Subsoiler

[Texasmark]

Sub soil as deep as possible. Even go 2 or 3 times to get deep. Then go cross way if possible. The slots will allow water to drain. Sub soiling will not disturb top soil. Again, it takes power to pull deep.

On plowing "cross ways" on subsequent passes, Assuming making a +...... I never liked to do that. I found that Xs are a lot more comfortable.

 

[john in la]

Gypsum will help to loosen up clay. Sounds like you'll need a lot.

Not always

Don’t believe soil myths

https://www.lsuagcenter.com/portals/communications/news/news_archive/2010/may/get_it_growing/dont-believe-soil-myths

 

[john in la]

I'm with Paul. Let the crops loosen up the clay. Taproots such as radishes, alfalfa, cereal rye, etc. will break it up. The ground just has to be worked enough to get the plants to germinate and grow.

Thanks Paul and Bill
That makes me feel much better

Plan is to scarify as deep as I can to give the plants a head start.
LSU did a study that showed the radish rye grass mix did not do as well when overseeded in a grass pasture as it did in cultivated crop land.

https://www.lsuagcenter.com/profiles/lbenedict/articles/page1609888432548

I have daikon radish and annual rye grass seed already.
Also got coated & pre inoculated balansa clover on the way
This clover was more expensive per pound but less per acre and deals with low PH better
I recently put down high mag lime per soil test but it will take months before it does any good

We will see how it goes but my plan is to mow this down and plant a cowpea (for the nitrogen) sunflower and sorghum sudangrass mix next spring.
Sorghum sudangrass is a cousin to johnson grass without the problems because the seeds are sterile.

All these cover crops are suppose to have deep roots so maybe by next fall I will see some improvement in this soil

 

[da.bees]

I can understand where chiseling soil allows more rainfall to stay in soil rather than running off.
In thread starter post, John in la said " If you drill down a foot or so to install a fence post you have to beat the clay off the shovel because it gets so wet."
I'm having trouble understanding is how chiseling promotes oversaturated soil to dry out. To me it sounds like all that's needed is more organic matter in surface.

 

[john in la]

I can understand where chiseling soil allows more rainfall to stay in soil rather than running off.
In thread starter post, John in la said " If you drill down a foot or so to install a fence post you have to beat the clay off the shovel because it gets so wet."
I'm having trouble understanding is how chiseling promotes oversaturated soil to dry out. To me it sounds like all that's needed is more organic matter in surface.

I’m hoping the chiseling will allow water to drain laterally. Basically I’m trying to tile the land with a chisel plow.
The chisel groves will also allow the cover crop a head start as it pushes roots down by giving cracks rather than hard compaction to dig into.
I’m not trying too add 6 inches of organic matter on the surface I’m trying to add organic material into the top 6 inches of soil.

If you guys think a box blade with the teeth down will be enough I’m all for skipping the chisel plow part.

 

[B. White]

If your clay is like my red clay here, don't get your hopes up for getting it better overnight. I had a part of the garden that was plowed in the spring and the only compaction was from walking through picking stuff over the summer. Went through it with the harrow and sowed some of the radishes to see how they would do. I had a lot of growth above ground. Some did work their way down pretty good, but not like some folks claim in their type soil. Maybe 4" at best. They did taste ok in a soup with beef broth and onion. I've got a field that was grown up when we moved here and hard as a rock. I'll run over it in the fall with the harrow after mowing and sow crimson clover and I can see some improvement each year, but it is slow.

 

[Southern Ray]

you might try Tillage Radish. Lots of good reviews.

I heard of it, I might still try it.

 

[B. White]

you might try Tillage Radish. Lots of good reviews.

I heard of it, I might still try it.

That is what I was talking about in my post.

 

[wh]

If ground is as hard as you describe I don’t think the box blade teeth are going to help. Even with the radishes you need some fracture for them to do their thing. A single shank sub spoiler will simply create slots and fractures for water to drain, roots to penetrate. Sub spoiler will not change the top layer of soil.

 

[buickanddeere]

If ground is as hard as you describe I don’t think the box blade teeth are going to help. Even with the radishes you need some fracture for them to do their thing. A single shank sub spoiler will simply create slots and fractures for water to drain, roots to penetrate. Sub spoiler will not change the top layer of soil.

When my sub soiled went through . The trenchs looked like tile drainage had been installed .
From 30” down the disturbed soil was 12” wide ant the bottom and the crumbled lifted soil was 24” wide at the surface .

 

[wh]

When my sub soiled went through . The trenchs looked like tile drainage had been installed .
From 30” down the disturbed soil was 12” wide ant the bottom and the crumbled lifted soil was 24” wide at the surface .

Yes. Ground will swell or lift but the subsoil will not mix with top layer. Unlike a chisel where it will mix