Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →

Disking Techniques for Farm Tractors

...
Medioimages/Photodisc/Photodisc/Getty Images

Farmers rely on a variety of equipment to till and plant their fields. The disk was one of the earliest agricultural implements devised and has remained an important tillage tool on just about every farm. A disk can perform a variety of important tasks, depending on the technique being used to put it to work.

Tillage

You can use a disk as your primary tillage tool in many soil types for a variety of crops. Allow the disk to ride as low in the soil as it will go to cut through sod or crop residue left from the previous growing season. One or two passes will sufficiently turn and stir the soil to make it ready for seeding.

Leveling

There are many reasons a field can become lumpy or cut with furrows. The disk is a great tool to level them out and make them easier to farm and more productive. Adjust the amount of weight the disk is applying by raising or lowering the wheels as you disk across an uneven field. Disk lightly the areas that are flat and level. Raise the wheels higher to allow more of the disk’s weight to cut into the soil on lumpy or deeply scarred areas.

  • Farmers rely on a variety of equipment to till and plant their fields.
  • You can use a disk as your primary tillage tool in many soil types for a variety of crops.

Clod Busting

Heavy, wet soils, particularly those with a large amount of clay content, often form into large clods of dirt after being plowed. One or two passes across the field with a disk will break those large clods into soil friable enough to be seeded.

Herbicide Incorporation

Weed-preventing herbicides need to be mixed into the soil to work. A disk is the perfect incorporation tool. A rule of thumb -- if the herbicide label suggests this -- is incorporating the product in the top two inches of soil. Set the disk so its blades are cutting four inches deep.

Related Articles

Types of Cultivators
Types of Cultivators
Tips for Reseeding After Roundup
Tips for Reseeding After Roundup
Amish Farming Tools
Amish Farming Tools
How Does a Cultivator Work?
How Does a Cultivator Work?
How to Plant Buck Forage Oats
How to Plant Buck Forage Oats
How to Plow With a Moldboard Plow
How to Plow With a Moldboard Plow
What Is the Difference Between a Cultipacker and a Cultimulcher?
What Is the Difference Between a Cultipacker and a...
How to Prepare Soil for Seeding
How to Prepare Soil for Seeding
Tools & Equipment Used in Landscaping
Tools & Equipment Used in Landscaping
Fertilizers Used for Wheat Growth
Fertilizers Used for Wheat Growth
How to Lay Sod Over Existing Grass
How to Lay Sod Over Existing Grass
Rotary Mower vs. Sickle Bar Mower for Land Maintenance
Rotary Mower vs. Sickle Bar Mower for Land Maintenance
How to Use a Grass Seed Slicer
How to Use a Grass Seed Slicer
Garden Guides
×