3pt Subsoiler

[robertmn]

Hello to all; Is there a "right way" to use a single 3pt subsoiler? Have 10" of top soil, and 80ft of clay. These fields have been summer fallowed the past 3yrs. Is there a right time of the yr to do this, and a pattern to do on a field? Thanks BobMn. Ps.( Sure works good to bury electric wire!!)
 

[Brendon-KS]

The drier the ground the better the results. In most places this would mean late summer or early fall usage.
 

[Don-Wi]

.......in most places this would be the perfect year to do it...

Donovan from Wisconsin
 

[maxwell99]

the subsoiler can be a double edge sword.

I used mine one fall in a corn and watermelon patch.

the next spring it was a very wet spring!!

as others were out discing their fields, i was standing shoe top deep in mud.
as a old farmer friend of mine said, subsoiling will let the water flow down and save all the water that falls on dry ground, but in a wet year will allow the water to rise and your field will stay wet longer. He was not a big fan of the subsoiler, unless you had a wet spot.
not the whole field.

all i know is my garden patch was wet far longer than my neighbors fields.

however, if it had been dry i might have been better off.
 

[robertmn]

Thanks Guys; Well,maybe I'll try the low spots and see how that goes. This has been a dry yr, but our water table is really high up here. Farmers here, have drive though grassy ditches, so you can farm in between. Bobmn
 

[Leroy]

The ground needs to be real dry for them to do the job and in that if you pick up a handfull of soil and squese it and it holds together then it is to wet to do the job as when it makes the cut it will instead of fracturing the soil make a slick shiny hardpan that the water cannot penetrate, it needs to be fractured for the water to penetrate. If it is too wet when done a good hard freeze will help break up the hardpan that you had just made, more freeze thaw cycles the better..
And any pattern will work, depending on how much time you want to put in and how hard you think the ground is, a lot of time they will just run every 5-6' and let it be done but then it will not fracture all the soil between the cut so not all can absorb the water. if you can do it every 18" then just about all the soil will be fractured, if not that close then every 2 1/2 - 3' is good or you can go crossways and it will also help. I would assume the poster that thought it kept the ground wetter did it when it was too wet and it did not have enough freeze thaw cycles to fracture the hardpan that was made in doing it.
 

[Texasmark1]

As stated in my first thread my field was rock hard clay. Since then I have had some rain and have gone back to subsoiling and as stated it works better if the ground is hard. Mine isn't all that wet, but doesn't crack into little pieces (and big ones sometimes) like it did. Since I live on the side of a hill I am not worried about moisture buildup and will take all that I can get.

Mark
 

[donjr]

Around here, they are boulder finders. Place I rent next door was subsoiled by the previous renter. I'm still picking up boulders. When he found them, he just shoved them to the edge of the field. Now, as I push back the hedgerows, I find them with the bushog. All he really did was to pull more stone closer to the surface...
 

[robertmn]

Thanks again!! Boy, I have found out about subsoiling!! Well, we don't have any rock on this farm!! Growing up...we picked rock!!! And we get lots of freezing and thawing up here in northern Mn. And it's dry right now. But, we did get about 1" snow last nite. So, we will see if it warms up. Thanks again for all the info. Bobmn
 

[usetob]

IF you subsoil, it's much better to use a parabolice subsoiler, does a much job!!