# Seeding in 2 directions



## vtlpluyr (Mar 27, 2016)

We have a Massey Ferguson 33 seed drill that I think is older than even my father It has been used forever but still works adequately so no hope convincing my dad to replace it with a Brillion. This year we had a new meadow of alfalfa and timothy and you could see the rows where the seeds fell, and nothing in between. This being a dry year a lot of dust was kicked up while making the hay so I had to sell it for cattle.

Rather than use the seeder like my father / grandfather / great grandfather where they carefully pass over the land with a roller trailing behind, I would like to sow in one direction without the roller attached, then seed in a perpendicular direction with it attached. I would seed at half the rate because I am going over the ground twice, but I am wondering if this would give me better ground coverage (faster formation of sod), and therefore less dust if we get a dry year again?

My father never heard of anybody doing this in our area.


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

vtlpluyr said:


> My father never heard of anybody doing this in our area.


VT, my late Father did not cross plant either, BUT we did let the seed 'bounce' on the front of the drill (no seed tubes attached), on a JD drill. This bouncing seed was naturally spread all over the front of the drill, some got covered deeper, some not so much, cull-packer followed the drill, hence we never had 'rows' of alfalfa. We put our alfalfa seed in while planting oats (spring) or wheat (fall planting), would mix brome grass with oats if planting (which would be in rows per se). We also broadcast frost seeding alfalfa or alfalfa/timothy/cover mix. Ah, brings back the memory's, mixing the alfalfa / timothy / clover mix in a old butter churn with my Grandfather (my brother and I would have to take turns being the motor, Grandpa would referee).

However, I no-till today and cross seed (using 1/2 rate) trying to avoid exactly what you are seeing. Does it make a difference? IMHO it makes a better looking field, with less weed pressure, but I have no scientific evidence proving better yield / less weeds / etc.

Larry

PS back with my late Father, we only got two cuttings a year (I get 3 always, sometimes 4) and naturally my yields are much higher. Times and product have changed (doesn't matter if you are talking hay, milking cows, equipment or what ever), not all good and not all bad.


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## vtlpluyr (Mar 27, 2016)

Thanks - here I was thinking that I had come up with a new idea I will remove the tubes on the old 33 and cross seed. Our new meadow is crazy, just lines of grass and alfalfa every 7 inches and bare earth in between...

Bridget


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## Rodney R (Jun 11, 2008)

It sounds like you are working the ground, so just remove the tubes and let it scatter. You won't get 100% coverage, but you'll save yourself another trip and extra wear on that drill.

Rodney


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

In 2013, I seeded 30 lb of alfalfa per acre using a small seed box on a JD 8300 dbl disk opener drill. Slightly less than half the seed was planted east and west and slightly less than half was seeded north and south. This was done because I wasn't certain that I had a perfectly smooth field. The result was a nearly perfect cross hatch pattern of seedlings. Slightly less than half the seed was used each direction because some amount of seed is needed to seed the ends where turn-arounds are done.


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## Waldo (Apr 29, 2016)

before we got a preson seed the old inter combine had a small seed box .what we did was place corrogate iron under the box with the droppers off.the idea being the seed hit the iron and scattered was probably about 85%. successful .you could still see the row but there was plants between them


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## Farmineer95 (Aug 11, 2014)

Turf guys seed 2 directions for the reasons stated and they might be up to 350 #/acre. 
Save the trip and broadcast from the meter.


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## vtlpluyr (Mar 27, 2016)

Seeded today - my Dad did it for me. Window had shattered in the cab door and the dust was never-before-seen. I got him to do it in 2 directions but he argued about the tubes because of the wind. In any event the seed is all in the ground, once we finished the heavens opened. His skin / clothes / hair / shoes were all the same colour - dust!


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## aawhite (Jan 16, 2012)

A lot of guys in our area cross seed at 1/2 rate each way. Very few use an actual seeder.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

On my Oliver superior drill I took a piece of flashing and mounted it under the small seeds box we use for alfalfa, left enough angle on the flashing so the seeds hit it and spread out a little before rolling off the edge, they still fall close enough to the opener discs that they get a little cover over them and I pull a packer behind it, have never had a failed stand using the old Oliver, used to use the old wood boxed tall wheel Oliver drills, those were nice as the small seeds/grass box was mounted high on the front, pull the tubes out of the openers and just let em hang, once you're moving they'd start to sway back and forth and you'd swear the seed was broadcasted when it came up.


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## vtlpluyr (Mar 27, 2016)

Now we have a damp air mass and the risk of record rain - too much isn't good either...


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

Saw a field of wheat planted with a 15 inch row planter in two directions... made the first pass "straight" down the field and the second pass "on the bias" at an angle across the field. Looked just like it had been drilled, and made good wheat, and they were baling the straw (slowly-- guess they were having machinery problems) while I was in Indiana last month.

They said that planting it with an air planter really saved them a lot of seed, actually. Might be just the way to go actually for planting small grains, especially if you've made the switch to a 15 inch row bean planter for the greater efficiency and higher yields over 7.5 inch drilled rows.

Later! OL J R


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## vtlpluyr (Mar 27, 2016)

UPDATE - after 2 weeks it looked dismal. After 3 weeks it got more positive. Now we can no longer see ground and almost have sod. My father says that he has never seen seed catch like that before - absolutely wonderful. We have no frost in the forecast for at least 2 weeks so it looks like we are home free. I will post a pic in my gallery.


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

vtlpluyr said:


> UPDATE - after 2 weeks it looked dismal. After 3 weeks it got more positive. Now we can no longer see ground and almost have sod. My father says that he has never seen seed catch like that before - absolutely wonderful. We have no frost in the forecast for at least 2 weeks so it looks like we are home free. I will post a pic in my gallery.


Appears you 'sold' yourself on what works in YOUR area, I'm happy for you, nothing like success. 

Larry


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## Coondle (Aug 28, 2013)

Lots of old timer hay producers used to sow in two directions, the first the standard round and round and the second on the bias (45 degrees). The stated aim was to get a crop without noticeable inter-row gaps and without corrugations at right-angles when it came to cutting. They claimed the windrows sat up on the stubble better for drying.

I have taken to double sowing because of the knife points (openers? )on my no-till drill. The knife points leave seed in a very fine line, leaving inter-row gaps in the stubble at cutting down which the windrow can fall. Without auto-steer my tracks have enough meandering as to effectively leave a lot of the crop with double rows. Crossover of most rows is very short because it seems the knife point must push the first planted seed to the side until it cuts through that row. The result is more rows of stubble to hold the windrow up when cut.

I am seriously considering not using knife points in years with a wetter start because:

The knife points leave a furrow, which for the arid conditions they are designed for, concentrates water onto the seed. In a wetter year that I have had this year the water concentrated on the seed has resulted in stunted growth and reduced germination in heavy soils. Growth has been acceptable on the lighter better drained soils where the clay sub-soil is further down.

Alternatively I may have to consider using a set of prickle harrows to even out the seed-bed. A difficult problem because if the year is dry then the knife point furrows could be crucial. The fee shaped knife points along with minimum till practices have allowed our farmers to grow wheat crops exceeding the production of past years despite dwindling rainfall. I was going to say "falling rainfall" but all rain falls


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## panhandle9400 (Jan 17, 2010)

I seed by air, we will fly it on in 2 directions and incorporate with center pivots.


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## vtlpluyr (Mar 27, 2016)

That sounds really cool. I unfortunately cannot afford anything other than my late Grampie's MF33...


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

finished seeding yesterday. It's too late, but had to wait until we got a shower to put enough moisture in the ground to seed. I seeded one field in new og, several others just overseeded. one field that I overseeded aug 31 is begrudgingly starting to sprout. I have no idea how. nothing of significance in the weather forecast through oct 5. We are counting on very heavy dews every night to moisten things a little. Maybe we will have a mild Dec like last year to help the late seedings along.

I seeded two ways, up and then back. would like to run at 60-90 degrees on the second pass but the fields are too cut up or narrow to do that effectively. seed heavy, and cut in half for each pass. run about 25#-30# total.


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