Subsoiling headlands yes/no

[Sprayer 1]

Subsoiling headlands, thinking at some point it needs something maybe not subsoil depth tho.

I am thinking the same. I have a pan about 5 inches below the surface and the pan is about 5 inch deep. I would like more busting tines per meter than a subsoiler but very narrow sort of like the claydon leading tine but a bit longer. I have lots of worms working in the top soil but need them to drag the fym deeper now.

 

[alomy75]

I am thinking the same. I have a pan about 5 inches below the surface and the pan is about 5 inch deep. I would like more busting tines per meter than a subsoiler but very narrow sort of like the claydon leading tine but a bit longer. I have lots of worms working in the top soil but need them to drag the fym deeper now.

I use a converted blench v-form thing with 7 simba LD legs; but they’re the mini ones as you would find on a simba SL rather than the full length subsoiler types. 450 centres. Works quite well but it has a flexicoil packer so it will bung in the wet (not that I use it in the wet of course ).

 

[farmer_martin]

The turning headlands of our spring beans showed to the line in the drought this spring, so we subsoiled after drilling but before rolling whilst drilling winter wheat this September. The 110mm rain we had in October combined with pre-em damage, this time showed the subsoiled area to a line. headlands a healthy green rest of field a sick yellow to the point I was wishing we had subsoiled the whole field. 3 weeks of more sensible weather and things are greening up but I'm expecting the headlands to yield highest. Will try to remember to get a pic when next out but here is the compaction in beans. Spring beans was the fields first year DD (all ploughing previously) with a mounted 3m claydon so not sure if subsoiling headlands will create a vicious circle of soft ground and then compaction or not but the effects were too much to ignore.

 

[Sprayer 1]

Martin, what do you subsoil with?

 

[farmer_martin]

@Sprayer 1 just an old Foster twin leg susbsoiler with a cage roller. Top link set so not heaving the surface up too much as drill has already moved this area. Roller presses things back down reasonably tidily and no noticeable amount of seed lost.

Have found we have to go after the drill as leading tine on drill pulls huge clods of clay up as it passes through subsoiled tine holes if done other way round. Plus I guess it's the right way round interms of avoiding driving on freshly lifted soil.

 

[Warnesworth]

IME poor headlands will always be poor headlands.
My only worry is that we are now at 36m, so am I increasing the size of the problem?
We have made a 72m headland in one field, as it is so wet, and it has made a big difference.

This is my usual response if the headland is suffering, put in a second handland tramline for a year or two, this will give the trafficked area time to recover. As @ajd132 says sub soiling is a waste of time cos it will just slump down again...

 

[Warnesworth]

we run 250 / 300 hp tractors in front of 12 m planters
Reading TFF, seems like those same tractors are in front of 3 / 4 m planters - ridiculous to me . . .

And this is the point with drill width /tractor size discussions, you need to run the smallest/lightest tractor you can get away to make the system really work, especially as everyone seems to want to drill when the soil is plastic.

 

[ajd132]

This is my usual response if the headland is suffering, put in a second handland tramline for a year or two, this will give the trafficked area time to recover. As @ajd132 says sub soiling is a waste of time cos it will just slump down again...

Admittedly I can see why guys are doing it before beans as I’ve found no till beans incredibly sensitive to any kind of compaction

 

[Warnesworth]

Admittedly I can see why guys are doing it before beans as I’ve found no till beans incredibly sensitive to any kind of compaction

I find beans are the best way to sort any soil issues. The tap root with good plant populations is bang on. Plus they are a soil biology incubator/generator. Stimulator might be a better word in hindsight.

 

[yellow belly]

I have a 9 m drill and do controlled traffic
the problem is balers in wet years when straw has to be turned
so I plan for straw to be chopped before spring crops

i do mole every 4 years which using gps take out the wheelings in that year

the biggest issue is after swathing and combining borage at 4.5 m
I am considering subsoiling shallowly before a cover crop preceding a spring crop


i have subsoiled tramline particularly wet spots a few years ago and found that it made things worse deeper tramlines and wetter spots
since then I try very hard not to make ruts that fill with water

 

[cider_eater]

Subsoiling needed in medium heavy land 14/18" depends how deep the land drains are .

 

[JCfarmer]

I have a fair area of spring beans going in this spring on heavy clay with a Claydon. Wondering if I need to subsoil after. This land had spring barley with the Claydon last spring.
Spring beans drilled last spring into medium land with the Claydon came well and yielded very well.

 

[Dukes Fit]

I was about to say something similar . . .

to me, this is the biggest issue with zero till in the UK - such narrow little planters. At 3m wide, how much of the field is covered with wheel tracks ? 50% ? Or more ?
Compare that to a CTF system of 9 or 12 metres or more, on skinny tyres & permanent tracks ?

part of the reasoning behind wider gear is LESS wheeltracks & less % of the paddock being compacted . . .

we run 250 / 300 hp tractors in front of 12 m planters
Reading TFF, seems like those same tractors are in front of 3 / 4 m planters - ridiculous to me . . .

Different soils, more moisture here meaning heavier pulling, smaller farms, smaller fields/paddocks, generally more/steeper hills, more population hence busier roads, more towns to navigate, roads are narrower, planting season shorter so wet soils/ weight/pulling drill always a consideration.

When I was planting in NSW with a 60ft airseeder plenty of the fields were bigger than our whole farm and it was dry, flat and easy going.