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Dreaming of food plots and equipment

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    #16
    Originally posted by Mousehunter View Post
    I got a drag harrow for landscape work, have not used it for planting yet. Will defiantly look into a tow behind spreader (pretty sure the one stolen was 3pt), the receiver spreader (for corn feeding) did not throw all that well, and I did not want to run fertilizer through it anyway.

    Local seed shop recommended disk, broadcast, and drag. He liked rows, but not for deer mix, and not really for small areas. Of course his solution is just increase your seeding rates... easy solution for a seed dealer.
    —-
    Will start pestering my Tractor guys again to see when they have time to mess with a project...
    Your seeding rate does need to be increased when broadcasting but only because some of it is bound to stay on top and birds, crows, and squirrells will eat it.

    My procedure goes like this:
    Spray for vegetation if necessary, wait about a week to insure a good burn-down.
    Disc the dead vegetation under until the plot is fluffy.
    Drag the plot smooth (this somewhat packs the surface giving you a firm seedbed).
    Adjust my disc gangs one position off of straight and disc just enough to cut shallow grooves in the soil.
    Spread your seed and fertilizer according to recommendations.
    Drag your plot once again. This will sweep most of the seeds into the "grooves" that you cut with the disc.
    If you have a roller or cultipacker, run that over the plot. This is not necessary, but I like to use a cultipacker, since I have one.

    This procedure has worked for me many times in the past, and all you need is a tractor, disc, broadcast seeder, and a tire drag you can make for the cost of the chain that holds it together. I have them on every place I plant. I also have the store bought drag from Tractor Supply and I prefer the tire drag.

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      #17
      Originally posted by Drycreek3189 View Post
      Your seeding rate does need to be increased when broadcasting but only because some of it is bound to stay on top and birds, crows, and squirrells will eat it.

      My procedure goes like this:
      Spray for vegetation if necessary, wait about a week to insure a good burn-down.
      Disc the dead vegetation under until the plot is fluffy.
      Drag the plot smooth (this somewhat packs the surface giving you a firm seedbed).
      Adjust my disc gangs one position off of straight and disc just enough to cut shallow grooves in the soil.
      Spread your seed and fertilizer according to recommendations.
      Drag your plot once again. This will sweep most of the seeds into the "grooves" that you cut with the disc.
      If you have a roller or cultipacker, run that over the plot. This is not necessary, but I like to use a cultipacker, since I have one.

      This procedure has worked for me many times in the past, and all you need is a tractor, disc, broadcast seeder, and a tire drag you can make for the cost of the chain that holds it together. I have them on every place I plant. I also have the store bought drag from Tractor Supply and I prefer the tire drag.
      Correct me if I am wrong but disking brings new weed seed. So what is the point of spraying if you are going to disk anyways?

      I do either or

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        #18
        Originally posted by Mousehunter View Post
        I got a drag harrow for landscape work, have not used it for planting yet. Will defiantly look into a tow behind spreader (pretty sure the one stolen was 3pt), the receiver spreader (for corn feeding) did not throw all that well, and I did not want to run fertilizer through it anyway.

        Local seed shop recommended disk, broadcast, and drag. He liked rows, but not for deer mix, and not really for small areas. Of course his solution is just increase your seeding rates... easy solution for a seed dealer.
        —-
        Will start pestering my Tractor guys again to see when they have time to mess with a project...
        My pull behind spreader works great. If you need to buy one, I would recommend a poly(plastic) cone on a broadcaster. Fertilizer will eat a metal cone unless washed really good. I currently have a metal cone, so.....

        I pretty much do like Drycreek, other than I don't use gly. I just really don't want gly sprayed all over my property with 2 water wells. I live on the property I plant my plots. Also, I use a 3 point tiller instead of a disk, but the overall concept is the same.

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          #19
          Originally posted by gingib View Post
          Correct me if I am wrong but disking brings new weed seed. So what is the point of spraying if you are going to disk anyways?

          I do either or
          Yes sir you prolly right. But gly will kill off everything else to give your seed time to get big and not compete with weeds. I reckon turning the soil over with a disc flips over other seeds.

          El Gato has the best method with a plot master, but like Mr.Don says that is not on the check book.

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            #20
            I have found that paying a local farmer for a week is the best way... wait until the PERFECT time right before a rain storm and then have him plant.... he can prep it for a few days so all he needs to do I drop seed an and cover. he will know how much to cover, how tilled soil needs to be, etc.... make sure u get someone who has planted what you are planting...

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              #21
              South central Texas. Been having trouble getting the Tractor guy out, but hopefully next week.

              20+ Is a doable dream, but no where near the current reality. Current reality is a 3 acre plot is cleared and fenced (maybe 2 plantable) and a 4 acre plot i am just finishing clearing and hoping to fence yet this spring.

              Looking down the road, there are another 2 2-3 acre plots that I might fence in the foreseeable future-but I have a ton of work I need to do first for the cattle.
              —-
              Local farmer is not that realistic. Gentmen ranchers have made waitlists way too long. I have been pestering fence builders for years. My frontage is so far down their priority list that it might never get done. Till then will keep patching and praying. Hell, was thinking of just driving a T boost in between each wood post to firm it up. A week and a a thousand or 2 in post and I might get another 20 years out of that fence. We replaced the wire only 25 years ago, but reused the old posts...
              Last edited by Mousehunter; 04-20-2018, 08:59 PM.

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                #22
                Originally posted by Radar View Post
                Yes sir you prolly right. But gly will kill off everything else to give your seed time to get big and not compete with weeds. I reckon turning the soil over with a disc flips over other seeds.

                El Gato has the best method with a plot master, but like Mr.Don says that is not on the check book.
                Thanks Radar, that's pretty well my thoughts. Sometimes there's too much vegetation and it has to be disced under. Some of my plots are fall only and there is plenty of tall green vegetation to deal with. My only solution is to disc it under since throw and mow is out (pigs will eat ALL the seed) and I can't afford a $10K drill for hobby farming.

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                  #23
                  Well, tractor guy was a bit worried about getting to my tractor, so I spent a couple hours dragging it out. Got cocky and winched it onto my trailer and decided to take it to him. It really was not meant to be. Somehow managed to blowout a fairly new tire on the trailer. Tomorrow looking forward to mounting a new tire and continuing the 15 mile drive.

                  I knew I should have just paid the tractor guy to bring in his trailer. While I have used this trailer for the tractor before, apparently winching it in backwards was not a brilliant idea, really put too much weight on the tongue and front tires. I was the helper last time, without a helper today I took a shortcut or two I should not have.

                  Hopefully I did not damage the trailer with the excessive tongue weight. Current truck handled the extra weight fine, old truck would have never let me do this stupid mistake.

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                    #24
                    maybe just plant 5 of it to start? that was my problem. I had 40 plantable but really didn't need to plant but 10....

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                      #25
                      I second the rent a tractor. A neighbor might do it cheap

                      I would buy a gly sprayer for your utv
                      Hopefully with booms.
                      Disc and planting and covering take a long time.
                      And the weeds come back with a vengeance if you fertilize.
                      Poison eliminates a couple of those problems.

                      Comment


                        #26
                        It’s alive!!! Sort of...

                        I finished fixing the blowout yesterday evening, and tractor guy towed it in this morning. After they got it off the trailer, they decided to see if the motor was froze by pulling it. Must to his surprise, after 50’ or so the **** thing fired up (without a battery and with 10 year old diesel in it, and of course the muffler was long gone-😏. But then he checked the radiator and it was bubbling. Blown head gasket. Kind of explained several issues related to lack of power and oil levels rising. Running, but needing to be in ICU apparently. Have not looked into the lift issues yet.

                        Anyway, looks like my tractor is trying to be a boat-break out another thousand.

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                          #27
                          I would think you can hire someone to plant your 10 acres for $500-$1000, plus the cost of seed.
                          A neighbor might be your best bet.

                          If you are looking at buying a tractor, I wouldn't get anything small. It will just be frustrating trying farm w/ small equipment. We spent about $30,000, on a good used Kubota 60HP. Bought a disk, chisel, and shredder. Complete game changer for the ranch.

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                            #28
                            Minor update. My tractor is still sitting in the weeds at the repair shop. The two week estimate has come and gone twice. Shredded most of it with my skid loader (a job much better suited for a tractor), but need to drag it and spray it yet this week. Planting is scheduled for 5 days after spraying. So probably end of next week. Late, but hopefully not fatally so.

                            Other isssues at the ranch have made me rethink my tractor issues. Bids on fencing and clearing have come in at about $7.50/ft and $800/acre. Will get some of the exterior fence done for cattle, but will still have dividing fences to run myself. Meanwhile will continue my slow clearing process and fencing in manageable bits. Eventually the field renovation will require a larger tractor (to comfortably handle an offset plow and possibly grader)- which will easily do any food plot work I can ever dream about. Will make do this year, but will probably be able to plow eventually

                            So dreaming more of tractors than food plot equipment now. Food plot equipment will be cheep compared to the eventual tractor I fear.

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                              #29
                              2 passes of chain harrow and overlapping erasure. Hopefully a good kill. Seed guy is semi honest. Problem with dove is to get the seeds to break at the right time you have to plant late, but planting late is a huge gamble on rain. So figure I have a 1:3 chance.

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                                #30
                                Originally posted by gingib View Post
                                Correct me if I am wrong but disking brings new weed seed. So what is the point of spraying if you are going to disk anyways?

                                I do either or
                                Me too. My last plot was pretty awesome shredding the dead vegetation over the top of the seeds. My experience is cRitters don’t get much of the seeds on my place in Leon county

                                I built a drag out of chain link fence with angle iron up front to chain to and a medium fence post wired on top towards the rear.

                                Disking sure dries out the soil

                                BP

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