Seed drills before and after

[bigboreblr]

Got some time to work on my seed drill. Taking the parts out of the shed and moving them into the garage today.

Would like to hear some stories or see some pics of how your food plotting has changed before and after.

 

[356]

Before the Drill: Buy seed in bag with buck on it. Terminate stuff with Gly. Repeat in two weeks. Broadcast seed, followed by light harrowing of soil. Nice food plots in the fall. More money in the bank for bows and guns.

After the Drill: Watch 15 or more YouTubes on best practices during the "Off season." Soil samples. Amendments as needed. Buy seeds from major vendor--looking carefully at the seed purity, germination rates and blend appropriate for my goals. Terminate weeds with herbicide and drill on the same day. Very nice food plot in the fall. No money in the bank for bows and guns.

While I love the drill and it provides break from my work routines along with needed "Tractor therapy" time, both processes provided good plots. The drill is part of a longer term plan to attract deer to a smaller property (85 acres) while improving soil health, which was not a goal "before the drill."

Below is a picture from the "throw and grow" days before the drill. This was from a "buck on the bag" product purchased at the local feed shop.


Here is one from the drill era:


While I enjoy using the NT drill, and it does a great job of getting seed into the ground, I also enjoyed the easier (and less costly) approach of broadcasting. What I can say is that drilling has not saved time, but it has expanded the number of plots each season from two or three to six or seven.

 

[SwampCat]

While I dont have a drill - I have a woods seeder. It allowed me to do more acres in the same amount if time. I used to spray, mow, disk, spread seed, and cover. I went over each plot five times. Now, depending upon the condition of the plot, I may spray, and/or mow, and plant. I save either two or three passes. A drill is not the cure all for everything. It is two wet to get it in the field right now, so I just sprayed and planted five acres of millet with my polaris ranger. I still use, every single year, a bag spreader, electric mount seeder on my ranger, a pto spreader on my tractor, and my woods seeder.

I would say all in all, time and labor aside, I think a sprayed, mowed, disked, seeded, and drug plot looks better. And I am including my woods seeder or a dedicated drill. The old fashioned way provides full, even coverage, even on more uneven ground. No planting rows seven inches apart. All filled in. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

 

[Foggy47]

I can no longer do the amount of work I used to do.....when I was spraying, tilling and disking, and dragging and spreading seeds into ground for plots. I'm simply getting too old to want to do that kinda work. I'd spend hours doing multiple tillage passes over my plots. I have now about 7 or 8 acres I plant with food and another two acres just building the soil via some cover crops. No way I could do that amount of land by my old methods.....or I'd be running my tail off all summer to do so.

I now tolerate some more weeds and mixes of crops in my plots than I did in the past. The deer seem to like the plots the same or better. I've got less weed 'outbreaks" and lots more time to play golf and do other things. I do spend more time doing "research" on no-till practices. I'm not covered in dirt several days each year.....and likely save fuel, days of work, wear and tear on several machines and less frustration.

Did I mention.....I like my drill?

Just today I was thinking about selling some unneeded implements that are just sitting there. May wait another year.

 

[Bill]

Just today I was thinking about selling some unneeded implements that are just sitting there. May wait another year.

don't sell the disk. Mine has gone years with no use. But then I drag out of the weeds and use it for something.

 

[Jlane35]

Im really contemplating buying a NT drill. I think it will save time, and get more seed in the soil instead of sitting on top waiting and hoping for rain.

Has anyone regretted purchasing their NT drill?

 

[Tree Spud]

I can no longer do the amount of work I used to do.....when I was spraying, tilling and disking, and dragging and spreading seeds into ground for plots. I'm simply getting too old to want to do that kinda work. I'd spend hours doing multiple tillage passes over my plots. I have now about 7 or 8 acres I plant with food and another two acres just building the soil via some cover crops. No way I could do that amount of land by my old methods.....or I'd be running my tail off all summer to do so.

I now tolerate some more weeds and mixes of crops in my plots than I did in the past. The deer seem to like the plots the same or better. I've got less weed 'outbreaks" and lots more time to play golf and do other things. I do spend more time doing "research" on no-till practices. I'm not covered in dirt several days each year.....and likely save fuel, days of work, wear and tear on several machines and less frustration.

Did I mention.....I like my drill?

Just today I was thinking about selling some unneeded implements that are just sitting there. May wait another year.

Once you sell them, you will find that you will need them

I am not a purist when it comes to soil mgmt. I decided not to spray the clover, weeds, and grasses this year and disked them under as green manure. When you get a good thatch layer, possibly too thick to drill or broadcast in, I will disk the thatch into the soil.

While some of the clover, grasses, & weeds will come back, I will then spray as I planted RR soy beans. Hopefully suppressing the other stuff will give the soy beans a chance.

 

[356]

Im really contemplating buying a NT drill. I think it will save time, and get more seed in the soil instead of sitting on top waiting and hoping for rain.

Has anyone regretted purchasing their NT drill?

No regrets.

 

[Foggy47]

don't sell the disk. Mine has gone years with no use. But then I drag out of the weeds and use it for something.

Yep....my disk is not on the list. When I look at those implements.....most of them now cost about 3x what I paid for them. If you think you may need it in the future....dont sell it. OTOH.....I'm getting to the point in my life where "less is more". Been slimming possessions down for a few years now. I now own 6 less boats than I did two years ago (2 jet skis, two kayaks, fishing boat, canoe) and a whole bunch of other "stuff". At some point excess "stuff" will just a burden on your kids.....not to mention the maintenance, insurance, licenses, and storage on excess stuff.

 

[SwampCat]

Im really contemplating buying a NT drill. I think it will save time, and get more seed in the soil instead of sitting on top waiting and hoping for rain.

Has anyone regretted purchasing their NT drill?

My biggest reason for buying a woods seeder was time savings. I plant about 40 acres a year with a seeder and saw a substantial time savings. I rented a drill on one property before I bought and that showed me how much time I could save. I wouldnt really say I saw much improvement in my plots - but definitely saw a time savings. Me, personally - I dont think I would buy a drill for under ten acres - but if you have money burning a hole in your pocket - why not. At one time I was planting almost thirty acres with a 28 hp tractor and five ft equipment. And every year I do a fair bit of planting by other methods due to one reason or another. My planter didn't obsolete any of my equipment

 

[jsasker007]

I can no longer do the amount of work I used to do.....when I was spraying, tilling and disking, and dragging and spreading seeds into ground for plots. I'm simply getting too old to want to do that kinda work. I'd spend hours doing multiple tillage passes over my plots. I have now about 7 or 8 acres I plant with food and another two acres just building the soil via some cover crops. No way I could do that amount of land by my old methods.....or I'd be running my tail off all summer to do so.

I now tolerate some more weeds and mixes of crops in my plots than I did in the past. The deer seem to like the plots the same or better. I've got less weed 'outbreaks" and lots more time to play golf and do other things. I do spend more time doing "research" on no-till practices. I'm not covered in dirt several days each year.....and likely save fuel, days of work, wear and tear on several machines and less frustration.

Did I mention.....I like my drill?

Just today I was thinking about selling some unneeded implements that are just sitting there. May wait another year.

I'm with you there. One year I broadcasted 1500 pounds of seed by hand on 11 acres with a 5 gallon pail in one hand throwing out seed like I was feeding the chickens with the other. I couldn't do that now if I wanted to.

 

[Tree Spud]

Im really contemplating buying a NT drill. I think it will save time, and get more seed in the soil instead of sitting on top waiting and hoping for rain.

Has anyone regretted purchasing their NT drill?

Another option you might consider is a Firminator. It combines the disk, which can be set at any angle from no till to tilling at different depths, and has an integral cultipacker. It has cut my planting time in half and with the cultipacker assures good seed & soil contact. It will probably be less expensive than NT drill.

Firminator

Products - The Firminator

See the full lineup of equipment Ranews Outdoors Equipement has to offer.

thefirminator.com

 

[Westwind]

I'm simply getting too old to want to do that kinda work.

Man, our time here is short. I spent all day working on my place and I’m sitting here on my deck thinking about how temporary my affect on the land is.

I found aerial pics of my ground in 1936. It was all pasture! Now it’s mostly mature timber.

When I’m gone no one is going to know I was here planting a multiculture of seeds! My deer will miss me for one winter before they make other arrangements! That’s why a drill or a seeder is important. A guy can make his impact for the moment and still have time to do other things that he enjoys or make a difference.

 

[Tree Spud]

Man, our time here is short. I spent all day working on my place and I’m sitting here on my deck thinking about how temporary my affect on the land is.

I found aerial pics of my ground in 1936. It was all pasture! Now it’s mostly mature timber.

When I’m gone no one is going to know I was here planting a multiculture of seeds! My deer will miss me for one winter before they make other arrangements! That’s why a drill or a seeder is important. A guy can make his impact for the moment and still have time to do other things that he enjoys or make a difference.

It's not the destination, it's the journey.

"The man who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life"

 

[Westwind]

It's not the destination, it's the journey.

"The man who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life"

Man I love it!

This is how I’m feeling tonight!

 

[T-Max]

That’s a good quote. I like Doug Duren’s saying “It’s not ours, it’s just our turn.” I live that one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bigboreblr]

The time savings is what I hope to get. Seems I spend all my time working up there. Was up there last demeber hunting, seems it was the 1st times in years I just wandered the woods.

My project s basically making a woods seeder / firminator. I might make a 2nd one from the left over seed boxes I have with a S tine cultivator for my son inlaws little kubota.

Totally hear you about purging the extra stuff. selling stuff is such a pain, tire kickers, flakes, etc.

 

[Brokenbear]

Same here going thu the progression stage #1 of scratch broadcast and roll to stage #2 a small field cultivator and an old John Deere Van Brunt 10' drill to stage #3now a Great Plains 3PT606NT
Observations for you guys somewhere on the above path .........
Stage #1 the simplest of equipment is ok but forcing the seed/ground contact via roller or cultipacker will improve your results tremendously
Stage #2 is really still fairly cheap .. especially if you already have a tractor but even at this stage a cultipacker is king to get good seed/ground contact as the old drills were hit and miss ....a hit with perfect powder dry loose ground to plant in but some miss in the seed/soil contact department is not ideal conditions at planting time so a cultipacker is your insurance when you have to "go in the ground on your one and only weekend"
Stage #3 this stage one is to be patient with ..and for many reasons but most mainly to learn your soil and how to manage it as well as once determining "IF" you need a "seeder" or a no till drill to watch for "deals" that will fit your ideas and budget ..so just enjoy the ride !

Note: even though I have a no till drill I really believe most if not many food plotters/hobby farmers can very successfully use a quality HEAVY seeder that are much less $$ ..can use a smaller tractor .. in my case farming river bottoms flood debris are not friendly to a seeder ...in fact I planted bottoms yesterday and still spent 2.5 hours getting the logs n chunks picked up but still needed the no till portion of the drill to manage the packed up leaf "rifts"

Enjoy your adventure

Bear

 

[drycreek]

I don’t have a drill, and I’m not buying one for the small plots that I plant. None of them are larger than an acre. At my age, spending $15K to plant food plots would be foolish. However, if I can continue on this regenerative path with just a cyclone spreader and a roller crimper I will accomplish the same thing. One plot that I planted this year was .65 acres and took one hour from start to fish. That included fertilizing, mixing and spreading seed, and roller crimping. That operation replaced the spray, mow, disc, fertilize, plant and drag method. What a time saver !

Even the damn hogs like it !