Broadcaster settings for spreading cover crops

I have a Kings mix of Phacelia, Camelina and Linseed to spread using a Spaldings Broadcaster fitted to my quad bike.
Does anyone use a Broadcaster to spread cover crop seed and if so what approximate settings do you use in terms of bout width, disc rpm, hole setting compared to spreading say slug pellets.
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
I advise against this. You have very different seed sizes & densities that will fly different distances. Can you even get the seed through the outlet? If so, you'll be looking at a high forward speed at a reduced seed rate and on a multiple overlap bout width to even out the spread. It would be cheaper to hire a contractor with a pneumatic machine or just drill it properly.

Both linseed & phacelia grow ok if spread on the surface or into a standing crop as long as you get good rain afterwards. I have no experience with camelina so can't comment on that.
 

Matt77

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
East Sussex
I did this to try and improve some poor wild bird cover, using a spaldings machine that I’ve on the front of the sprayer, put odds and sods in and the rate and spread pattern was all over the place, it wasn’t a great success.
 
I advise against this. You have very different seed sizes & densities that will fly different distances. Can you even get the seed through the outlet? If so, you'll be looking at a high forward speed at a reduced seed rate and on a multiple overlap bout width to even out the spread. It would be cheaper to hire a contractor with a pneumatic machine or just drill it properly.

Both linseed & phacelia grow ok if spread on the surface or into a standing crop as long as you get good rain afterwards. I have no experience with camelina so can't comment on that.
Would phacelia autocast
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
Would phacelia autocast

Yes. This was into a standing wheat crop in late July last year using a pneumatic fertilser spreader. The buckwheat had gone in a frost by the time I took this photo. The vetch never came - it needs to be sown. I didn’t cut the wheat until mid August and chopped the straw.
5B43853C-A056-4D05-B74E-86E59FE85801.jpeg
 

Fuzzy

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Bedfordshire
I have a Kings mix of Phacelia, Camelina and Linseed to spread using a Spaldings Broadcaster fitted to my quad bike.
Does anyone use a Broadcaster to spread cover crop seed and if so what approximate settings do you use in terms of bout width, disc rpm, hole setting compared to spreading say slug pellets.
Not something i would recommend. All those seeds need to be sown into the soil with a drill in my experience.
 
Thanks for the responses. Did the job the other day using quad bike on very lightly top downed land after vining peas (mainly to level out & disc the haulm). Rolled afterwards with Vaaderstad rollers. Fairly dry but rain has come this afternoon. Will post pics once it emerges (if at all). Pre spreading I put down some fert spreading trays & the various seeds seemed to be even enough in all the boxes at the 7 metre spreading width that I went at. Applied at 7 kgs/ha. We will see !!
 

D14

Member
I have a Kings mix of Phacelia, Camelina and Linseed to spread using a Spaldings Broadcaster fitted to my quad bike.
Does anyone use a Broadcaster to spread cover crop seed and if so what approximate settings do you use in terms of bout width, disc rpm, hole setting compared to spreading say slug pellets.

I wouldn't advise this. We put in 12ha of stewardship mixtures this last spring with a spinner and whilst the stuff has grown there is definite separation within the plots where the heaviest seed has come out first and the lightest last. The bouncing of the machine separates the mix in the hopper. Where we've combi drilled the larger plots they have come far better because its a steady job so much less bouncing and we only put in a bad at a time to avoid it being in the hopper for longer periods. Drill it!
 

tw15

Member
Location
DORSET
Just finished putting in cover crop spun on small seeds with slug pelleter and cereal with vetch with fert box and then very light disc with roller behind .
Keep it cheap home mix . be wary of some ready made mixes as costs can runaway .
 

tw15

Member
Location
DORSET
Slug pellet spreaders are ok with seeds of the same size . I go at 6 mtr
had a mix of phacila , raddish , mustard in the box . I have used this method for the last 7 years then just mix the vetch in the loader bucket with either oats or barley and just tip that in the fert spinner and do that at 24 mtr.
I was on setting 4 bias setting 6 and @ 16 k with a logic pelleter box .
Works ok has always been even 6 mtr light jd disc's with the twose rollers behind job done .
 

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