Re: Question/harrow

Posted by paul on November 03, 2008 at 05:27:24 from (66.60.197.192):

In Reply to: Re: Question/harrow posted by IaGary on November 03, 2008 at 04:41:54:

Agree totally. To add a little:

I will assume your field cultivator, like mine & most, has some form of spring tooth harrow behind it to smooth the ground more. So this is what a harrow or drag would do; ours is just included with the machine.

Typically you do heavy tillage - plow, chisel plow, or heavy disk. This works best in fall 'here'.

Then meduim tillage - light disk, field cultivator. This is done in spring to level out the rough ground, maybe kill some weeds.

Then finishing pass - harrow or drag to smooth the field right before planting.

Before herbicides, you did the medium pass, waited a week & hoped for a light rain, then did the finishing pass to kill all the sprouting weeds in the top couple inches without bringing up more weed seeds to the surface. This helped to reduce the weed pressure. Also you would harrow the field before corn or beans broke through, but after planting (about 5-7 days), to again kill off weed sprouts. If you _saw_ weeds, you were too late - you needed to get them when they were just white roots hairs. Today the meduim & finishing pass are on the same machine, and you plant right after.

A soil finisher would be a light field cultivator & harrow combined into one. These have lost favor as they don't allow much trash (old cornstalks/ bean stubble) to flow through. Today a heavier field cultivator with the light harrow added is more popular.

Packers & culti-packers are more common for alfalfa & small grains. They help to firm & smooth the ground for those seeds that prefer being planted very shallow but in very firm soil. They would be used instead of ot along with the harrow.

Today huge rollers are becoming popular from crops like peas or soybeans. Huge (can be over 60 feet) heavy drums that flatten the ground & push rocks down so the ground is smooth for running a big 30 foot long sickle header over.

Mostly it is heavy tillage, meduim tillage, and light tillage. Some implements combine 2 of those. You pick the one(s) that work for your soil & crop needs.

--->Paul

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