permaculture

[<darren@permaculture.biz>]

Hello Lawrence ,
 
I trust that this greets you and all well. I’m out on a job with some
time tonight to write for a change. Here goes…
 
When I started keyline plow contracting in 1994 I had a 5 shank twin
beam Wallace Plow that I bought off a local dairy farmer. I had just
helped design a rural primary school on 30 acres and pattern ploughed
the pasture areas and ripped the perimeter as preparation for a now
thriving native shelterbelt. I did all of this with a borrowed grey
fergie (20hp!). Interestingly this wallace plow  had a mechanism that
connected to the depth wheels and caused the plow to rise and fall as it
when along – remarkably similar to a Michael Jackson dancing technique
as it “grooved” its way through the ground. In the PDM the method of
using a wallace plow is clearly described. The concord (winged keel
even) shaped point has a high surface area and has a deliterous sheening
effect on soils. The sheer pin design however is the greatest
limitation. Basically a mild steel 3/8” bolt. Even the pissant fergie
broke them in moist sandy loam.  I ended up donating this machine to the
Permaculture Institute when they where in Tyalgum.  
 
Wallace plow frames are 4” and strong - yeomans shanks fit straight onto
them. My main client inherited a 7 shank Wallace Plow when he bought the
place. We oxy cut off the wallace shank braces and bought three 22”
yeomans slipper imp shanks (new 3 tonne breakout oyster clamp type).
This frame is the same width as the single beam yeomans 3SB. Works
behind a 2wd 45hp Zetor 5211 no worries. There is a neat and effective
roller on this plow too – it’s a wallace original. I think Geoff Wallace
is still alive – he is apparenty a fascinating bloke though now must be
quite elderly. Bill and I often talk about  him and the wild stuff he
used to get up to on his farm in the Kiewa Valley here in Victoria. 
 
I then got a (still have) 3SB (single beam) keyline plow with three 22”
shear bolt type shanks (the original slipper imp shank design) and
ploughed many many hectares of differing ground with a dry hired 43hp
Case 1190 (2wd). Those three shanks were ground engaged to between
6-14”, relative to a determination of soil textural conditions. 
 
The plow was set up with fluted coulters (about 24” I think - swivelling
type – designed for keyline “curves” – reducing the “tearing” effect of
rigid coulters when engaged in turns ) that did a great job of
minimising surface distrubance in existing pasture. The use of coulters
noticably reduces the torque required to pull the implement. About 15-20
hp per shank is what is prescribed from Yeomans.
 
I also had a set of “Shankpot Seeders” –  these were based on older
style seed boxes and were pretty average when sowing into existing
pasture – unless you lightly harrowed after your pass. I haven’t tried
them in fully cultivated ground. In fact I haven’t used them for about 8
years I reckon – my sowing technology has since moved on (I now use a 3m
trailing disc seeder behind our diesel Landrover Discovery). A friend of
mine who has a 5SU (Twin beam 3PL 5 26” shank) was inspired by some work
I did retrofitting the coulter assemblies ( I’ll describe that work
later) and was able to use the seedbox to direct sow native trees and
shrubs. 
 
Repeat plowing meant I was going deeper and trash clearance became an
issue so I invested in 3 new 26” yeomans shanks (4-6 tonne breakout
force shearpins). These shanks not only afforded the clearance I needed
but also opened up the ability to rip as deep as some bulldozers with
only 45hp (when engaged as a single shank). My tree crop ground
preparation business arose from this single purchase. 
 
These new shanks have two notched tool grooves longitudinally forged
into the shank. Yeomans have a series of implements that can be attached
thru the adjustable cocks comb assembly that wedges onto the shank. One
is the weed knives. These are set just below the surface to cut thru the
roots of vegetation to effect plant mortality. Very effective for weed
management in horticulture and any row crop preparation and maintenance.
Another attachment is the hillers. These have two 18” x 12” x ¼” steel
boards per shank and are designed for secondary cultivation for row crop
preparation. I determined that removing each of the outside boards off
each assembly would enable me to rip and create a single tree crop mound
in one pass. I used this method for a couple of years. Yeomans also have
a fertiliser boot and others as well. I have built a couple of pipe
layers as well (25mm and 75mm) enabling me to bury pipe between 13mm and
50mm behind the 22” or 26” shanks. I also enabled a wire spinner mounted
onto the plow frame to feed the rolls of pipe whilst laying.  
 
Looking at an old Yeomans booklet  was a case study of a Lely power
harrow mounted behind a 3SB. A double bearing block mounted in the plow
frame headstock joined two PTO shafts from tractor to power harrow.
Yeomans produce a very simple couping that mounts a 3PL implement onto a
4” tool bar and enables devices such as power harrows, rotary hoes,
spreaders, rotary drainers and planters etc. to be operated whilst
subsoiling. I was inspired to join a 1m rotary hoe and another
(detachable) 4” tool bar behind the rotary hoe with single offset 28”
discs (modified from yeomans coulter assemblies). This contraption (as
my grandad called it) produced a cultivated and mounded single pass tree
crop row ready to plant in one pass using a 50hp tractor. My dad and I
built it in the shed one day and I called it the Dojo after Joe my dad
and Doherty. We shared the idea and quite a few took up the concept off
there own back. 
 
A couple of years later we got a bigger rotary hoe (1.5m) modified into
a bedformer which is what we now mostly use as its so effective.  This
produces a remarkably well formed mound much better than with discs. I
had made a set of mounding discs (28” scalloped) which I still use in
rough terrain not suited to powered cultivators. 
 
There are a few different types of points. There is the standard 3
finned wombat point. Then there are the replaceable leap frog points
that attach into the bull frog point mounts. These are effective though
they are bulkier in size and require more horsepower. My favorite of
all, though I have never used cause its too pretty, is the batwing
point. This is designed for deep krasnozems – cotton soils up north –
not the stuff I get into. All soils have differing rates of abrasion and
this directly influences the wearing of points. You find this out pretty
early when you are contracting. We discovered the use of hardfacing with
special welding rods. We also found that bronzing on tungsten tips onto
the wombat points was very effective though the brittle tungsten was
liable to chip off in rocky conditions. These days we tungsten tip the
point and then have  “TACA” weld applied to the the length of the 3
point fins. This process runs a course of weld that includes random
small chips of tungsten  mixed in with the weld material. This is cheap
(AUD$50/three points) and fantastically effective and enables, with
maintainance refacing, a point to have a very long life at well below
replacement cost (up to three TACA applications).   
 
Generally my approach is to plow soils to just below the pan after the
site had been softened by rain. Often below hardpans are heavier soil
textures that have higher moisture retention capacity but are anaerobic
– the intent of keyline plow use is to build soil out of this stuff by
accessing it to air, water and light – all of which support aerobic
biological processes – as that occurs in untreated soils in the top
3-6”. Yeomans process is to create soil so it is an energy sink (water,
minerals, biota, carbon) 
The Keyline soil building process requires a cycle of plow – rest –
growth - pulse graze/slash/mulch – plant cull/root shedding - rest –
plow (in between previous cut lines and progressively deeper) – repeat
over a couple of seasons until you have achieved an appropriate soil
depth. With any subsequent pass the previous subsoiling makes it easier
to plow with again a reduced horsepower requirement – traction however
is another matter and continuing the use of tractors in this size range
(2-3 tonne) is advisable. The weight of such a unit (3SB) is around
700kg so smaller tractor hydraulics capacity and resultant poor
stability can become dangerous. 
 
Pattern cultivation is easily applied without too much worrying about
surveying mapping, and levelling equipment. Simply the method is thus:
with any primary cultivation (driving across the slope as in contour
ploughing) the ideal is to fall (gently) out to ridges from gullies and
rise into gullies from ridges. On ridge faces (convex landform) keep it
level. This pattern enables runoff to be diverted to ridges away from
gullies. You can use apply this principle in any scale landscape – it is
a very effective universal technique at dispersing runoff water (or
irrigation flow) more evenly over a landscape.To enact the technique
with an implement I use what is called the “seat of the pants” method.
The load on the tractor noticably increases when you rise on a slope and
conversely decreases when you fall indicating elevational changes that
you can easily follow. On the contour and you’re in between.  When
you’re comfortable with the tractor this is dead easy. The effect looks
like a rounded herringbone quite visibly patterning the landscape. Once
established conduct all vehicle operations following these lines. We
often establish wide spaced rows of trees with pasture and the effect is
functionally and aesthetically wonderful. We also employ the technique
for forestry and other tree crops to increase the effectiveness of
available rainfall increasing growth and the range of species
appropriate to a site. 
 
As for speed don’t go over medium to fast walking pace – otherwise you
glaze (sheening) soils as you go through – which has negative effect.
Its slow work so best to multiply the passes by hanging more off the end
if you can. 
 
Glad to take the bait on the keyline stuff – been very busy with a few
special projects (locally and in Vietnam) with a sprinkling of teaching
but I always keep an eye on the digests. Keyline is obviously a passion
of mine that I can’t resist on responding to where raised. Thanks for
keeping the forum happening and look forward to talking more about
keyline applications and implications and keyline plow use.   
 
 
Cheers,
 
Yours and Growing,
 
Darren J. Doherty
Applied Diploma of Permaculture Design, (Education, Site Design, System
Establishment & Implementation) Permaculture Institute (1995)
Permaculture Design Certificate, Permaculture Institute (1993, 1995,
2001)
Whole Farm Planning Certificate (Train the Trainer), University of
Melbourne (1995)
permaculture designer @ permaculture.biz
a. 103 Casey St, East Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, 3550
p. 613 5444 1068
f. 613 5444 0621
m. 0148 254 605
e.  <mailto:darren@permaculture.biz> darren@permaculture.biz
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