Using slurry whilst slitting, before or after? - High Bracken Hall, Blog #1

October/November offer an ideal opportunity for Sward Lifting & Sward Slitting. If we open up the soil structure before winter sets in water drainage can be improved & we allow frost in the ground which will naturally expand/contract opening the soil structure.

With a rare run of fine 5 days at High Bracken Hall, Nr Kendal, Cumbria (dads farm) the land was fit to travel on so I took the opportunity to do some practical work.The 1st job was to review conditions & inspect the Sward. As dad suspected compaction was in the top 3-4 inch, no real suprise given that the fields are largley used for grazing but still worth checking dads, farmers & suspisions are not always correct.

With a 3-4 inch compaction zone the OPICO Grassland Slitter (Sward Slitter) has to be my weapon of choice, a full set of weights (540kg) were on the Slitter & helped to ensure we made the most of the 8 inch blades (72 in total on 3m machine). I offset the rotors by 10 deg to maximise the slit area & shatter effect. Work rate should of been approx 6 acres/hr but with four small fields all with fiddly bits I think it was probably closer to 5.Obviously not the quickest of operations (no doubt the reason for our +ve 6m sales) but to rush would only of compromised the effect so I resisted the urge.

In addition to slitting dad was was also applying slurry, he asked if there would be any difference between slitting before or after slurry? who knows? experiment commenced!

You'll see a map of the fields slit & notice only 1/2 fields were completed, the plans to monitor response using the untouched 1/2 fields as a control. From here on in I'll keep you posted on results & further actions.

 

 

Writen by: Neil Robinson - Grassland Machinery Specialist