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<pre>I am about to prepare my land for planting this year. Is deep
ripping to 600mm deep enough, the cost of ripping to a metre is
exponentially greater (bigger tractor etc.) Shall I just rip the
planting rows and not the entire field? What is the best way to
apply lime and other fertilizers?
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<pre>Hi,

zubraaman wrote:

> I am about to prepare my land for planting this year. Is deep
> ripping to 600mm deep enough, the cost of ripping to a metre is
> exponentially greater (bigger tractor etc.)

When we prepared, we got the whole paddock ripped with a D9 and single
ripper. The cost was higher, but the result seems to justify the cost.
We are using an old wheat paddock which had been "flogged to death" by
previous years of ploughing and growing wheat. The result was a clay pan
about 4 inches thick at around a foot or so. To get under that, we had
to go further than 2 feet deep.

> Shall I just rip the
> planting rows and not the entire field?

Again, our experience is that the initial fertiliser application is done
within the row layout, with concentrations at the tree sites.

> What is the best way to
> apply lime and other fertilizers?

Hope this helps.

John Attwood
Tamworth
(Northern) NSW Au

>
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<pre>Prior to planting our olives we deep ripped the planting rows only. Our
property is on an old river terrace and the soil consisted of a silty loam
over fine gravels so ripping to about 600 deep was okay.

The soil fertility was very low so we broadcast 1 te/ha of a
superphosphate/potassium sulphate fertiliser over the entire area prior to
ripping. At
each tree site we also spread a barrow load of sheep manure, again prior to
ripping. After ripping, the ripped area was also rotary hoed.

The trees came away very well and have made good growth.

Hope that this helps.

Cheers
Steve Clark
Cairnmuir Olives Ltd
Central Otago
New Zealand

zubraaman wrote:

> I am about to prepare my land for planting this year. Is deep
> ripping to 600mm deep enough, the cost of ripping to a metre is
> exponentially greater (bigger tractor etc.) Shall I just rip the
> planting rows and not the entire field? What is the best way to
> apply lime and other fertilizers?
>
>
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