Re: (ET) Plowing

["Elie, Larry \(L.D.\)" <lelie ford com>]

A plow turns over the soil; what was on top is on the bottom.  That
includes such things as weed seeds.  Some seeds can't germinate below a
certain depth; others are delayed.  Plowing is as old as farming.  It
gives your plants a head start.  Today, herbicides are used without
plowing.  As the farmers say; "If you don't plow, you HAVE to spray."
Plowing does NOT stir up the soil much.  Tilling or disking does a
better job of preparing the seedbed.  Disking tends to compact the soil
a bit, while tilling or plowing tends to loosen it up a bit and aerate
it.

Larry Elie


-----Original Message-----
From: Christopher Zach [mailto:czach computer org] 
Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2005 4:01 PM
To: Elie, Larry (L.D.)
Cc: steve39 mindspring com; Elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu
Subject: Re: (ET) Plowing


Question:

So, in the farmer category of things, what is the practical difference 
between a plow and a elec-trak tiller? I use the tiller to churn up the 
soil rather nicely; does a plow do a better/worse/similar/different job?

Curious
Chris