Cultivation requires a lot of heavy-duty tools and machinery. Plows and subsoilers are a few of the machines that help make cultivation and gardening a bit easier. The tools are used to keep soil in good health.
Both these machines are used to loosen up clumped-up soil and aerate them. This results in better penetration of plant food, fertilizers, and even water.
If you don't loosen the soil, and the ground becomes clumpy and hard, all the water and nutrients that you are pouring for your plants will float above the ground. It won't reach the roots of the plant.
While both of these tools are great at loosening up the soil, you can’t purchase both. You have to choose between the two.
So today we will discuss Subsoiler Vs Plow. Which product does what, and which one is better for you?
Let's find out.
What Is Subsoiler?
Subsoiling is a great way to invigorate soil. This procedure uses a tool, the subsoiler, to loosen up and invigorate the soil with as little disturbance as possible.
Clay or silty soil requires a lot of subsoiling. The machine uses its 6 to 8-inch teeth to aerate the soil and make it healthier. Soiling allows more nutrients and minerals to reach the crops.
Advantages Of Using Subsoiler
So we know what a subsoiler is used for. Now it's time to know what advantages we will get by using the machine.
1. Aeration
One of the main advantages that you get from using a subsoiler is compaction elimination. Areas that have a lot of water troughs and gateways require subsoiling.
This aerates the soil and allows more nutrients to reach the roots. The aeration results in deeper and more vigorous root growth.
Ultimately all the plants in your garden grow healthier.
2. Makes Roots Healthy
When soil becomes compact, the main damage that it does is to roots. Compact soil tends to slow down root growth significantly.
When you use a subsoiler on the ground, it opens up pathways to the roots. Therefore, all the nutrients that you are pouring onto the ground will reach the roots faster. This enables pastures to live a lot longer.
3. Allows Better Drainage
Better soil means better plants. Once you add air to the soil, it helps create better drainage and gets rid of the excess water.
So even if you have overwatered a plant, if you use a subsoiler on the soil, the excess puddle of water will drain down and be soaked into the ground. It's a great way to prevent root rot.
4. Improves Soil Porosity
As you aerate the soil using a subsoiler, you are opening up pathways into the soil. Therefore the soil will now have a greater level of oxygen in it.
Compact soil has a higher level of carbon dioxide and a lower level of oxygen. This can result in the slow growth of plants. Once you use a subsoiler, you are in a way speeding up their growth process.
Disadvantages Of Using Subsoiler
We've taken a peek at some of the advantages that the subsoiler gives us. It's time that we take a look at the disadvantages.
1. Gets Rid Of Good Organisms
When a subsoiler turns the ground, it is essentially taking out all the good organisms from the soil.
Any of the good bacteria or living matters that can produce valuable nutrition for the ground are killed because of all of the soil moving. This can strip the ground off of its rich nutrients.
2. Increases The Possibility Of Weed Growth
It's true that when you use a subsoiler on the ground, the existing weeds in your land are killed. But keep in mind that weeds love to grow in disturbed soil. When you open up or loosen the soil, it becomes a possible weed growth bed.
3. Dries Out Soil
If the weather around the ground is too dry, or hot, and you use a subsoiler on your ground, you allow more air and sunlight to enter. This can result in the ground drying out too fast. All the water that is in the soil will evaporate much faster once it has been aerated.
What Is Plow?
Plowing has a very similar task to a subsoiler. It is considered a preparation process for cultivation. A lot of farmers use a plow to start the seedbed preparation.
This procedure is mainly done to get rid of weeds and soften the soil.
Plows come in lots of different sizes. This allows you to choose the depth of digging that your land requires.
Advantages Of Using Plow
To understand the machine A little bit better, we need to know about the advantages of using a plow.
1. It Adds Nutrients To The Ground
When you use a plow on the ground, you are digging out the residues of the previous plants. When this part is mixed into the ground again, it becomes a nutrient for the upcoming seeds you are about to plant.
A plow also creates more air pathways in the ground. This results in better oxygen levels in the ground and a higher ability of the ground to soak up nutrients.
2. Getting Rid Of Weeds
A plow will generally break and mix up the soil. This lifts weeds from their roots and kills them.
While a plow can be a great way to aerate the soil, it is also a great weed killer.
3. Brings Back The Soil To Its Ideal Structure
When the soil is mixed and rolled over, the ground is in a way, taken back to its original structure. This prepares the soil for accepting new plant growth.
Disadvantages Of Using Plow
While using a plow might seem like a great idea to make the soil more healthy, it does have a few drawbacks. Let's take a look at a few reasons why you shouldn't invest in a plow.
1. High Cost
Using a plow usually requires filling up a gas tank. It also requires a good amount of traction force.
This additional step can therefore become very costly. It also has a huge environmental impact.
2. Create A Hard Pan Layer
Plows weigh a lot. So when you run the machine over the soil, it creates a very hardpan layer in the depth of the ground.
The more you use a plow on the ground, the harder this layer gets. At one point this soil can be very hard to loosen up. The layer also restricts proper air and water flow.
Comparing Plow Vs Subsoiler
Comparing plow and subsoiler can be tough. We say this because both of the tools are very similar when it comes to usage. But there are a few very small differences between the two machines.
Let's compare both of these machines side by side to find out which one is better.
1. Uses
While a subsoiler is mainly used to mix up and loosen the ground, a plow is used to kill weeds and prepare the field for new seed plantations.
But both of these machines are used to aerate the ground and add more oxygen to the soil. Both plow and subsoiler are capable of creating pathways for the ground to get better nutrition.
2. Creating Fields
You can use a plow to create a field. Meaning this machine can be used to bring back soil to its original state.
But you cannot use a subsoiler to do this. A subsoiler will only mix up and loosen the ground. Although a subsoiler can be used to prepare the ground, it is not as efficient as a plow.
3. Ground Coverage
Some trailers are wider. So you can use the machine to cover a lot more ground area. At the end of the day, it's more efficient and fast.
You can get very wide and large subsoilers at a very low cost. When compared, a plow is not as fast as a subsoiler if you're using it on a large ground. If you want a plow that is very wide, and can cover a lot of ground area, you will have to spend a considerable amount of money.
Final Verdict: Which One Should You Choose?
Choosing between subsoiler and plow can be a very difficult task. Both of these machines do very similar work. But if you ask us to choose one, we will suggest that you go for the plow.
A plow can be used to create fields, and aerate the soil as well. You get a lot of options when it comes to choosing the plow depth. If you choose a larger depth, a plow will cover the tasks of a subsoiler as well.
It’s a better deal if you can spend a little bit more money, and get a tool that does the job of two machines.
There is no point in using a subsoiler to loosen up the ground, and then using a plow to create the field. It's better if you go with a deep-depth plow, and do both works at the same time. The option is both cost-effective and efficient.
To conclude, we would say that in the battle of subsoiler vs plow, we would go with the latter option!