Plowing and Cultivation in FS 22

Let's take a closer look at plowing and cultivating. This is an important process in the game. You will constantly use the plow and cultivator in Farming Simulator 22, so the information in this tutorial may help answer some questions.

The difference between plowing and cultivating

During plowing, the lower part of the soil is lifted up using a plow. Simply put, the earth is turned over, with the lower part brought to the surface. When using a cultivator, it is the top layer of soil that is loosened. In Farming Simulator 22, in most cases, regular cultivation is required. 

When using a plow or cultivator, stones may appear on the field after soil treatment. They need to be removed quickly to avoid damaging your equipment. Stones come in different sizes, and larger stones require special tools for removal. Remember that plows and cultivators increase the yield of your crops.

Plowing

Plowing with plows is required after harvesting certain crops – root crops. Examples: corn, potatoes, sugar beets, and others. Don't forget another feature of plows – the ability to create fields. Thanks to this function, you can combine several fields into one, expand your existing fields, or even create new ones. Overall, a very useful tool.

• Standard plow. The first type of plow you encounter in the store. Generally, working with these plows requires a fairly powerful tractor, and the working speed is quite low. The standard plow can be used to create fields. This is a useful tool that prevents weed growth and also increases yield, although small stones appear after soil treatment that need to be removed. The average speed is about 12 km/h.
• The next type of plows are the so-called Spaders, which perform the same functions as the standard plow: they increase the yield of the next sowing, prevent weed growth, and can also dig up small stones. 
• Subsoiler – an ideal tool to replace the plow, a great alternative. You can find them in a separate section for subsoilers. They differ from plows in that they require less power, so you don’t need an especially expensive and powerful tractor. Their working speed is higher than that of plows. However, they also have drawbacks. Subsoilers do not prevent weed growth, and instead of small stones, larger ones appear. Also, these tools lack the field creation function. 

Cultivating

Now let's understand the cultivation process. This work is done before sowing to allow crops to grow properly. However, cultivators, while increasing yield, do not prevent weed growth. Compared to plows, cultivators generally work faster, and the process goes much quicker.

• Standard and small cultivators can be found in the corresponding store section. These are regular tools that attach to a tractor, do not require very high power, and differ from each other in working width. Naturally, more powerful tools require more powerful tractors. Such cultivators are more effective against weeds, although they do not prevent their growth.
• Surface cultivators stand out with their large working width relative to the required power. They cost more than standard cultivators. Stones are not dug up, and the field is not contaminated. However, these are extremely ineffective devices against weeds.
• Disc harrows and power harrows are also useful tools for soil treatment. Disc harrows are quite inexpensive (of course, depending on the model), require little tractor power, and work faster than standard cultivators. Stones do not appear after soil treatment. However, after treatment with harrows, weeds grow faster, so this method has its drawbacks. Power harrows are relatively inexpensive but require a more powerful tractor.

The average working speed of disc harrows is 17 km/h, and power harrows about 12 km/h. 

• There are also special seeders available in the store under the "Seeders" category. They are called Direct Sowing Machines and can simultaneously handle cultivation/soil treatment, sowing, and fertilizing. Naturally, such tools require quite a powerful tractor and are not cheap, but you save a lot of time, and sooner or later it pays off. Also, stones are not dug up, so you don’t need to remove them afterward. The main downside is accelerated weed growth. 

So, we have figured out what types of cultivators and plows exist in Farming Simulator 22, what alternatives there are, and the advantages and disadvantages of each type. Now you know a bit more about soil treatment in FS22.