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Post by Foggy on Aug 15, 2021 20:02:12 GMT -6
Made some changes to my plans to plant about seven acres on Monday Afternoon and Tuesday.
The front box has an agitator/mixer that is driven by the ground drive. I plan to put the larger size seeds in that box and hope that they will stay mixed and be applied at the rate(s) planned.
So at this point here is what will go in that front box and the rate per acre to drill: (These seeds are of the same approximate sizes and will be constantly "stirred" by the agitator fingers)
100 lbs Winter Rye (Deer Creek) 8 lbs Austrian Winter Peas (La Crosse) 4 lbs. G.H. Radish. (Weltersby Barenberg) 8. lbs Small Burnett. (Welter source)
In the Rear Box I will blend the following seeds and rates / acre.
8 lbs Clover mix. (2 Alice White (Welters), 2 Ladino (Barrenburg via MO), 4# Medium Red (Welters) 6 lbs Brassica's (4 Collards (Green Cover Crop), 2# PTT (MO source I think its LaCrosse)
134 LBS of seed in a single pass! x seven acres = 952 lbs of seed going down in the next couple days. Yowsir!!
If it rains......or when I see the germination happening......I will put down additional fertilzer (already did some in spring - but not much rain followed) Considering about 150 / acre of a starter type fertilizer.....or whatever high N that I can find reasonably priced. I will apply that by broadcasting via my tractor and cone spreader.
Comments from you experts out there are much appreciated. I need somebody's stamp of approval....or someone to blame. Grin.
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Post by Tooln on Aug 16, 2021 6:05:40 GMT -6
Looking great Tom. Can't wait to see pics once it starts growing.
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Post by Foggy on Aug 16, 2021 6:48:49 GMT -6
Looking great Tom. Can't wait to see pics once it starts growing. You and me both! Hope we get that rain over the weekend. I cannot imagine putting down 950 lbs with a spinner bag over my shoulder in 90 degrees and humid. - add to that fertilizer?? Yikes.
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Post by Foggy on Aug 16, 2021 20:22:10 GMT -6
Got the new planter loaded with seeds and set off to plant today. Had about 120 lbs of rye and other large seeds in the front hopper.....and about 14 lbs of clover and small brassica in the rear hopper. Set off to seed this mix of 10 varieties on plots a bit over an acre in size.
Here is some of the seed inventory to plant. 10 varieties to mix. The rye is taking up most of the space in the drill's front box. Six more bags in the shed. No sense moving this twice!
the above seeds are loaded in the two hoppers for planting. One acres worth of seed here. The front hopper has an agitator that does a very nice job of mixing the seeds during operation. But I did my best to mix them while loading too. I think I have the Rye and three other varieties in this front box.
Just leaves little slices in the sod on untilled ground. Not much above the surface.
Bare dirt is much easier...but no noticeable load to pull this thing.....pretty sure any compact tractor can handle this from a power standpoint. Tho you do need to be able to lift about 1200# or more on your drag links. I do fear I could be planting just a bit deep in bare dirt? Dunno....all the soils are somewhat variable. The REAL REASON I snapped this picture (above) is to show why I like this size drill for a compact tractor. I work along tree lines quite a bit. And having the tractor width to protect the drill from the trees is HUGE. It would be quite easy to snag the drill on a tree limb....and that could be a disaster. I am glad I have this width......tho I may have bought a wider one.....as I had not considered this before. Also saved about $2 M.....and that alone is worth it for my needs. WIN/ WIN/ WIN.
Lots of lines in the sand. I do wish for a decent marker to know where I have been at times. Hmmmm....may have an idea to develop this. Stay tuned.
At the finish of planting I still had a bit of rye left and most of the small seeds were about gone. I did tweak the seed rates on both the front and rear metering systems. I think I am better dialed in now. Keeping an eye on it....and learning. Now that I know I want this seed mix....I went back to my shed and spent a few hours pre-loading plastic bags with the acre size needs. That will make it much faster to load and go tommorow. I HAVE NO IDEA why I did not buy one of these little Amazon basics electronic scales before now.. $10. weights in grams, lbs ounces, and more. Time saver and about as accurate as you can imagine. BUY ONE!
I think the bags above have forage peas in them. Enough for 5 acres. Did all my seeds like this....now it's just a matter to reload em.
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Post by Freeborn on Aug 17, 2021 4:55:39 GMT -6
Looks great, looks like you got your setup figured out. If you figure out a marking system I would be interested in that as I use my tire tracks now for each pass.
Allot of work setting all that up and preparing seed. I hope the rains come as that’s the key to success.
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Post by Tooln on Aug 17, 2021 5:40:23 GMT -6
Great pics and story Tom. Have you considered a foam marking system like sprayers use? Don't know how long the foam would last. Marking on untilled soil will be a lot different that ground that has been worked.
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Post by Foggy on Aug 17, 2021 6:27:55 GMT -6
Great pics and story Tom. Have you considered a foam marking system like sprayers use? Don't know how long the foam would last. Marking on untilled soil will be a lot different that ground that has been worked. Those foam marking systems are really expensive. I remember once seeing a home made foam marker that used shaving cream and a long tube to mark. I sure would like to find that discription again. I could use that on a few implements at times.
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Post by Foggy on Aug 17, 2021 6:28:25 GMT -6
Great pics and story Tom. Have you considered a foam marking system like sprayers use? Don't know how long the foam would last. Marking on untilled soil will be a lot different that ground that has been worked. Those foam marking systems are really expensive. I remember once seeing a home made foam marker that used shaving cream and a long tube to mark. I sure would like to find that discription again. I could use that on a few implements at times.
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Post by Tooln on Aug 17, 2021 7:12:49 GMT -6
Great pics and story Tom. Have you considered a foam marking system like sprayers use? Don't know how long the foam would last. Marking on untilled soil will be a lot different that ground that has been worked. Those foam marking systems are really expensive. I remember once seeing a home made foam marker that used shaving cream and a long tube to mark. I sure would like to find that discription again. I could use that on a few implements at times. IIRC I saw several YouTube videos on dyi foam markers.
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Post by Foggy on Aug 17, 2021 19:29:06 GMT -6
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Post by Foggy on Aug 17, 2021 19:30:52 GMT -6
Today I seeded another 4 acres with the Tar River Drill. Making comments on the photos below. I taped my mix chart of ten seed varieties on the lid. I did tweak the drill settings a few times.....and I am now honed in on the proper drop per acre. Uncanny how close I come to empty front hopper at the same time the rear hopper runs dry. Amazing actually. I was spilling too much of my rye when filling the front hopper with 50 lb seed bags....so I used the vac to clean up. Those damn bags get pretty heavy to accurately control that amount of weight when being over.....and it's hard on an old guy's back. After that.....I figured out a better method to fill those hoppers. I have the rye bags in the back of my truck bed.....and I put a huge tub under the tail gate (its a snowmobile sled....that usually holds water for deer. (not this year) Then I open seed bags and fill a five gallon pail at a time. The big tube catches the small spillage this way. . This method requires about 4 pails to completely fill my hopper......and I add a portion of three other seeds combined into a pail after each pail of rye. I kinda mix it together with my hands.....but the agitator (in the front hopper only) also serves to stir these seeds and makes them quite uniform. Sweet method. No more vac needed after that....and much easier on this old body. Right behind the drill is a little flat spot that will get a blind in the next few weeks. It's a great little mini plot now (maybe 1/3 acre total??) and it's virgin sod that has never been planted before. I got the stumps out years ago.....and nuked it a week ago. This is gonna be a great spot to kill a buck. More of that same plot.....there are some small evergreen in this plot....and I just panted over them. Nothing stops this drill. grin. More of that same area I think. Cutting a trench in virgin sod.....and it is DRY....DRY....DRY.
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Post by badgerfowl on Aug 17, 2021 19:34:15 GMT -6
You missed a spot.
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Post by Foggy on Aug 17, 2021 19:47:59 GMT -6
There are two blinds in this pic. One is going to get moved to that site I show in the above pics. Not sure which one yet?? I really like those new Red Neck Blinds....decisions, decisions. Both of these spots are among the best on my land....currently. I had previously planted collards in this plot....and they were still surviving through the drought! I did have some grasses growing....but no pig weeds. I used some grass herbicide to kill those grasses about a week ago. Then planted into the existing collards with my "standard Mix". Now....if will just rain soon. I got about two acres left to plant. I'm gonna play golf tommorow....but will easily finish up on Thursday. A deer / farmer friend of mine came by to see this drill. I think it's safe to say he was pretty impressed. He did take some video....and is gonna sent it to me. I will see about posting same. I think my deer farmer / friend Dave may end up to join this site. He has some land near Pilliger....and he is a great guy! DONT CHASE HIM AWAY....GRIN. Fun day.
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Post by Reagan on Aug 17, 2021 20:57:30 GMT -6
So he is a deer farmer. But what we really want to know is if he is an expert on nilgai?
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Post by Foggy on Aug 17, 2021 21:06:39 GMT -6
So he is a deer farmer. But what we really want to know is if he is an expert on nilgai? Maybe not....but he grew up on a JPS farm with no heat....and grew his life enought to become the general manager of the areas largest asphalt paving operation. He has salt. Good guy, and he is my friend. If you unduly damage him....I will salt your land and do anti rain dances until the day you die. It's just the way it is with my best firends. No offense. HUGE GRIN. .
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