How to drill small and large seeds together?

T

Tree-Farmer

Member

• Oct 9, 2017

• #1

I want to drill about 5 acres of a mix of clover and oats.

How do you do this with a drill, since the oats are a larger seed and the clover is a small seed?

Should I mix them and put the mix in the larger box of the drill?
Or can I put the oats in the larger box and the clover in the smaller (grass seed) box and plant them together like that?

Also, the clover should be planted shallow, like 1/4 to 1/2 inch and the oats should be deeper, like 1 inch.
How do you choose the best setting for that?

Thank you to anyone who can advise.

 

T

tomNE

Member

• Oct 9, 2017

• #1

I use to believe, like you do, about depths but have now been taught to mix everything together and set the drill for the largest seed and plant as deep as possible. this is for covercrops seeding. the depth helps establish the seed with cold weather coming. I know i was nervous but have now been following the plan for 3yrs now and have no regrets!

 

4

4520BW

Well-known Member

• Oct 9, 2017

• #1

Around here we drill the oats and frost seed the clover in February.

 

C

Case Nutty 1660

Well-known Member

• Oct 9, 2017

• #1

I have planted thousands of acres by mixing the seeds all together and planting deep just like I always plant my small grains, alfalfa is always planted the same, 2"-2 1/2" deep, the farce about having planting it only 1/2" deep I blew out of the water 20 years ago,, both work I just like the stands I get better here planting deep, it also will not come up too soon if doing spring planting as the soil warms when it is time for the seeds that cant take a hard frost, just the way I do it
cnt

 

D

DeltaRed

Well-known Member

• Oct 9, 2017

• #1

I just dump everything into a stocktank and mix with a scoop shovel. then put the mix into the drill and go. Set the depth at about the middle.However,I no longer use a grain drill. I now spread the mix with a 3 point fertilixer spreader. Spread in an overlapping pattern.Then cover with arollerharrow(pulvimulcher).

 

D

Determined

Well-known Member

• Oct 9, 2017

• #1

I blend everything together in a cement mixer, dump it into 5 gal pails, load it on the truck and haul it out to the drill.

It all goes in the large seed box.

Oats will pretty much grow on top of the dirt so I select the seed depth based on where I want the grass, alfalfa, clover etc.

If you get good moisture it is hard to do wrong.

Stop every once in a while and stir things up if you find the smaller seed is settling to the bottom.

 

L

Leroy

Well-known Member

• Oct 9, 2017

• #1

It is only since I quit farming that the isue of mixing oats and grass seed together has come up. I would never try putting grass seed in the large seed box. A drill without the grass seed box will not sell here. Put the grass seed in the small grass seed box and the oats in the large seed box. Then you can set the rate you want for both and set the disks for depth of oats and make sure the small tubes for the grass seed box drop the grass seed on top of the ground in back of the openers. Then just use the cover drag chains in back and that will cover the grass seed to proper depth. If you do not have the drag chains a spike tooth harrow is a good choice. We alway pulled a spike tooth behind the drill for everything, Wheat, Oats, beans. Makes for a smother field for the mower or cutter bar on combine. I am ols school on a lot of things but I think that is still the best way for things like this.

 

J

jeffcat

Well-known Member

• Oct 9, 2017

• #1

All of the ways on here will work just fine. Now if you want to do it perfectly there is a machine built just to do what you want. Look up "Brillion Cultipacker". My dad had one till he junked it. Please don't get me started. When people get 9ld 5hey can get c4azy. You might find one at a farm or sod farm auction. They were very very expensive but you might find a bargan. They have double hoppers for large and small seed. When done the seeded field looks like a pool table.

 

P

paul

Well-known Member

• Oct 9, 2017

• #1

Oats in the big box, and it drops through the disks to depth.

Clover or alfalfa seed in the small 'grass seed' box, which actually is a small round seed seeder most oft he time, not for winged grass seed.... let those tubes hang free to drop the seed on the ground. As the disks and then the chains come behind, they place these small seeds about the right depth, shallower than the oats.

I'm surprised by the replies you got.

You -can- mix in the big box and plant, if that is all you have. A big trouble is the small round seed likes to settle out to the bottom, so if you mix it in the big hopper and drive a half mile out to the field, a lot of the seed will be on the bottom, and very little will be left as you get close to emptying the hopper. As you say, have to kinda average the rest of the issues to get what you want this way as well.

Paul

 

C

coonie minnie

Well-known Member

• Oct 9, 2017

• #1

I agree with PAul below.

 

T

tomNE

Member

• Oct 9, 2017

• #1

when taking advice on this subject be sure the time of year is specified. lots of the advice is true when planted in the spring and summer. fall seeding is much different!

 

L

Leroy

Well-known Member

• Oct 9, 2017

• #1

I have never heard of fall seeding oats as it will just winter kill and you will have nothing. Would not get enouth growth to even make pasture.

 

C

coonie minnie

Well-known Member

• Oct 9, 2017

• #1

BElieve it or not, you can plant late summer or fall oats for forage, and it can yield pretty well.

 

J

jpapier

Member

• Oct 9, 2017

• #1

Are you sure you are not thinking of winter rye and clover as a Fall planting?

 

F

flying belgian

Well-known Member

• Oct 9, 2017

• #1

Well if it's only 5 acres don't even bother mixing the seed. Just make two trips. You will still be done in a half a day.

 

J

johnyquest69

Member

• Oct 9, 2017

• #1

Just not tilled in about 4 bu oats/acre into Tift 85 Bermuda that was grazed fairly close. I spread clover before I drilled in oats and watered in. I'm in south Ga and it is common to plant oats, wheat, or rye in the fall for winter grazing. I have another patch of Bermuda that has been grazed but still 8-10" tall and don't know about over seeding it...not sure the small grain will have a chance in that thick of grass.

 

J

JMS/.MN

Well-known Member

• Oct 9, 2017

• #1

You can get the same result by pulling a cast iron packer behind the grain drill.

 

T

Texasmark1

Well-known Member

• Oct 10, 2017

• #1

I just put in Jumbo Rye and Austrian Winter (Field) Peas. Did the 3pt fert spreader with the rye then loaded it up with the fert. Came back with a current design spike tooth upside down for gentile tilling. Next came the drill with the peas and behind that the roller. We are just now getting some rain today. Will see what happens.

 

C

caterpillar guy

Well-known Member

• Oct 11, 2017

• #1

The deeper seeding will work in dryer areas. If clover or such was planted here in MI it would rot before it came up in heavier dirt.