Kinda OT...Muck HELP!!!

Farmall43

Member
So to keep it IH related I had my 400D and 311 fast hitch plow out yesterday and today plowing. The first small field of 5 acres went great. however the second and third field were disasters. they are muck that has not been farmed in about 12 years. I brush hogged them last weekend and disked them twice at 90 degree angles to help break up the root mass and the weeds. However, when I went to plow today I could barely get the sod to turn over. I have never tried to till muck before so I have to believe I am missing something here. Currently my plan is to go back and spend another day disking it 3-5 more times. Then try to plow again. Any advice or suggestions welcome!
Thanks All
Matt
 
We usually plow dirt before disking. That being said, I don't feel a plow should be in muck. Of course this is eastern SD.. Things can be different. Good luck!
 
Never plow wet ground in the spring,it will just turn into big hard chunks of crape,wait till it drys.
 
It is dry otherwise wouldn't be in it. You do not plow wet muck unless you have a really long chain and a bigger tractor to pull you out with.
 
Like I said never done muck before lol. I typically like to disk new ground before I plow it if it has not been turned in a few years and has tons of weeds. Helps it not plug up the old plow. Thanks for the well wishes.
 
My dad always tried to avoid plowing most of his ground in the spring. Said Fall was the ONLY time to plow "problem ground". That lets it mellow over winter, then disk it a couple times in the Spring.
 
Ok well you have a bit of a mess on your hands there. I would have done a burn down with roundup to kill the roots last fall. If that's black root bound dirt its not going to turn over well. Also the fast hitch plows ih had for the 300s and 400s (I grew up on ih) were not popular very long. They are too light for what you are trying to do. We had them on 300s and they will not stay sucked down in ground like that. What are you going to plant? These days when fellows put ground back into production they generally burn it with roundup and plant no till beans. If I were you I wouldn't try to turn that dirt anymore this spring. Burn it off (roundup followed by fire if possible) and plant no till beans. After harvest next fall plow it when the ground is frozen on top. That will help make the dirt "crumble" when it rolls off of the moldboards. Hope this helpful good luck
 
Ok I think I understand you to have hard packed clay that is turning out as boulders of stuff. I would try using a chisel plow then disk harrow as a moldboard ain't gonna make garden dirt. May substitute a ripper in place of the chisel plow.
 
We farmed ground for a neighbor that raised grass and flower seeds. He would take portions of that out of production and we would farm it for a year. That ground will never dry out with heavy foliage on it, you have to get rid of that first has I have described above. That said ripping it open with a chisel plow is also a good option. After you rip it let air and sun get to it for about three days. Hot weather will be helpful if you choose this method
 
Matt I would suggest moving coulters as far forward as they will go and set them deep only 1 inch above the points. Set plow level both ways and set properly to wheel spacing
 
maybe some pics would help us see your problem . Is it pulling so hard you can't turn it over or what . If you have disced it it must not be wet/sticky or you wouldn't have gotten far with the disc. If true muck you don't want to use fire as muck will burn and can smolder underground for weeks , there is some muck ground in Adams county IN near me and I used to work with a guy that was on the local fire dept and muck fires were never fun. The muck ground around here is low ground that they have to pump water away at times.
 
could be , the old soil maps call it muck , there are peat pits around this general area also and I don't know what distinguishes one from the other . The muck ground is seems to be continuous corn on corn for silage that I drive by . Different parts of the country seem to have different names for the same thing and different things all called by a single name. Makes good material for arguments , LOL.
 
How about a Gumbo plow? Made for sticky dirt

15620549200_c3ebd0f39a_c.jpg
 
Peat and muck are not the same. By definition, peat is less than 50% mineral matter (by dry weight). Peat is only partly decomposed. Muck is 50 to 80% mineral matter. The organic matter is decomposed and finely textured.

Short answer, peat has much more organic matter than muck.
 
this thread brought back memories.
massive abandoned farm behind my parents property growing up.
Muck, peat, whatever it was....we just called it the Muck.
When our big barn burned, it got the muck going.
Burned a very long time...could see the glow at night coming from the ground.
Fire dept just kept an eye on neighboring property buildings.
Really nothing they could do.
 
More than tractor knowledge to be picked up on these forums. Have to admit, never heard of soil being called Muck unless it was just mud.
 
Plow has hardly ever been used, the family that owns it had a 450 they plowed with. This came with their 300U and they used it a bit and put it in the shed. Current owner said the 300 did ok with it, but he has 5 foot of mellow black topsoil and a slightly rolling to flat farm. There would be very little need for this plow around here, I think thats why the dealer threw it in back then. Farm looks like this

8808309661_a4d145e3e8_z.jpg
 

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