Thanks Tim- certainly could be an excess of thatch. Sometimes brush hog residue will get clumpy and very heavy in spots and thinner in others causing spotty germination. May want to consider simply spraying off the old crop then drilling into the standing dead or trying a roller crimper which will lay down the previous crop more consistently. Keep trying new things, that’s the fun part!
Great video. As far as thatch or what your drilling in to is ideal? I’m drilling turnips and radishes. About a month prior I brush mow my plots. Wait a week or 2 then spray then try to drill a month or so after. Sometimes I have spotty germination. To much thatch maybe? Thanks
Good question. We will likely put out a complete comparison of these drills but the short answer is pretty well. Like any equipment there are things we’d do differently and have made some mods to the Genesis to avoid issues due the volume of acres we plant with it. That said, the issues it has (weak shackles, thin disk openers, packing wheel bearings) are well documented and can be fixed or tolerated. I suspect most users at food plot volumes will be ok.
Tim. I recently purchased a 706NT pull behind GP drill. I’m struggling to find any videos anywhere on setting seed depth. I planted my first 5 acres of seed mistakingly thinking the press wheels controlled the depth. I’ve discovered the hydraulic depth control, but am looking for a video or a simple instructional on how to set depth. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks for the great channel.
Thanks for the question....In theory, the press wheels do set the planting depth but soil type will play a major factor in that. In addition to the press wheel adjustments, you need to make sure the front cutting coulters aren't buried deeper than the disk openers themselves, creating a false trench below the level of the disk openers. This is very easy to do in light or fluffy soil and the seed will get too deep. Im not as familiar with the pull behind models, but I assume the depth of the cutting coulters is controlled by the height of end wheels, ie your hydraulics. Hope that helps some, but we don't run the pull behind so my first hand knowledge is limited. Hopefully someone else can chime in!
Thanks for the comment. If you are planting a variety of seeds in one blend, you simply need to know your target rate per acre for the entire blend and calibrate accordingly for that blend. Most seed distributors will have a seed rate for you to follow. If you are mixing your own blends, you'll need to do a little math to make sure you have the correct amount of each seed variety you are targeting and go from there. For example, if you want 3# per acre of rape, 3# of radishes, 20# of buckwheat and 50# of rye you would mix that all together in those amounts and calibrate at 76# per acre. Hope that helps. Any other questions, please let us know. Thanks for watching!
Hi Jeremy - we don’t run much dry fertilizer as most of our program is liquid, which we do spray right off the drill. It stands to reason, though, that some simple math and calibration would make it possible to do. I’d just make sure to clean the drill out thoroughly to avoid corrosion from the fertilizer. That’d be my only concern. Good luck and thanks for watching!
Hi Wayne - Both have pros and cons. The Great Plains is more expensive but also built a bit better (i.e. heavier disk openers, longer row units to prevent plugging up in the trash, more adjustability etc...). The Genesis is less expensive, more compact, easier to calibrate and we like the side drive wheel vs. the center. Some key parts on the Genesis are pretty flimsy and need to be modified before taking it afield (shackles for the row units and wheel bearings in the press wheels to name a couple). We run north of 500 acres a year on each of them, and will continue to use both in the right circumstances.
We have sandy soil. Which would work better? Would the culters on the GP drill dig in too much and kind of till the ground? Afraid the culters will plant too deep in sand.
@@davidrunk1980 Hi David - Thanks for watching! We plant a lot of sandy ground with both drills. Thankfully sand is much more forgiving (as far as planting depth) than heavier dirt. That said, set up is key. The GP drill does fine as long as you have made the proper adjustment to the row unit depth AND the drive wheel height. Lowering the drive wheel will keep the cutting wheels from getting too deep in most circumstances. When you lower the drive wheel, however, you need to be conscious of how you set it down so you don't blow the tire. The Genesis rarely plants too deep and you can make the adjustments with a hydraulic top link to tilt the drill forward and back to get it right. Both will plant sand well, the GP will just need a little more set up than the Genesis because it has more adjustability by design.
Thanks for comment, appreciate it…depth is certainly very important. Goes along with leveling the drill, size and depth of cutting coulters, requirements of different seed mixes, speed of the tractor, type of soil, amount of soil moisture and a host of other things that will make a planting successful. Oooof, sounds like we should do an additional video! Thanks for watching, appreciate the support 👍
Thanks Tim- certainly could be an excess of thatch. Sometimes brush hog residue will get clumpy and very heavy in spots and thinner in others causing spotty germination. May want to consider simply spraying off the old crop then drilling into the standing dead or trying a roller crimper which will lay down the previous crop more consistently. Keep trying new things, that’s the fun part!
Great video. As far as thatch or what your drilling in to is ideal? I’m drilling turnips and radishes. About a month prior I brush mow my plots. Wait a week or 2 then spray then try to drill a month or so after. Sometimes I have spotty germination. To much thatch maybe? Thanks
How does the genesis hold up? I have been looking at them. They really look well built.
Good question. We will likely put out a complete comparison of these drills but the short answer is pretty well. Like any equipment there are things we’d do differently and have made some mods to the Genesis to avoid issues due the volume of acres we plant with it. That said, the issues it has (weak shackles, thin disk openers, packing wheel bearings) are well documented and can be fixed or tolerated. I suspect most users at food plot volumes will be ok.
Tim. I recently purchased a 706NT pull behind GP drill. I’m struggling to find any videos anywhere on setting seed depth. I planted my first 5 acres of seed mistakingly thinking the press wheels controlled the depth. I’ve discovered the hydraulic depth control, but am looking for a video or a simple instructional on how to set depth. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks for the great channel.
Thanks for the question....In theory, the press wheels do set the planting depth but soil type will play a major factor in that. In addition to the press wheel adjustments, you need to make sure the front cutting coulters aren't buried deeper than the disk openers themselves, creating a false trench below the level of the disk openers. This is very easy to do in light or fluffy soil and the seed will get too deep. Im not as familiar with the pull behind models, but I assume the depth of the cutting coulters is controlled by the height of end wheels, ie your hydraulics. Hope that helps some, but we don't run the pull behind so my first hand knowledge is limited. Hopefully someone else can chime in!
What do you do when you use a different variety of seeds at the same time
Thanks for the comment. If you are planting a variety of seeds in one blend, you simply need to know your target rate per acre for the entire blend and calibrate accordingly for that blend. Most seed distributors will have a seed rate for you to follow. If you are mixing your own blends, you'll need to do a little math to make sure you have the correct amount of each seed variety you are targeting and go from there. For example, if you want 3# per acre of rape, 3# of radishes, 20# of buckwheat and 50# of rye you would mix that all together in those amounts and calibrate at 76# per acre. Hope that helps. Any other questions, please let us know. Thanks for watching!
Also for the gate opening setting you need to make sure that your largest seed is making it through without cracking it.
Do you guys put fertilizer in with your seeds?I've seen videos of people doing that...
Hi Jeremy - we don’t run much dry fertilizer as most of our program is liquid, which we do spray right off the drill. It stands to reason, though, that some simple math and calibration would make it possible to do. I’d just make sure to clean the drill out thoroughly to avoid corrosion from the fertilizer. That’d be my only concern. Good luck and thanks for watching!
So which drill do you find is better?
Hi Wayne - Both have pros and cons. The Great Plains is more expensive but also built a bit better (i.e. heavier disk openers, longer row units to prevent plugging up in the trash, more adjustability etc...). The Genesis is less expensive, more compact, easier to calibrate and we like the side drive wheel vs. the center. Some key parts on the Genesis are pretty flimsy and need to be modified before taking it afield (shackles for the row units and wheel bearings in the press wheels to name a couple). We run north of 500 acres a year on each of them, and will continue to use both in the right circumstances.
We have sandy soil. Which would work better? Would the culters on the GP drill dig in too much and kind of till the ground? Afraid the culters will plant too deep in sand.
@@davidrunk1980 Hi David - Thanks for watching! We plant a lot of sandy ground with both drills. Thankfully sand is much more forgiving (as far as planting depth) than heavier dirt. That said, set up is key. The GP drill does fine as long as you have made the proper adjustment to the row unit depth AND the drive wheel height. Lowering the drive wheel will keep the cutting wheels from getting too deep in most circumstances. When you lower the drive wheel, however, you need to be conscious of how you set it down so you don't blow the tire. The Genesis rarely plants too deep and you can make the adjustments with a hydraulic top link to tilt the drill forward and back to get it right. Both will plant sand well, the GP will just need a little more set up than the Genesis because it has more adjustability by design.
Depth of seed is critical yet you did not cover that step
Thanks for comment, appreciate it…depth is certainly very important. Goes along with leveling the drill, size and depth of cutting coulters, requirements of different seed mixes, speed of the tractor, type of soil, amount of soil moisture and a host of other things that will make a planting successful. Oooof, sounds like we should do an additional video! Thanks for watching, appreciate the support 👍