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Thread: Explain advantages/disadvantages of row planter, no till drill, grain drill for plots

  1. #1
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    Default Explain advantages/disadvantages of row planter, no till drill, grain drill for plots

    My hunting partner and I have always planted same stuff in food plots for years. mix of wheat, oats , clover with good results. Last couple years we have been moving more to clover exclusively

    He has 2 other tracts of land he owns and does same thing there, one is huge power line that is about 3/4 mile long , plus he has nice place at his house he plants as well

    He broke down and bought a new kioti tractor last year (seems like it is 60hp or so ).

    We have always used AP plow and even tiller at times

    He was using an old row planter someone let him use this weekend planting some corn rows at his house for poops n giggles. Called me and was asking difference between using that as opposed to a no till planter or even a grain drill

    All this would be used for is food plots, nothing more

    Only thing I have ever used row planter for is sunflowers but I know great for soybeans and other crops

    I know folks here have lot more experience with this type of equipment

  2. #2
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    I would stick to a grain drill for food plots unless you are going to be planting a bunch of corn. Even then you can block off every other hole in the drill and plant sunflowers or corn.


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  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Quackhead22 View Post
    I would stick to a grain drill for food plots unless you are going to be planting a bunch of corn. Even then you can block off every other hole in the drill and plant sunflowers or corn.


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    Doesn’t the drill still drop the seeds too close together for corn and sunflowers?
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  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Quackhead22 View Post
    I would stick to a grain drill for food plots unless you are going to be planting a bunch of corn. Even then you can block off every other hole in the drill and plant sunflowers or corn.


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    So grain drill would be better than row planter ?

  5. #5
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    The closest thing I have seen to a do-all for the upstate and your acreage of plots is a woods planter.
    I have one that we use commercially to plant chufa, sorghum, grains, clover, radishes. Etc.
    It is not great for corn, but it plants black oil sunflower well.

  6. #6
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    A row planter spaces the rows so you can get back in the field to apply herbicides(ex=roundup for RR crops) and fertilizer for crops that need multiple applications.

    Drilling is for crops that you don't need to get back in the field after planting. There are some crops that you can drive over at certain stages(ex=wheat).

    No-til planting saves time and fuel by not needing cultivation ahead of time. Also the dead surface vegetation helps with holding moisture.

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  7. #7
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    No till drill is much better for soil health. I have used a Great Plains to till drill to plant everything but corn. That’s only because we have a 4 row corn planter with fertilizer boxes. With that said I would have used the no til to plant corn in a heart beat. I planted chufa with it and it was the best chufa I have ever planted and that includes using the corn planter. Quarter size seed the next spring. Perfectly spaced in the field for no competition. I blocked off 3 rows (if i remember correctly) in between each active row on a 7 inch no till. I did the math and calibrated the planter to put out exactly what I wanted and it worked. It took me a couple hours to learn how to do all that but you only have to do it once. You can even purchase blockers made by jd but I just used cardboard.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by tprice View Post
    So grain drill would be better than row planter ?
    For what you are trying to do. Yes. That is the suggestion that I would make. I utilize both but in food plots a Great Plains 3P606NT is the drill of choice. Only thing I have to do is mow, spray burn down, and plant and mowing is optional. With a row planter you need to burn down, disc, plant. If you already have access to a planter that you may use occasionally then I would buy a drill. The only thing I wish I could add to our drill is the ability to put out fertilizer while I’m planting. With our planter I’m able to do that and spray pre-emerg but that’s on row crops fields not small food plots.


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    Conservation means the wise use of the earth and its resources for the lasting good of men. -Gifford Pinchot

    The beauty of the second amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it. -Thomas Jefferson


    The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done.

  9. #9
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    Thanks folks for all the information I passed this along to him this am

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Quackhead22 View Post
    For what you are trying to do. Yes. That is the suggestion that I would make. I utilize both but in food plots a Great Plains 3P606NT is the drill of choice. Only thing I have to do is mow, spray burn down, and plant and mowing is optional. With a row planter you need to burn down, disc, plant. If you already have access to a planter that you may use occasionally then I would buy a drill. The only thing I wish I could add to our drill is the ability to put out fertilizer while I’m planting. With our planter I’m able to do that and spray pre-emerg but that’s on row crops fields not small food plots.


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    I know plenty of people no-till "row" planting these days, myself included.
    Herbicide application with a drill is easily doable, I had a great setup on my 5400 for this.
    Fertilizer with a drill, I don't know how you accomplish that.
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  11. #11
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    I thought those tar river drills had dry fertilizer boxes? Maybe I am mistaken. 28s would be easy to rig up but a homemade dry fertilizer setup might take a bit more brain power.


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    Conservation means the wise use of the earth and its resources for the lasting good of men. -Gifford Pinchot

    The beauty of the second amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it. -Thomas Jefferson


    The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done.

  12. #12
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    i hear of no till farmers using the cover crops as fertilizer. ergo, you dont need fertilizer boxes....
    Ugh. Stupid people piss me off.

  13. #13
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    Sent your comments to my technically challenged hunting partner

    He really appreciated the information

    Thanks again for all the info
    Last edited by tprice; 05-30-2023 at 05:39 PM.

  14. #14
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    Well this is what he bought, Tar River 507 (i think )


    IMG_8927.jpegIMG_8935.jpg

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