Never ploughed before. Need some advice!

[Sam Phillipson]

Hello. I know this is meant to be a section for competition ploughing, but I had no idea where else to post my question. We are livestock farmers in the northwest, and have never ploughed any land before, but we are looking at reseeding. The piece we’re going to reseed is on a slope, and I was just wondering whether it is possible or not to plough across a slope with a conventional plough? All advice is appreciated.

 

[allicat]

Hello. I know this is meant to be a section for competition ploughing, but I had no idea where else to post my question. We are livestock farmers in the northwest, and have never ploughed any land before, but we are looking at reseeding. The piece we’re going to reseed is on a slope, and I was just wondering whether it is possible or not to plough across a slope with a conventional plough? All advice is appreciated.

My advice would be if the soil structure is good with good worm activity then don’t plough, spray off and reseed by direct drilling. A lot depends on how steep the slope is , ploughing across the hill isn’t impossible but turning furrows up hill unless very well packed will tend to want to fall back , ploughing downwards across hill will help you but the soil can head down the hill it’s self with out your help . Joking aside erosion will be a key factor if you plough, the old root structure will help ensure the soil stays put while the new grass gets established and rain hopefully won’t wash it all into the valley.

 

[arcobob]

When you say a conventional plough you obviously mean non reversible, in which case your plough will always run downhill leaving very wide front furrows going one way and very narrow ones the other. In some areas they hold downhill ploughing matches, slipping back by reversing up hill. They even turn the tractor tyres round to give better traction going back. All round allicat offers the best solution.

 

[arcobob]

I was taught that if you want a good ley it pays to have a firm bottom.

 

[Sam Phillipson]

My advice would be if the soil structure is good with good worm activity then don’t plough, spray off and reseed by direct drilling. A lot depends on how steep the slope is , ploughing across the hill isn’t impossible but turning furrows up hill unless very well packed will tend to want to fall back , ploughing downwards across hill will help you but the soil can head down the hill it’s self with out your help . Joking aside erosion will be a key factor if you plough, the old root structure will help ensure the soil stays put while the new grass gets established and rain hopefully won’t wash it all into the valley.

The soil quality is poor, due to lack of attention really. It is a rather rushy piece as well. What do you mean by very well packed?

 

[Sam Phillipson]

When you say a conventional plough you obviously mean non reversible, in which case your plough will always run downhill leaving very wide front furrows going one way and very narrow ones the other. In some areas they hold downhill ploughing matches, slipping back by reversing up hill. They even turn the tractor tyres round to give better traction going back. All round allicat offers the best solution.

So would it be better to plough my field up and down, even though it would be a much shorter pass than if I went across?

 

[puppet]

It depends on the slope. Trying to turn the turf uphill may just leave it sitting up and very rough rather than burying it. As above if there are rushes then sprayed off then big discs will leave a cleaner surface possibly with fewer stones to lift. Up and down keeps everything tighter as a plough works best when mostly level.

 

[allicat]

The soil quality is poor, due to lack of attention really. It is a rather rushy piece as well. What do you mean by very well packed?

Each furrow slice is turned over and packed tightly to the previous one. With old grass the furrow slice will stay in one piece and will have a tendency to roll back into the hole the plough has just made

 

[allicat]

So would it be better to plough my field up and down, even though it would be a much shorter pass than if I went across?

Yes
But would strongly advise that you look on Natural England’s web site on soil management ( erosion) before you plough, I don’t want to frighten you but is a very serious and expensive problem for the land owner and the environment
And no I’m not a greenie!!

 

[MrNoo]

Yes
But would strongly advise that you look on Natural England’s web site on soil management ( erosion) before you plough, I don’t want to frighten you but is a very serious and expensive problem for the land owner and the environment
And no I’m not a greenie!!

You must be!! Natural England web site?? They taken up giving ploughing advise now then??
Just spray off and cultivate if it's really steep but if not too bad then it should plough up ok. Know any match ploughmen locally??? I am sure if you do, one or two would jump at the chance to plough some grass! Not as if they have any matches to go to and most would be climbing the walls by now!

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

@Sam Phillipson where is your location in North west ?

 

[Sam Phillipson]

@Sam Phillipson where is your location in North west ?

Lancashire

 

[Howard150]

You said slope. Did you mean slope or hill? It’s not too difficult nor is it impossible. Some boards such as FISKARS had a tendency to drop back in even on the level but most are OK. It might help if you can give it a tad more pitch and lay it into the work. This tends to tip the board over further at the top and put more pressure on. You could try warming and bending the tailpieces and using them to put even more pressure on. Don’t overskim or it will rock on the skimmings. If you want to plough it turning it uphill you might be best to plough it one way and run empty back as your plough settings will be significantly different for uphill / downhill work when crossing a slope.
good luck trying.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

The soil quality is poor, due to lack of attention really. It is a rather rushy piece as well. What do you mean by very well packed?

Spray it with roundup before you do anything
Ploughing will depend on how steep ,you wouldn't plough across if there is anything like a slope

 

[Bury the Trash]

Rushy ground wont turn uphill very well either.