Broadcaster settings for spreading cover crops

[Rich Beach]

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.

 

[New Puritan]

I can't answer your question but I'm watching with interest... What ground preparation have you done?

 

[Brisel]

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]

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.

 

[yellow belly]

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]

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.

 

[Wigeon]

Also be careful of the spinning disc smashing up the seeds. Have done it with speed cranked right down and they come out OK. Never had much success though, as others have said.

 

[Fuzzy]

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.

 

[Rich Beach]

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 !!

 

[Still Farming]

Trail and error.
Test area,plot maybe.
Quad forward speeds,spreading widths,coated or plain seeds etc etc?

 

[Rich Beach]

 

[Rich Beach]

Picture of broadcast crop of fodder radish, linseed, berseem clover, phacelia and camelina sown at 7 kgs/ha 10 days after. Really pleased with this low cost method of establishment.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Picture of broadcast crop of fodder radish, linseed, berseem clover, phacelia and camelina sown at 7 kgs/ha 10 days after. Really pleased with this low cost method of establishment.

Yeah, that didn't work, did it?
Good job!

 

[Brisel]

Thanks for the feedback. Every day is a school day in here. Can you post more pics of it as it develops please?

 

[Rich Beach]

 

[D14]

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!

 

[Rich Beach]

Cover crop on 10th August 2019 three weeks after broadcast

 

[warksfarmer]

If it’s any use to anybody a Fanjet 65 Pro will spread 7kg/ha of stubble turnips/osr (anything of similar type) at number 3 on the slot adjuster at 20km/hr. It’ll do 18m comfortably or 24m on a still day (just).

 

[tw15]

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]

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 .