How do you work seeds in with a tiller?

[magicheater]

I won't comment on the seeding technique but will add something about the tiller width. I have a 5.5' tiller and used it on my L4350 until I got my B7800. The B7800, although at it's max for power for that size tiller, does a better job because the tiller goes deeper as the depth gauges do not ride in the wheel tracks.
Food for thought.............

 

[sweettractors]

I own a Kubota L2800 HST 4wd tractor that has 23 pto hp and am considering buying a tiller. I think that a 5 ft. unit will work well with my tractor but am also considering a 56' Caroni unit at my local Agri Supply store. I will be using this to plant a 1/4 acre garden plot at my house, and several 1/2 acre sized food plots in the fall.
However, I have never used a tiller to plant food plots. I have always used a disc harrow to break up the soil then I would broadcast the soybeans, wheat, rye, etc. and work them into the soil by lightly discing them into the soil afterwards.

How would you work the seeds into the ground with a tiller? Would you just set it for a very shallow depth and till them in? Would you have to have some type of drag harrow or chain link fence to drag and work them in? What do you tiller owners do?

Also, what are your thoughts on the 56 in. chain driven Caroni tiller (they have them for around $1250). Agri supply also carries a 5ft gear drive "Tillovator" for $1200. Has anyone heard of that brand? All it says on their website is "Tillovator" and the guy on the phone didn't know who made them.

You do not need to use a tiller or disc to work in the seed. You will work a lot of them tooo deep and this gives you poor germination rates. Seed are too high in price to waste. A cultipacker is a must for putting in seed. Check with Bio Logic or some of the guys that have done foodplots for years. We have 30 field ready packers on hand 5 ft to 9 ft. Ken Sweet

 

[georgia jeff]

same here- . getting a tiller virtually eliminates the need to disc, plow the dirt beforehand. What are you planning on planting?

I usually broadcast soybeans or iron and clay cowpeas around mid august and then replant wheat, rye, oats around October.

 

[georgia jeff]

I tilled to max depth, then seeded, and finally passed at about 1.5-2" depth at full 540PTO speed.

With peas it didn't break the seeds up much at all.
A light discing would have done just as well but I was too pressed for time to drop the tiller and hook up the disc and the other tractor was down.

I would be in the same boat. I wouldn't want to haul the tractor, tiller, and a disc harrow with me to do this. I don't own either a tiller or a disc harrow at the time but am planning on buying one or the other. I would rather own a tiller because I can borrow a dis harrow from several relatives that live nearby. However, I don't want to buy one if I can't plant my food plots from start to finish with it. I don't mind dragging some chain link fence or something like that behind it to cover the seeds but don't want to have to use another implement.

 

[georgia jeff]

You do not need to use a tiller or disc to work in the seed. You will work a lot of them tooo deep and this gives you poor germination rates. Seed are too high in price to waste. A cultipacker is a must for putting in seed. Check with Bio Logic or some of the guys that have done foodplots for years. We have 30 field ready packers on hand 5 ft to 9 ft. Ken Sweet

I agree that a cultipacker would be BETTER. However, I was wondering if a tiller would work. I have broadcast and covered seed with a disc harrow for years and I know that it isn't the best way to do things but it certainly works. I was just wondering if I could get similar results with a tiller.

 

[Don87]

I agree with Ken.

Use a cultipacker or a chain,drag harrow/ or old fencing to lightly cover the seed.

A tiller will cover most of the seed with too much soil to germinate.

 

[jenkinsph]

Ater tilling and smoothing I have had good results by running a 3pt spike harrow over it before seeding. I then broadcast the seed and run the harrow over it again. This is followed by a water filled roller. Since my seedbeds have almost no residue or trash I am considering making the last pass to cover the seed with a pinestraw rake, I think it will leave the ground smoother than the harrow and then roll it out.

Pic of harrow and pinestraw rake

 

[Rockin' G Ranch]

On my food plots I use a tiller until I get a good seed bed, spread the seed, go back over it with the tiller with the PTO OFF (the tines turn and roll the seedbed without damage to the seeds) and then pull a roller to compact the soil. I have done this for many years with great success.

 

[sweettractors]

This is a explanation from a expert that explains better than I can, why a cultipacker should be used. Ken Sweet

"Firming up your seed bed:
Many people choose either offset disks or roto-tillers to work up their soils. These implements do a very nice job; however, when trying to plant into freshly disked or tilled fields, most will inadvertently incorporate the seed too deep into the seed bed, primarily because of the fluffiness of the soil. A cultipacker will firm up the freshly tilled soil by compressing the air out of the soils surface which will allow you to plant seed firmly into the soils surface. This is critically important when planting small sized seeds, such as clover, alfalfa and chicory. If you incorporate any of these seeds deeper than a ｼ inch you will not have a good stand once germinated.

Breaking up soil clods:
When tilling soils with a little too much moisture in them you'll have the tendency to leave large chunks of soil, which at a later date will make it difficult when planting. Most seeds need to be firmly pressed into the soils surface, which is difficult to do when you have large clods of dirt distributed throughout your food plot. A heavy cultipacker will help eliminate large clods making for a better, more consistent planting surface.

Moisture retention:
I've heard of people using flat-surfaced lawn rollers for compaction when planting their food plots. My first thought is. a flat-surfaced lawn roller is better than using nothing at all, and is considerably better than pulling a drag over your freshly planted plot. However, a cast iron roller will do a much better job, primarily because of moisture retaining issues. Why? Think of it this way. If you pour a full glass of water on a counter-top, what happens? The water will run every direction looking for the lowest point to run off the counter. Pour the same glass of water over a flat, corrugated piece of steel and you'll notice much of the water will end up in the lower points of the corrugation. This is exactly what happens in your fields. The groves you leave help trap moisture in your field as the corrugation groves act as mini-reservoirs allowing your soil to bank moisture for future use.

Even out uneven terrain:
Cultipacking has the tendency to take the undulation out of your soils surface. This helps you achieve a more even distribution of seed when you broadcast plant and will allow you a better uniformed planting depth when planting with a row-crop planting implement. A field that is firm and smooth before planting will germinate quicker and grow more uniform, and this can only be accomplished by floating off the uneven terrain with a good cultipacker.

Planting into a firm seed bed:
The rule of thumb when planting seed is you never want to plant the seed any deeper than four times its diameter. When you consider clover, alfalfa, chicory or any other like-sized cultivars, this calculates into depths of no more than a ｼ inch or less. Incorporating seeds at this depth is almost impossible when using drags or disks. The results from using a drag or disk will culminate in seeds either being planted too deep or too shallow. The best planting practice to implement is to cultipack first, broadcasting your seed, and then cultipack once again. You'll notice better seed germination as well as more uniform growth. You'll be amazed at the difference you'll see." Ken Sweet

 

[georgia jeff]

Good article Ken. How does a cultipacker work to cover the seeds up. I could see how it would firm up the seed bed but how does it cover the seeds? Does it just press them just under the soils surface?