Planting cover crop (wheat)

[Oleozz]

I probably do this different than most people, first I disc the plowed ground, then with a spreader I broadcast the wheat, then I follow with a packer that presses the seed into the ground. Time consuming but the disc is 18 ft and the packer is 15 feet wide.
I've posted a pic of the packer, below this field is a smaller field that you can see, I got the IH 1066 and disc stuck there on Monday, I was stuck bad. I had to unhook the disc, pull the tractor out, get a chain and then pull the disc, which probably weighs about 4000 lbs. It takes two jacks to get the disc back on the tractor, all in all a fun afternoon. The IH needs the duals back on so I can get better traction.

 

[js5020]

We use to plant cover crop like that all the time,, we used rye but same method, we were seeding silage ground.

 

[dawoodwa]

We have access to all the chicken litter we can use. We load out our spreader trucks with an oversized loader bucket, we dump a bag of wheat, rye, or ryegrass in each bucket full when we load the trucks. We spread over disked land and then use a spike toothed drag to cover it. Amazingly we get good even coverage.

 

[JDeerekid]

sounds like most people plant that dont have some sort of drill. I have seen some that mix the seed right in with the fertilizer and broadcast it. Nice to see the big IH with the duals.

 

[ampsucker]

oleozz, i just did a much smaller patch than yours pretty much the same way. first i plowed it, then spread compost, than tilled it. that pretty much broke up the existing sod. i added a bit of lime and some kelp meal for minor nutrients, then broadcast winter wheat seed and then compacted it down to get good contact and keep the birds from snaking up all my seed. we are just today getting the first good rain to damp everything in, so i'm anxious to see if i get good germination before the temps drop too low!

this particular spot is going to be our orchard. i'll be planting trees this winter and having a good start on the wheat as a cover crop in between the fruit should be a good thing, hopefully!

amp

 

[kthompson]

It seems dumb to ask but I am, running the packer over the seed is all you have to do for good germination? I have always run a disk set very shallow like two inches and had good success. I think seed are much more flexible than the experts know.

 

[ampsucker]

not sure how to measure germination rate. i have lots of little wheat shoots coming up, so i guess that's a good sign, but there are still many seeds not yet germinated.

my theory behind compacting slightly is based on what i have learned from garden books. you want the soil below the seed to be compacted enough it can wick water up by capillary action so you don't have to water as much. watering from above cools the seed/planting bed(evaporatively), takes time and energy, and can lead to leaf disease, whereas wicking up the water from the subsoil causes none of this and encourages rapid root development.

tilling or plowing destroys capillarity from the subsoil, so you need some type of compressive technique to re-establish it unless you want to wait for enough rain to muddy it all back together again. the loosening and breaking up of sod is still beneficial and you obviously don't want to compact it so much that you create a hard pan - just enough to bring the soil clumps back into close contact so moisture can wick.

ideally, you would have a thin layer of compost or fluffy soil above the seeds to act as a mulch and keep the moisture from evaporating but that is more important during the hot summer months and i didn't have time. 1/2" or so is really all you need to protect them. otherwise, the sunlight is good for them to stimulate germination. some seed actually won't germinate in the dark even if wet, so too much dirt on top can be a bad thing for certain crops.

amp

 

[backdoor]

I plant winter rye about like youall do wheat, but I lightly disk the soil instead of using a packer for coverage. Next time you sow small grain, try disking in a strip of seeds along side the area where you have been packing the grain in. It will be interesting to see the germination rates of each planting method. I've compared both ways side by side in my fields, and the disk-in plantings do much better in my fields. A couple inches in is plenty.

 

[Egon]

There should be lots of studies done on planting.

One such for wheat: http://www.ca.uky.edu/ukrec/RR-00-01/00-01pg23.pdf

 

[Oleozz]

I planted a three acre section on Wed where I used a spike tooth harrow to work the seeds in and then ran the packer after. Thursday I did another section about the same size and just used the harrow without the packer. Problem with the spike tooth harrow is that they pull every darn rock that's in the ground up to the surface, now I will have to spend a day picking rocks.