Solid wet ground Spring drilling dilemma

[DrWazzock]

Same old same old. The sheep have just come off the beet tops and the field looks like the bottom of a freshly emptied reservoir, except it's worse because it was driven all over by the beet harvester, fortunately before it got wet so no ruts, just a shallow sheep compaction .

Some of its sand dune stuff. Some it's very sticky solid clay with water sitting on it, but slowly soaking in.

I really need to get it in with Spring barley eventually.

What would the experts do?

I'm tempted to just leave it to dry then cut the seed in with the Unidrill. But I also have a Paraplow and a stubble cultivator at my disposal. But I reckon I'll smear it underneath if I Paraplow and I'll create a shallow pan if I run the terradisc over it.

I could plough and power Harrow. The sand will then be undercknsolidated and take work to get it rolled back again while the clay again will suffer smearing and could set like concrete blocks if I plough it later and drier and don't get any more serious frost.

When I had the track Marshall and a set of grousers I did once flat lift a wettish beet field in the spring against all the experts advice. It might have smeared it underneath but at least the water started going down instead of across it and it didn't seem to come to long term harm, (maybe).

People go on about "ploughing on a frost" but surely if it's wet underneath isn't there just as much danger of creating a plough pan as the shares smear the furrow bottom, never mind the action if the in furrow tyre?

I think it will just come down patience in the end but I'd be interested to hear what others might do. The clay I ploughed last year in late spring ended up as an extremely cloddy dry seedbed. I don't really want a repeat of that. I reckon it might be best to keep what little humus there is on the top and not rip it up which would generate clods. Might Paraplow and terradisc the heavy areas and leave the sand completely alone.

Sorry just rambling.

 

[E_B]

Any chance of getting someone in with a strip till drill when/if it dries down to a few inches? The leading tine should be more than enough to take out sheep poaching? Would cost a little bit but saves you messing about with extra passes.

 

[Farma Parma]

Plough or Rip it up with a heavy cultivator as deep as the plough would go.
Dont do DD here land not suitable. Thats my views of course.
Lets know if you want either form of cultivation doing

 

[Spud]

Let it dry, shakerator, Combi, roll.

 

[Ruston3w]

What do you do before the beet? was it ploughed, if only subsoiled then be brave and don't pull it up. Assuming you were able to scare trailer men off from running about in the field.
Richard.

 

[franklin]

Heavy drag through it will let the wet down. Often in spring after a poor OSR take then twice over with a big drag will make a good enough seedbed come early April.

 

[DrWazzock]

I like the shakerator idea. Doesn't bring so many clods up or lose the moisture. Loosens more effectively, but without completely losing structure and traffic ability.

I think my Paraplow could achieve a similar effect with the shatter boards set right when it dries up a bit. Then just drill into it,

Thanks.

 

[SimonD]

Light carrier pass and drill once it’s warmed up. Is the beet compaction damage that bad to require deep tillage? I ask as many on here have been drilling using a DD system and spring crops after winter crops. I’m not eager to get our spring crop in until it warms up some. Drilled SB early before and it didn’t amount to much in comparison to later drilled stuff. Going to use liquid N when drilling as well so hopefully early N will help.

 

[Merlo]

Same old same old. The sheep have just come off the beet tops and the field looks like the bottom of a freshly emptied reservoir, except it's worse because it was driven all over by the beet harvester, fortunately before it got wet so no ruts, just a shallow sheep compaction .

Some of its sand dune stuff. Some it's very sticky solid clay with water sitting on it, but slowly soaking in.

I really need to get it in with Spring barley eventually.

What would the experts do?

I'm tempted to just leave it to dry then cut the seed in with the Unidrill. But I also have a Paraplow and a stubble cultivator at my disposal. But I reckon I'll smear it underneath if I Paraplow and I'll create a shallow pan if I run the terradisc over it.

I could plough and power Harrow. The sand will then be undercknsolidated and take work to get it rolled back again while the clay again will suffer smearing and could set like concrete blocks if I plough it later and drier and don't get any more serious frost.

When I had the track Marshall and a set of grousers I did once flat lift a wettish beet field in the spring against all the experts advice. It might have smeared it underneath but at least the water started going down instead of across it and it didn't seem to come to long term harm, (maybe).

People go on about "ploughing on a frost" but surely if it's wet underneath isn't there just as much danger of creating a plough pan as the shares smear the furrow bottom, never mind the action if the in furrow tyre?

I think it will just come down patience in the end but I'd be interested to hear what others might do. The clay I ploughed last year in late spring ended up as an extremely cloddy dry seedbed. I don't really want a repeat of that. I reckon it might be best to keep what little humus there is on the top and not rip it up which would generate clods. Might Paraplow and terradisc the heavy areas and leave the sand completely alone.

Sorry just rambling.

Get a spade and look at what is there. Look in the worst places and look at the best. Check the weather forecast. Then decide what to do.

 

[yellow belly]

Wait till it is dry enough before doing anything

Use a spade to investigate depth of damage and locality headland ends ect

 

[DrWazzock]

Fully agree I need patience. We have often drilled beet and Spring barley in April and had a good yield. Better than mauling it in in March.

Will get my spade out. I think the sand is OK. It's free draining at any time of year. The clay is slow draining but the drains are OK. Subsoiling in the spring is useless I think due to smearing underneath. Summer cracking would do more good or subsoil it then.

Will leave cultivations late and as minimal as possible I think. It would not be dry early enough to plough it and still get a decent frost mould. Ploughing later will most likely dry it out and set it hard.