Cultipacker Type

[Joel Sanderson]

I'm pretty sure I've asked this here before, but I cannot remember what folks said. (So annoying of me!) What is the difference in performance between a regular cultipacker and a crowsfoot cultipacker? Does a crow foot work behind a drill? Would it burry the seed (alfalfa, clover, grass) too much--or more than a regular cultipacker? Does a crowfoot level the soil as well as the other kind? How is it for a seedbed? What is the advantage of one?

I need a culitpacker for: 1) pulling behind the drill to level the ground and push in the legume seed 2) fit the seedbed behind the disc or cultivator and 3) help push stones down. Would a crowfoot cultipacker do this?

Thank you for your input and experiences. I'll take notes this time and try to remember what I've been told.

 

[P I Pete]

Crow foot would flip seeds out, regular cultipacker would be better.

Pete

 

[Farmallb]

I dont have a regular disc cultipacker, but it does have discs in it periodically. Ive used it after sowing sudan grass several times with no problems.

 

[DeltaSteve]

A crowfoot is better for pulling right behind a plow. But if crowfoot is all you have,go ahead use it to pack/cover your grain. A crowfoot is better than none.

 

[J. Schwiebert]

Up here the people on the sandy soil use a crow foot,the people on heavy ground use a regular cultipacker. When we sow alfalfa we DON"T use a drill. We use a cultimulcher. The seed is broadcast in with the starter fertilizer and then the cultimulcher is run over the field. We are in Ohio too Questions, e-mail is open. J.

 

[SVcummins]

The regular rings are best for packing seed . Crows feet are best for crushing clods .

Packing my cinders for my road

 

[James Howell]

The regular, ringed cultipacker allows good seed-to-soil contact.

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[Case Nutty 1660]

Old wives tail you have to plant alfalfa shallow, I plant it here in March and April 2-2/12" deep, when the grounds warm enough to sprout it it is late enough not to freeze kill, it also gives it a much longer root to start with, been doing it that way for many decades,,, as for the packer I do not use them either,, but for planting like you want the solid ones do better, here they are sold most with crows feet on the front gang and the rear gang smooth, why I do not like them is it packs the ground too much, I do use double disc press drills with 6" spacing as they firm up the seeded row for great ground to seed contact without packing the space between each row so it will still take moisture

 

[VicS]

I'm in SE Il. We also double spread fertilizer and seed with a spinner truck or buggy. Then pull a cultipacker over it with the teeth just tickling the ground. Comes up like you drilled it. Also run the cultipacker over the field at least 3 times at different angles with teeth down about 2". Also disk and do-all it all spring and summer trying to keep weeds and grass down. Also spray with Round-up at least once maybe twice. I ask a friend how come I wasn't getting a good stand of grass/alfalfa He told me to work it till I was satisfied, then work it again.

 

[Joel Sanderson]

Thanks, Mr. Cummins. That's to the point.

 

[DeltaSteve]

We plant 'deep' too. Here,we either drill,or broadcast,then cover with a pulvimulcher. After that we make our 'water marks'/furrows. So it sonetimes gets covered pretty deep.My pulvi mulcher has crowfoot front,smooth rear.Crowfoot breaks clods better than smooth.

 

[Joel Sanderson]

I've had good luck plowing in the spring or early summer, then discing with a harrow behind periodically until August, then planting. Seems to get better weed control than trying to kill with glysophate. That stuff doesn't have the effect it used to. I've pretty well decided not to bother with it anymore, though it's not wise to say never.

Years back my dad broadcast his alfalfa seed with fertilizer on one field. He says it worked. I think it was just 0-0-60, though I don't know. I was a kid. Do you have a basic starter mix for alfalfa, or is it based on each field's analysis? When you say "double spread" what do you mean? Between discing? going over it twice in one application?

I like to do that with lime if it needs much: put some on before plowing, then the second pass just before final fitting so it's up near the seed, then using treated seed for a bit more right at the seed. One of the best stands I ever got I did that way, on ground that hadn't been worked in 30+ years.

 

[Joel Sanderson]

Thanks. A lot of folks around these parts are pulling vertical tillage tools that have a basket roller on the back. It seems like that's sort of like a crowfoot cultipacker--open and breaking without necessarily giving a lot of packing. For fitting hay fields, I pull a disc with a finger weeder behind it, and I'd like a packer behind that. It sounds like a crowfoot might be the ticket for that at least. You agree?

 

[Joel Sanderson]

That does make sense. It might also burry some deeper than others. Not sure that matters though, since it's common practice to way over seed alfalfa, with something like 25% surviving to the second year. I could have the wrong number there, but a lot don't make it.

 

[Joel Sanderson]

I'd never heard of planting alfalfa that deep. That's interesting. Isn't your emergence slow? Are you seeding with an herbicide like Eptam to keep the weeds down? I generally prefer grass-alfalfa or grass-clover mixes, and that's not an option for those.

 

[Case Nutty 1660]

I use nothing for weed control where I am it used to be said not to plant alfalfa until the 10th of May to avoid it being frost killed before it got its third leaf,, by planting deep the seed knows the ground is not warm enough for it to grow, when the right temp reaches it up it comes,,

a shot of one of the fields I tested out my theory on here

 

[VicS]

I ment if the buggy says drive 50 ft wide. I do then when done turn around and split the tracks and spread it again. Yes on starter 200lb potash 50lb. 18-46-0 or phosphate. 15 lb. Sulfur. 200 lb. Of pellet lime. If yields are good fertilize it same way again after 2nd or 3rd cutting. Also spray with R-up and cheap bug killer.perm-up Twice. Spray 2-4-D on grass hay+perm-up.

 

[Traditional Farmer]

In this red clay we ran the crow foot packers over the fields before planting corn to give it a good seed bed/bust clods and ran the regular cultipacker over just planted
small grains and grass clover seed.On wildlife plots these days I broadcast late August Crimson Clover and turnips then run a rotary hoe over it and then a
cultipacker usually get a good stand.Every area is different.

 

[Joel Sanderson]

I see thanks. I often spread that way myself. Just didn't know quite what you meant. Seems like a good mix. The nitrogen in the 18-46-0 should help the hay get started too. Thanks.

 

[SVcummins]

I’d really like to find a bigger packer or even a roller harrow would be nice

 

[SVcummins]

That is true my drills are all press drills so I don’t roll after planting

 

[Farmallb]

I planted alfalfa seed for a neighbor as they had a wheat drill and it wouldnt sow fine seed. I didnt know how deep to plant alfalfa and so I set it deep. Not a bit of it came up. This in NE Okla

 

[Case Nutty 1660]

not sure what you did as I have planted over a 1000 acres this way over10 years every one grew fine

 

[Joel Sanderson]

Did you use treated seed? Or if not, did you have the right inoculant?

 

[Case Nutty 1660]

I raise my own seed and never do anything but clean it,,

 

[GreenEnvy]

What works in one area might not work in other areas which makes is difficult for all of us how to recommend to each other how to do things. Different rainfall, different climates, and different soils. I guarantee if you seed alfalfa 2 1/2" deep on our farm, you will not see one single plant come up. Been there and done that. All it takes is a tenth or two of a fast rain and the soil crusts. We sometimes have trouble with wheat emerging seeding that deep. Back in the day, we used to seed our alfalfa with a double hookup consisting of a 14ft land roller followed by a 14ft IH disc drill. Got a perfect stand every time because of the firm seed bed. That was in plowed ground. One year I seeded a 120 acre field by blowing the seed on with a Valmar spreader and then rolling it. Got a good stand that way too. Now since our fields are no-till, we use our no till air disc drill. We've used air hoe drills in the past but the depth is too inconsisent on anything but flat ground. But I still have to put the depth knob into the 2nd from last hole on the shallow setting and back the pressure almost all the way off or it will go too deep. Last alfalfa I seeded was exactly 2 years ago. Ground was frozen except for the top half inch. Worked perfectly

 

[Case Nutty 1660]

Different areas different ways, I never say what works some where else,, I would say I have some of the toughest conditions around to farm as far as H20 and climate changes, many other places have it as well, I have done it so often here with 100% success I know it works,, I make sure I leave the ground where it has the best chance of not crust when planting hay,, that is sure not a good thing to have in any crop and hay planting is sure one,, that is one ting a roller is good for here, breaks the soil into powder if not used right,, but my point is sound as alfalfa does not have to be planted 1/4-1/2 deep to grow,, many things will easily kill it when it young and before it has the third leaf, any broad leaf spray compound residue and or a slight freeze will wipe it out, I not only have done it this way on my ground I used to plant lots and lots of acres for neighbors ect,, no way in heck is it just by chance it worked every time for me,, I can say 100% it works for ME and Here, I cant say for others as they do things different than I do, little things make a huge change and can mean the difference between a bump crop or a barren field