Does anyone use.....

[Andy]

A big roller on their plots to even the ground out/firm the soil up? If so, do you do this before or after you spread the seed? Would a roller have the same value as having a piece of fence drag behind the tractor?
andy

[dogdoc]

Andy, I don't have a roller but what I do is after i spread the seed I drag a some chain link fence over it to help cover the seed. After that I will drive over the plot several times with my 4 wheeler to help pack the soil---this (I think) helps make better soil contact with the seed resulting in a higher germination %.

todd

[Catskill]

Andy

I use one of those ones that look like a fifty gallon drum, you can fill it with water which adds a lot of weight to it. In the past I would roll it after I seeded but this spring I had a friend up who is a chapter pres. of one of the Pa. chapters of QDMA and he said to roll it both before and after so thats what I did and it worked fine.

[bigdave]

I have used chain link fence, or two pallets nailed together with some 2x4 braces for support. They are cheap, and the large platform area allows you to add weight easily for increased compaction. I used this last year, and it seemed to work very well. Loop a log chain through the fron of the pallets and this can be pulled by a tractor, truck, 4 whlr or whatever you have available. Be sure to stand it up against a tree when your done, so you don't have to build a new one every year. I have also seen a piece of fence tied or fastened behind the pallets to give a smoother bed when you are finished.

[Danny_GA]

Andy
Dragging or cultipacking the soil before applying the seed provides a firm seed bed which will prevent small seeds from sinking down to far in the soil. Dragging or cultipacking after applying the seeds presses the seed into the soil for good seed to soil contact without burying them to deep.
So before and after is good.

Danny

[Skipper]

Is there any need to use a cultipacker before seeding with oats wheat or peas. From my past experiences if the ground packs to much before seeding then there wont be enough loose soil to cover the seed with. Especially if the ground is moist.

[Danny_GA]

Oats and peas can be covered 1 inch deep either with harrows, drill, or planter and I do not see a need to cultipack afterwards. You do need to start with an even surface to plant on from finishing harrows, a drag, or even a cultipacker.

Wheat needs to be covered 1/2 inch at most which can be done by all above methods or cultipacking.

Danny

[fshafly2]

Andy - ditto to Danny's comments: I use a 14 foot cultipaker and consider it essential to the process...
R/fsh

[4x4man514]

i have used drags and rollers to cover clovers and had much better results with the roller.i just bought a new tractor and are trying to find a used cultipacker. can anyone help me out with this? i didnt know these things were so hard to find.thanks, kevin.

[Danny_GA]

4x4

Try the Georgia Market Bulletin. It is published bi-weekly and lists used farm equipment from across the state. Use the ads link to see all equipment listed and the search link to look for specific equipment.Georgia Market Bulletin (http://www.agr.state.ga.us/mbindex.html)

Good Luck

Danny

[4x4man514]

thanks for the info danny.i actually do recieve the market bulletin and there are some good deals in it.i have seen cultipackers in there before i was looking for them,but now im drawing blanks!thats about normal though.the only problem i have with the bulletin is that whenever i get it and find a good deal(the same day i get it) it is already sold when i call.i guess some people get it alot sooner than i.people have acyually told me they sold whatever it was as much as a week or two earlier!what luck!oh well thanks for the info again.

[aerospacefarmer]

Andy,

If you are looking for a cultipacker for what I believe is a reasonable price go to the following site: http://www.sweettractors.com/This site should have many of them at a fair price. I just bought 3 pieces from them and am very pleased with the service delivery and overall experience. The shipping for the 3 pieces and the cost of the implements was still cheaper than I could get here in PA and are probably better quality since they havent been sitting out in 2 feet of snow. I talked to Ken at Sweet Tractors and found him to be a big help

Paul

[4x4man514]

i was looking for one closer to home but i am runnung out of time.i have talked to sweet tractors before and will probably buy one from them if i cant find anything closer. thanks for the info though.maybe someone else on this site will benefit.

[aerospacefarmer]

OK Andy but I dont think the distance has much to do with it since the prices are right and the shipping for the 3 pieces which weighed about 2000 pounds was less than $300 to Pennsylvania which is a lot farther from Sweet than you are in GA. Hope you find what you need

Paul

[Andy]

Paul,

This is Andy! Actually I am in North East Ohio so the price of the shipping might be the same for me as it was for you. Thanks alot for the info. Ill be sure to look into the website!
andy

[MNQDMer]

I have had a fair amount of experience with different practices using packer, culti packers, and harrow packers.

There are a number of issues that should be identified. Soil types and seeding equipment can be and important factors. If you have heavy clay or "gumbo" it is likely you will not get seed to germinate well if you pack before broadcast spreading seed. On the other hand if you have a planter with adequate pressure on disc openers so seed gets into the soil at the desire depth for the seed type then packing before and after works well.

If you are just broadcasting seed on top of the ground and you pack before broadcasting the seed, you most likely will not get seed into the soil enough to get good germination. If you have a very rough seed bed (ridges greater than 2 or 3 inches high), it would be best to "knock off" the ridges before broadcasting the seed and then follow with a packer.

A cultipacker which has cultivation before a modified packing devise usually works well to create a reasonably firm seedbed that you can broadcast seed onto but broadcasting should still be followed by packing or harrowing (dragging). One of the major advantages of using a packer is that when the seed is covered by some soil and the soil is then packed, moisture is actually drawn to the top. This is called "capillary action". If the seed is left in loose soil the loose soil dries out quicker and a seed that has begun to germinate can die or seed may not germinate due to lack of moisture.

It is important to know the correct seeding depth for the crop you are planting. Most clover and grasses are less than an inch, some only 1/2 inch. Many grains like corn, wheat, rye, barley, soybeans are about 1 to 2 inchs. Some plants if planted to shallow or two deep will not reach potential. Wheat has a root development that works best if planted about 1 to 1 1/2 inch deep.

So to make it simple. If you are planting clover, have a reasonably level seed bed, broadcast seed, then pack once or twice afterwards. If very heavy gumbo do not pack twice. If drilling in with a seeding drill with disc openers then pack before and after seeding. If seed bed is reasonably firm before seeding then the best experience I have had is to harrow (drag) and pack after seeding. Harrowpackers are sold with a coiled type packer mounted behind the harrow (drag).