best way to smooth/prepare seedbed after discing

All of my food plots are rough from very deep discing with a set of breaking discs last year. those that planted them never went back over them with anything else. I think it hurt the production out of them. This year, I aim to correct that problem. I may go pick up a cultipacker. Or is there anything better? I have another smaller set of discs that I can angle straight. or should I just go get a drag harrow at tractor supply? Obviously cultipacker is most expensive option. Thanks.

I think our drag is the ideal solution. Smooths the plot while lightly covering the seed. We just drag it around the property behind the tractor that also has the spreader attached. Spread fertilizer, seed, cover, and move on.

how are you getting a drag behind a spreader? and do you drag/smooth before you seed?

I've got a chain harrow drag that helps break up clods when drug with the tines facing forward. Turn the tines facing backwards for dragging large seed into the soil about 1.5-2" and flip it over (tines up) to drag small seed into the soil 1/2" or so. I got it at the co-op, but can be found at TSC, Harbor Frieght, ect.

*eta: a chain link gate, a cross tie, or even a twin bead box spring works well, too (with fabric torn off)

I use a drag behind my disk, mine is made from modular steel roadway mats and it probably weighs about 200 pounds. It does a great job of smoothing off behind the disk.

We usually re-disc the fields lightly right before spreading so that the soil is loose. This is after they have been fully cut a few weeks in advance.

Spreader is on a 3pt hitch and tractor has a pull bar with a trailer ball below the spreader. Loop the drag pull chain over the ball to move from plot to plot. Easy to drop it while we measure and spread seed/fertilizer. Then easy to hook up and pull the drag to smooth and cover.

I use a drag board kit from AMCO works great, disc once then grain drill seed

This part of planting has always been a conundrum for me.
My disc plow is to big and wide to try to use it to run over the plot after planting.
It buries the seed too deep no matter how careful I am.
So I have always over seeded a little bit, use coated seed, and when I am putting out
the fertilizer with four wheeler I am going round and round a lot mashing the seed in a throwing up a little dirt - and I have no problem
getting a good plot.

Obviously one of those round cylinder compacter things pulled behind a tractor would be ideal, but more time and effort.

a piece of heavy pipe thats as wide as the disc.

Love my cultipacker. Makes a food plot look like a putting green.

I mowed about 5-6 weeks ago, sprayed 3 weeks ago and plan to disk this weekend. Then right before a good chance of rain I will disk again lightly, spread larger seeds (wheat oats, peas) and cultipack, then spread clovers and turnips or beets and cultipack again.

Field will be as smooth as glass and I usually get great germination.

I just go back over it with no angle in the disk.

Our disks are all too heavy. Even with no angle they still cut too deep to cover seed.
I've got a few drags and a harrow. I can hook any of them to the spreader. Or use a separate tractor, either one.

Are you talking about working the ground before planting or covering seed after? Looks like there is some confusion .

Disk well, seed, then drag.

The rough uneven surface is what helps cover your seed when you level and smooth it back out with a drag.

I usually hit it with the drag in two directions and call it done due to my sandy soil but more isn't going to hurt if you want a perfect smooth field.

I've got a drag pipe behind the disc. Then I cultipack, seed then cultipack again.

My hunting buddy and I kind of take foodplotting to the extreme. We spray, then disk, then seed, then pack with cultipacker. For small seeds like Brassicas and clover we will seed it after packing then pack again. It takes extra time but you can drive a Cadillac through the fields at 60mph after. Also makes walking through fields in the dark much easier though that’s a rare occasion.

Here’s one I did last Monday.

This is what I use. I do have a cultipacker to that I will use sometimes that is a three point hitch type and has a drag behind it and it will slick off a food plot to

If you disk the field one or two times and go back after everything rots and settles then most of the time you can disk with a drag and slick it off before planting

I’ve done all of the things mentioned. Now, I Bushhog then spray 1-2 weeks after. Let it sit for 4-6 weeks. Throw out seed and fertilizer.THEN disk. Field are just as good as they ever were. Days on the tractor saved.

A tiller makes it very easy.

1) Disk twice 2) Cultivator 1 trip right before planting 3) Seed/Fert. 4) Drag it in. I don't spray because it would cost too much money. No significant weed problems as long as I plant after the weather changes i.e. this week..... and has always looked good.

Picked up a 25ft. Cultipacker so I am going to try that as the last step this year and see what happens looking to save some time on the big plots

for those of you that use a drag harrow, do you find it drags your seed off the plots?

No - but it could possibly bury at least some portion of the seed too deep if the soil is very loose. That's one of the reasons I want to try a cultipacker. My soil gets like powder after I work it several times.

I also have better looking plots if I drag one pass then seed then drag again a 2nd time to cover. Don't always do that but it is better.

Drag with the gate to my trailer

same, but will put fertilizer out before dragging the first time. if rain is coming, we'll leave small seeds on top, without dragging...if no rain for a few days, we'll drag over small seeds to keep birds from finding them as fast.

8ft. LMC cultipacker... breaks up clogs, compacts the seed bed and will cut down on discing. a must for small seeds like clover.

dragging chain and cutting in seed with a disc is burying seed and $.


[img]https://www.photobox.co.uk/my/photo?album_id=5922438589&photo_id=503259781748[/img]

14' field cultivator to incorporate litter and then drill. I made a drag out of two pipes welded together (One inside the other to add weight) and it works well behind the disc in sandy soil.

Disk, drag, seed then cultipack will ensure very little seed gets buried too deep. I would too sow any tiny seed like clover and pack again. Clover put in with everything else tends to get buried to deep if you have really powdery/soft soil

Straight gain on disc then a cultipacker

Disk spread seed and fertilizer drag with piece of heavy duty chain link fence 5’-6’ long. Cheap easy and effective.

I bought some 6AWG fencing which had to be ordered because most fence don't carry this heavy gage and overlapped them to make the drag over about 6' wide as opposed to 4' to save time and add weight. The one pictured is over 10 years old so they last awhile. Had to buy a 100' roll of wire. One person can not lift on a trailer if you have to move it around.

My ghetto drag is a couple of pallets.

After discing, I will spread lime and fertlizer and then drag to smooth everything. Then I will seed the plot and drag again. Been doing it that way for 20 years and its worked well so far. I've used everything from a drag mat for topdressing golf course greens to a piece of chain link fence and even to a drag I had a friend of mine weld for me last year. All have worked well but I would like to have a cultipacker one day if possible.

That will work right there.

Done that, too.

My ghetto drag is whichever box springs or mattress I find on the side of the road. Will leave it by the plot until it rots. I am certain chainlink or a purchased drag would work better.

only if the field isn't clean, ie: the drag gets choked down with remaining grass/weeds that didn't get chopped up good and turned under. In that case, yes, it well collect seeds and move them out of the planting zone.

I use 3 large tires chained together and attached to a landscape timber that I drag after disking, does a nice smoothing/firming job and you'll never wear it out. I also have a cultipacker that works well after seed is spread.

Ragin,

Is that 8 foot LMC have the 9.5 inch or 15 inch wheels. If the 9.5, does it get the job done?

i have the 16 inch wheels. model CP-96-16

https://www.photobox.co.uk/my/photo/full?photo_id=503264714083

Ragin,

Do you think the 9.5 inch wheels would be heavy enough for a food plot?

depends..what's the unit weigh? imo weight would matter over wheel size. my LMC weighs about 1200 lbs

This, if I am going to sit in a box and watch, it dang well be over a good looking plot😊.

On small plots I have just run an atv back and forth over the entire plot to pack the seed. Good results.

This 9.5 inch one weights 675 lbs. big difference, but sounds heavy enough for me. Definitely way heavier than anything I've been using that works to bust clods like a drag, pipe, etc.

I use a 7 1/2 ft tiller. Beautiful plots always

I use a tiller, only drawback is it is slow, slow, slow.

Tiller. It is slower but after tilling then covering and packing but the results are nice.

Conditions were wetter than I’d like but it turned out alright.

We use a 3 pt hitch section harrow for smoothing and covering seed.

I was getting 4mph with mine earlier today. Sandy soil but I was still movin on good. In the gumbo mud around here you'll only get 1 to 2 mph for a good till. It's still a one pass implement if the grass isnt to thick. I've been looking at an arena drag for my plots.

Beautiful spot. What part of the state is this?