How you operate your machinery and the attachments you use have a significant impact on residue cover. In most cases, for example, if you till shallow at a slow speed, you leave more residue on the surface than if you till deeply at a fast speed. Sweeps leave the most residue on the soil surface, followed by chisel spikes, and then twisted shovels. Detailed image. . . To preserve more residue with either an offset disk or a tandem disk, operate blades at a small angle and only as deep as necessary to perform the desired tillage and residue cutting.
Spherical blades leave more residue on the soil surface than conical blades.
When there is a choice between a field cultivator and a disk for secondary tillage, the cultivator will tend to bury less residue. Detailed image. . . 5E. Rippers are similar to chisel plows, but they generally leave more residue. The farther apart you space the standards, the more surface residue you preserve. Also, narrower points will bury less residue than wide points.