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Drill/Seeder question

jjohnson

jjohnson

Well-Known Member
I have the opportunity to use one of these drills for my fall plots. I have no experience with one at all. You can run it like a true drill or move the hoses to the pan and it will broadcast in front of the cultipacker. I will be planting mainly turnips/brassica/radish. My plots are sprayed and I can till and use this just as a broadcast seeder but would like to just drill without tilling and be done.

Couple questions if I'm planting that tiny seed it seems like an acres worth would hardly cover the bottom of the box. Is there a filler of some sort that would better distribute the seed in the box? Also depth control is basically controlled by the 3pt top link. Will a shallow cut be sufficient to get thru dead trash on the field and deposit that tiny seed where it needs to be?

I will also be doing winter rye and clover later on and plan on using the drill. Feel better with the bigger rye seed filling up the box more.
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I have zero knowledge of that drill.

Could you duct tape plastic bottles inside the box?


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U can use rice hulls as filler. Or anything like that. Can buy cheap and usually find if check around.
Or put it to tightest setting & see how seee flow is. Could run over driveway if u can Lower just enough to engage but high enough so doesn’t mash hard into pavement. All drills usually take a lil trial and error. There is a way to calibrate them (turn drill over a tarp xyz rotations and weigh what comes out & do some math). It sounds complex - not really. But still- u usually can dial it in after 10-20 mins of goofing around & make sure u have extra seed.

Getting through trash is the key. I’d say it should be fine and be adjustable if u need more depth. It all depends how much junk. If it’s a lot of junk & residue- Same thing- tweak it for depth little by little after looking at furrows. If it’s super thick thatch & residue- can hurt brassica germination so be ready to increase seed rate a bit & check back in couple weeks to see if u need to interseed any sparse areas. Should be fine. Bottom line- I’d get it and just set aside extra hour or two to make sure it’s seeding desired rate and desired depth. Should be fine with lil tlc. Good luck !
 
JNRBRONC said:
I have zero knowledge of that drill.

Could you duct tape plastic bottles inside the box?


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Never thought of that but I may try it. I'm also worried about any side hills and the seed running to one side. This may cure all of that.

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Sligh1 said:
U can use rice hulls as filler. Or anything like that. Can buy cheap and usually find if check around.
Or put it to tightest setting & see how seee flow is. Could run over driveway if u can Lower just enough to engage but high enough so doesn’t mash hard into pavement. All drills usually take a lil trial and error. There is a way to calibrate them (turn drill over a tarp xyz rotations and weigh what comes out & do some math). It sounds complex - not really. But still- u usually can dial it in after 10-20 mins of goofing around & make sure u have extra seed.

Getting through trash is the key. I’d say it should be fine and be adjustable if u need more depth. It all depends how much junk. If it’s a lot of junk & residue- Same thing- tweak it for depth little by little after looking at furrows. If it’s super thick thatch & residue- can hurt brassica germination so be ready to increase seed rate a bit & check back in couple weeks to see if u need to interseed any sparse areas. Should be fine. Bottom line- I’d get it and just set aside extra hour or two to make sure it’s seeding desired rate and desired depth. Should be fine with lil tlc. Good luck !
Click to expand...
They do have a formula if I turn the cultipacker x amount of times and multiply by x then it will tell me how many lbs I'm running per acre. I figured I'd start at lowest setting and go over twice if I have too.

I think I'll try drilling it and go back in sept and seed rye if theres a failure.

Just trying to minimize time/trips and hauling. Cause I could just till and broadcast but like the idea of drilling.

I've always just broadcast this seed. Is an inch or 2 deep drilling too deep for this small seed?

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jjohnson said:
They do have a formula if I turn the cultipacker x amount of times and multiply by x then it will tell me how many lbs I'm running per acre. I figured I'd start at lowest setting and go over twice if I have too.

I think I'll try drilling it and go back in sept and seed rye if theres a failure.

Just trying to minimize time/trips and hauling. Cause I could just till and broadcast but like the idea of drilling.

I've always just broadcast this seed. Is an inch or 2 deep drilling too deep for this small seed?

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1/2 max for me on small seeds. Mine is set at 3/8. If I broadcast after roto tilling I cultipack, seed, cultipack so they don't get forced down to far.

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All you need is soil contact and then the ability for the new tiny plant to get sunlight. Sligh is spot on about the thatch not being to thick for both to happen. I think the rule of thumb 2.5 times the seed size is max planting depth for small seeds, the seed has to have enough energy to push the seedling up to the sun.


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Well we gave it a whirl. We'll see how it goes. I'm worried the seed may be too deep but it's pretty hard to control in uneven ground with this drill. Worst case I'll seed some rye into it in a month.
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Planted 2 weeks ago and finally got wet 4 days ago so I went and checked it out today. Overall I'd say success. There is spots where uneven ground didn't allow drill to cut and drop seed. But for the most part it's all coming up. Released a few weeds too but hopefully they will get choked out.
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Quick update. Super super dry up here but the plot is filling in nicely.
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