Anybody aerate?

[gertman]

Any of yall aerate your pastures or hayfields, can you notice a difference?

 

[shaz]

I don't but everyone around here says it really works. The only study I read says it caused grass stand loss.
Not real conclusive either way :???:

 

[1982vett]

Nature has her own way of doing that around here........

I never would be able to aerate as deep as that. I've measured some deeper than 3 feet.

Here is evidence that it does help. This was ripped with a shank renovator in the fall of 2006. In March of 2009 after a not so wet winter, you can see the "strips" in the grass. Assumption is better water penetration and roots being able to go deeper to get to the moisture.

One of the soil characteristics of this blackland... I've realized that you really don't have to put a lot of effort with a renovator. When it gets dry it is going to crack. Plus, the coulters on the pasture drill will act like a glass cutter. As soon as the ground dries it is going to crack wide open on that grove.

 

[dun]

From what I was told a shile back by the university folks it doesn;t do any good in our area but "may" help up north of us. It has a lot to do ith soil types

 

[novatech]

Around here they use chisel plows with coulters to cut the runners in bermuda. It seems to make for a thicker stand.
I think that the chisel plow also makes for better or a more even penetration for the water rather than the 3 or 4 foot squares we get with normal cracking.
Vet, the depth of the crack you got at 3 feet seems like a lot, but years ago some students at TAMU dug down with a track hoe following a crack down 25 feet. It is actually determined by the depth of the expansive clay and the duration of drought. One more item of useless trivia is satellite measurements in our area also took measurements of ground shrinkage vertically. The ground also rises a subsides because of moisture content. Last summer some areas sunk over a foot. These same areas, even with the winter rains have only recovered by a little more than half.
I had 3 springs on one of my lease pastures. Last summer all 3 stopped. Old timer down the road said he had been watching them run for the 84 years he has bin alive. Only one has started to run again but is a lot slower than what is used to be.

 

[agmantoo]

I have clay and a clay loam soil and the farm has such rolling hills that a lot of the rain water runs off. The information I collected stated that subsoiling was of no benefit so I put that on the back burner. With the drought of 2007 my streams also ceased to run and I installed a water line near the center of the farm and ran it toward the backside of the place for 3300 ft. I back filled the slot the trencher made with the soil that was removed. No amendments were added to that soil. Seeds were broadcast and that was it. These seeds were harvested from the farm so it should be similar grasses. Ever since the grass came up I have noticed the grass is always more lush and taller. I attribute this to more rain water absorbing. Would this interpret or indicate that subsoiling would be beneficial? If so, what spacing do most folks subsoil pastures? I have a large parabolic subsoiler but no longer have a large enough tractor to pull it. Thanks

 

[1982vett]

Agmantoo.....not sure which would have a greater effect, subsoiling should definitely help with compaction and aid in water absorbtion.
But tilling and mixing the soil, bringing the bottom to the top like the old sodbusters did, should bring the nutrients that have leached down back to the top.

I'd say the combination of the two is the ticket.

 

[agmantoo]

Thanks Vette. Water is what I am after. I think I will take some of the shanks off the parabolic plow and give it a try.

 

[novatech]

May be of interest.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... s%3Disch:1
Pros and cons of sub soiling have been discussed on here before. I have come to the conclusion that in some instances it may be beneficial where in other cases it may do harm. I think a key point in the article is that one should do a test plot first before doing an entire pasture. You should also be aware that soils often change even within one paddock and may have to have different treatments. If you subsoil to deep you may break through the hard pan and actually drain off water reserves, or it may benefit your grass allowing the roots to go deeper. Personally I like to drill down and see what is down there before I make any assumptions.

 

[dun]

You should also be aware that soils often change even within one paddock and may have to have different treatments.

That is frequently one of the biggest problems with "one size fits all" solutions.

 

[agmantoo]

I have the equipment and as I slowly reclaimed the gullies and washes often I had to borrow dirt from nearby knolls. I first would clean out the gullies to prevent water from washing them out from underneath when the gully adjoined neighbors and I could not block the entrance. In so doing I would get a good idea of how the soil looked at different depths. In places it did appear that a deep subsoiling could create a path for water to pass through the upper soil. In other areas there would be nothing but red clay more than 10 feet deep. People that relocate here curse the red clay but those that know nothing but red clay have learned to work with it. The clay will compact and the frost depth is too shallow to correct the issue. It is this red clay that I am considering to subsoil. I think I will take the suggestion and do only a few acres and observe the outcome. I am reluctant to turn the soil as the top soil is terribly shallow. Until no till and sod drilling came into the area the yields here were extremely poor. Seeing the difference in growing plants in that thin carbon layer is an eye opener. We do all we can to leave organic residue in place. Thanks

 

[Kingfisher]

http://www.veristech.com/products/3100.aspx
This looks pretty neat.

 

[Stocker Steve]

What about spring toothing or chisel plowing vs. aerating?

 

[skyline]

Hey guys. I have friends that aerate their pastures prior to broadcasting their cool weather seeds in the fall. They hit it with a chain harrow after the broadcast and they get some of the best fall and spring pastures around here. These are overseeded coastal bermuda pastures and they get great production on their coastal hay as well. I'd buy an aerator if I could find a good deal on one. I'm just too cheap to pay retail.

 

[msmith]

I'd buy an aerator if I could find a good deal on one. I'm just too cheap to pay retail.

Around here, the soil conservation district has one that can be rented.

 

[skyline]

I'd buy an aerator if I could find a good deal on one. I'm just too cheap to pay retail.

Around here, the soil conservation district has one that can be rented.

I haven't heard of anybody or any organization renting one out around here. I wish they did. That's a good program.

 

[Brute 23]

We try to run a hay king renovator once a year over the pastures and disk every 2 or 3 years. Its mostly bermuda and any time we work the ground the grass looks like you shot fertilizer to it.

Here is a pasture I disked under at the beggining of the year. You can see the line where it was disked. This coming winter the other side will get done.