Used a lawn-roller instead of a cultipacker

[Mike Bolin]

I have been searching for a used 48"-60" cultipacker and have had no luck. I finished up planting my trails and a new 1/4 acre plot on Monday. I discked it lightly, then used the front mounted spreader on the atv to spread the pelletized lime and fertilizer, dragging the spike tooth harrow to work it into the ground. I broadcast the rye in while dragging the harrow behind the atv, then rolled it with the 48" lawn roller, seeded the clover and rolled again. We got hit hard with rain from Friday until Saturday morning. I checked on it today after church and the rye is already up pretty well and the clover is starting to poke through. Seems like the roller did o.k. Anyone else use a lawn-roller on their plots?
Is there a big advantage to using a cultipacker versus the lawn roller? Admittedly, a 3 pt. cultipacker would be more maneuverable than pulling the roller with the quad. I can't back up for squat with that roller behind the quad and I have some trails that dead end. I usually end up getting off the quad and turning the roller around by hand.

 

[bueller]

We have an old heavy steel roller that we sometimes use. Works great for us. No cultipacker in our arsenal of implements.

 

[yoderjac]

A cultipacker does several things. First it presses seed into the soil improving seed/soil contact. Next, it removes air pockets firming the seed bed. Finally, it puts an irregular surface on the plot to minimize runoff and help rain soak into the root zone. A typical lawn roller will do the first two very well. It doesn't do the third and produces a flat uniform surface.

A lawn roller is better than not rolling, but if you plan on using one for the long haul consider how to improve the surface. One thought I had when I was using one was to weld chains around the barrel every few inches.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[NWWI]

I have a small cultipacker I run behind my ATV. When the soil is dry and fluffy it works great. Any mud or moisture in the dirt and it gets packed up and becomes a lawn roller.
I like the cultipacker when run it over once, plant and run it over again. The seed pops up in nice lines and it looks like a no till drill did it.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I just started food plotting for the most part last spring. I have prior to that just raked a 20x20 area in the woods and tossed seed into it. Now I am running 3 plots about 3/4 acre each. My equipment consists of a small disc, a spike toothed drag, a few different sized spreaders, and an ATV. My land isnt even enough to worry about rollers, or a cultipacker. I usually have no issues with germination. What I do is lightly disc the top layer about 2-3 inches deep, then run the drag across it with the teeth folded up, so not to dig, then spread the seed, then run the drag back over the top again to bury the seed. I guess if my land was more level, I may look into a cultipacker, but what I am doing seems to work well enough.

 

[yoderjac]

I just started food plotting for the most part last spring. I have prior to that just raked a 20x20 area in the woods and tossed seed into it. Now I am running 3 plots about 3/4 acre each. My equipment consists of a small disc, a spike toothed drag, a few different sized spreaders, and an ATV. My land isnt even enough to worry about rollers, or a cultipacker. I usually have no issues with germination. What I do is lightly disc the top layer about 2-3 inches deep, then run the drag across it with the teeth folded up, so not to dig, then spread the seed, then run the drag back over the top again to bury the seed. I guess if my land was more level, I may look into a cultipacker, but what I am doing seems to work well enough.

That is a good point. A cultipacker is a great tool, but it is not a "must have". If you are planting small acreage and can time your planting well. Planting just before a good rain will generally result in very good germination. A cultipacker can also be a good tool for the small plotter who wants to use the Crimson and Camo throw and mow technique. This technique preserves soil moisture lost by tillage. A cultipacker can help press the seed into the soil enough to get germination with just morning dew and no rain. There are a lot of soil health benefits to this approach.

We have lots of tools we can use. The key is finding the right combination for your situation. Different techniques will work better or worse depending on the region, soils, deer densities, etc.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Big Snow Man]

Use what you have. You just need good soil to seed contact and a lawn roller can do the job.