013) so no good subsoiling.

I had a cunning plan to fill the cracks with pea gravel to help, tried a bit on our lawn, 1 tonne of pea gravel did an area just the same size as the kids trampoline and it didn't make much difference subsequently.

Another fine idea consigned to the rubbish heap.

It's funny that you mention the aerator, because in my experienceit has not done me any good at all with no visible results or improvements and I was going to create a new thread to talk about aerators.

 

[Sebastian]

We've tried it but I can't see how you can find the right time to shatter the pan without opening the turf and leaving ion soil. Even if it's the slightest split it's a place to grow weeds. We did it one year and ended up with a field as rough as hell and rows of thistles.

It's not the cheapest job to do either, so I would personally save the money and spend it on subsoiling when we reseed.

I did a couple of fields this year and on most of them the difference is very clear - nice grass where the subsoiler has been versus bare patches in between ( I only have a single leg subsoiler from Browns and was experimenting with different working widths to see the difference clearly) and yet on a few of the fields it's all buttercups, daffodils and thistles on the split.

 

[neilo]

Best time is, IMO, in the Autumn, when the soil is dry underneath (so as to actually shatter) but damp on top, so the turf doesn't get ripped up and die because you've broken the roots of the grass. Agree that, if you have lots of weed seeds, it will provide lines of perfect growing plots for those weeds.

Where I've done it, the roller on the back half closes the slots and I don't think it wants touching after. Slow job though.

I won't mention a shovel, but a small spade is probably a valuable tool to see what depth the compaction is, or even if there is any, before you throw lots of metal & diesel at the job. Lots of times mild compaction near the surface will correct itself, especially in a dry summer. How far do the cracks go down in a dry time?

 

[Pan mixer]

It's funny that you mention the aerator, because in my experience the aerator has not done me any good at all with no visible results or improvements and I was going to create a new thread to talk about aerators.

Might depend on your soil and the condition it is in - all mine is heavy clay which can get a surface pan with the sheep and cattle and sometimes a little light haymaking, one of my neighbours was particularly impressed with how it changed his horse paddock.

I also use it after the muckspreader to mingle things a bit.

 

[S J H]

Might depend on your soil and the condition it is in - all mine is heavy clay which can get a surface pan with the sheep and cattle and sometimes a little light haymaking, one of my neighbours was particularly impressed with how it changed his horse paddock.

I also use it after the muckspreader to mingle things a bit.

We're on brick clay. We've tried it at different times and I can't see the difference in grass growth.

 

[Pan mixer]

We're on brick clay. We've tried it at different times and I can't see the difference in grass growth.

Top quality land that, never has a pan.

 

[S J H]

Top quality land that, never has a pan.

It's got heart.

 

[Sebastian]

Best time is, IMO, in the Autumn, when the soil is dry underneath (so as to actually shatter) but damp on top, so the turf doesn't get ripped up and die because you've broken the roots of the grass. Agree that, if you have lots of weed seeds, it will provide lines of perfect growing plots for those weeds.

Where I've done it, the roller on the back half closes the slots and I don't think it wants touching after. Slow job though.

I won't mention a shovel, but a small spade is probably a valuable tool to see what depth the compaction is, or even if there is any, before you throw lots of metal & diesel at the job. Lots of times mild compaction near the surface will correct itself, especially in a dry summer. How far do the cracks go down in a dry time?

My problem is that even after the driest summer and the most ridiculously dry September I can remember a couple of days of rain later and it's already sloshy underfoot in some of the fields, so I don't think autumn is the time for me.

I do not have such a fancy machine with a roller on the back

Talking about cracks.... it's quite odd because we always get serious cracks in the summer, but this year I haven't really seen any obvious ones and it has been really dry. I did subsoil those fields in May though before the horses came on.

 

[Sebastian]

Might depend on your soil and the condition it is in - all mine is heavy clay which can get a surface pan with the sheep and cattle and sometimes a little light haymaking, one of my neighbours was particularly impressed with how it changed his horse paddock.

I also use it after the muckspreader to mingle things a bit.

Sounds similar to what I am on. When do you normally use the aerator?

 

[Great In Grass]

I won't mention a shovel, but a small spade is probably a valuable tool to see what depth the compaction is, or even if there is any, before you throw lots of metal & diesel at the job. Lots of times mild compaction near the surface will correct itself, especially in a dry summer. How far do the cracks go down in a dry time?

Spot on.

 

[Merrymill]

Earth Panbuster result....

 

[neilo]

We're on brick clay. We've tried it at different times and I can't see the difference in grass growth.

Many years ago, we used to outwinter 600 or so ewes on 20ac of pp on clay soils, fed small bale in a row of 12 'Iron Duke' hay racks, pushed on to a fresh patch each day. Concs were fed as ewe rolls on the floor, wherever it was dry enough. As you can imagine, the field (same one every year) used to get a little poached. The field was then shut up and a crop of hay taken in the summer.

When slitters first came out, we (along with most other local farmers) hired one from a local machinery dealer, who had bought one as he would make a fortune hiring it out to absolutely everyone. We did half of that overwintering field, and left the other half alone. It made absolutely no difference whatsoever, visibly or to yield of hay.

We've never used one since, nor anyone else that hired it that first year. The machine sat at the back of that dealer's yard for the next 20 odd years before it was scrapped.

Back in fashion again now though.

 

[Pan mixer]

Sounds similar to what I am on. When do you normally use the aerator?

I have played in autumn and spring, it depends what follows as to what is best - too much rain in the autumn filled all the holes pretty quick, so no good, too many sheep just after does the same.

Therefore I think that early spring is best for me, roll a few weeks later when it won't seal it all up again.

 

[Sebastian]

Many years ago, we used to outwinter 600 or so ewes on 20ac of pp on clay soils, fed small bale in a row of 12 'Iron Duke' hay racks, pushed on to a fresh patch each day. Concs were fed as ewe rolls on the floor, wherever it was dry enough. As you can imagine, the field (same one every year) used to get a little poached. The field was then shut up and a crop of hay taken in the summer.

When slitters first came out, we (along with most other local farmers) hired one from a local machinery dealer, who had bought one as he would make a fortune hiring it out to absolutely everyone. We did half of that overwintering field, and left the other half alone. It made absolutely no difference whatsoever, visibly or to yield of hay.

We've never used one since, nor anyone else that hired it that first year. The machine sat at the back of that dealer's yard for the next 20 odd years before it was scrapped.

Back in fashion again now though.

My slitter is currently serving as a wonderful and heavy, yet expensive, blocker to stop thieving scum walking off with my 80 kgs Vicon Wagtail spreader. I have done all sorts of experiments in nearly every field by doing strips in different times of the year and I simply cannot see any difference, but maybe I am not looking properly?

 

[Sebastian]

I have played in autumn and spring, it depends what follows as to what is best - too much rain in the autumn filled all the holes pretty quick, so no good, too many sheep just after does the same.

Therefore I think that early spring is best for me, roll a few weeks later when it won't seal it all up again.

I wish my aerator made a difference, but it just refuses!

 

[Pan mixer]

I wish my aerator made a difference, but it just refuses!

One of our almost unique features is seagull poaching, the aerator sorts that out fine

 

[shearerlad]

We have a browns grass rejuvenator, aerator and grass spring harrows. Usually go on with it in the spring. Light spreading of last years FYM before hand too. Seems to makes difference of getting air, moisture and nutrients down to the roots.