Using a chisel plow
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: Saphead
06-Jan-25
I am thinking of buying a chisel plow. If you use one what is your experience? I think I need to break up my dirt. i like what i see in fields that have been chiseled
From: t-roy
06-Jan-25
Depends somewhat on what you are planning to plant in your plot/plots. If breaking virgin ground, grass pasture, CRP or corn stubble, a chisel plow works pretty well. If the ground has previously been worked recently, a disc or similar would be a better implement, IMO. A chisel plow leaves the ground pretty rough. If you’re breaking the ground for the first time, you might look at hiring it done the first time, and buying a disc instead, if you don’t have one.
From: cnelk
06-Jan-25
Way back in the day when we farmed 1000+ acres, we would chisel plow, disc and then cultivate. In that order. Chisel plow works good for pulling rock to the surface. Like mentioned, a chisel plowed field is rough.
From: Fulldraw1972
06-Jan-25
I grew up on a farm. We grew wheat, soybeans and corn and Alfalfa. We disced all our wheat ground and then we would use a chisel plow with 4” twist right before freeze up. All soybean ground was ripped with a chisel plow and the 4” twist. All corn ground was ripped with a DMI sub soil ripper. All alfalfa ground after 5 years was plowed.
As others have mentioned chisel plowed ground is rough after working a field. The winter would mellow it out however for spring tillage before planting.
From: Fisher
06-Jan-25
Where are you and what is your goal? Of course you can use a chisel plow, but it may not be necessary or the best tool.
From: Saphead
06-Jan-25
Would like to break up ground that hasn’t been in a long time Thinking before freeze up next year Need to soften it up before I no till all types of seed
From: Saphead
06-Jan-25
West South Dakota eastern wyoming
From: KsRancher
06-Jan-25
My only advice. It's like all farming. DONT work it too wet. Too dry and it will pull up big dry boulders. But a good rain will make them nice and soft. Work it too wet and the mud slabs that roll up off those shanks will be there until they go thru a winter.
From: Buckdeer
07-Jan-25
We are all no till and where ground needs opened up have started planting cover crop of radish and turnips,rye or left over wheat.If you get rain it lets the radish and turnips grow and then die leaving voids and also green manure.Be prepared for anytime you open the ground and even more so if it hasn't been worked for long time you will bring all the weed seed to top.
From: Aspen Ghost
07-Jan-25
I think you should actually give the no-till a try before resorting to plowing of any kind. Seeds are powerful little buggers when they sprout, they don't need "soft"ground. If you chisel plow before planting then you aren't doing no-till. And you will get a ton more weeds after chisel plowing vs just doing no-till.
From: Mark Watkins
07-Jan-25
Now knowing your geographic location (arid), I would try no till the first year as you’re going to preserve a lot of moisture (about 1”) You’re most likely going to need a NTD with ALOT of weight.
Mark
From: Mark Watkins
07-Jan-25
Now knowing your geographic location (arid), I would try no till the first year as you’re going to preserve a lot of moisture (about 1”) You’re most likely going to need a NTD with ALOT of weight.
Mark
From: six
07-Jan-25
This was the first pass in heavy sod with the chisle plow in September last year. The ground was very dry and the c. plow pulled hard. Hay had been taken off the day before. I should have sprayed it but I was running out of growing days and wanted to get some rye seed down. You can see the clumps mentioned above. All that aside I love the chisle plow. Discing first helps make it less clumpy when your plowing sod.
From: six
07-Jan-25
This was a rye patch I was getting ready for corn. As you can see big difference between dry and moist ground.
From: Trying hard
07-Jan-25
How deep does that dig into a sod field?
From: Saphead
07-Jan-25
I have been no tilling. My no till works in the spring when the ground is soft. Wont cut deep enough in the fall. I think the chisel will at least let me plant some things. Six Thanks for the pics. I think you can set it from 4-5 inches to 14 depending on the adjustments it has. Thats just from me watching a video tho
From: sawtooth
07-Jan-25
Chisel plows work well, I like to spray the sod first with a herbicide.
From: duckhunterbrad
08-Jan-25
We do a lot of "duck plots" that are corn on corn on corn year over year. I will run a chisel over the ground as soon as its dry in the spring and then let a few spring rains mellow out the ground before I hit it with a field cultivator to level the field before planting. Chisels are a great tool if you think you have a hard pan 4-8inches deep. Disc make hard pans that can be hard to break up!
From: six
08-Jan-25
"How deep does that dig into a sod field?" Mine runs about 8 to 10 inches. It also has settings to change the depth, but I have never messed with them.
" Chisel plows work well, I like to spray the sod first with a herbicide." Spraying sod first is a real game changer.
From: PA-R
09-Jan-25
Listen to Mark, Saphead, no till works, I have been doing it a long time.
From: Fisher
13-Jan-25
six - nice photos. beautiful land.
we stopped all plowing about 25 years ago. discing is sufficient. the seeds planted in food plots grow in the top of the soil. even look at corn to see how shallow the roots grow. long ago, we grew many acres of sweet corn for market. plow, disc, fertilize, plant with a big planter - the plowing was unnecessary and created more discing.
our plots are established. each year, i spray twice, a month apart. then late summer, use a disc to clean up the plants / sod which gets chopped fine. then, i use a woods fps to plant which goes easy. in hard ground as an experiment, i have used the woods fps to plant surplus turnip seeds in the coulter slots. they germinated just fine - to be eaten by the deer. this year i will experiment to create new plots by spraying twice, skipping the discing, and plant no till.
