Vad or sabre tine to drill into cover crop?

[Longneck]

Hi

I have got a field that I intend to drill spring oats into that has currently got a nice lush cover crop growing on it.

Problem is how to drill the oats?

I have a weaving sabre tine and a vaderstad system disc drill, I don't think there is much chance of the sabre time getting through the cover crop so I'm thinking the vad would be the best option with front discs out?

What to do with the cover crop, leave it as green as possible, spray off ASAP or top it?

Would the vaderstad drill through the green cover without getting in a mess?

 

[Longneck]

Bump

 

[RTK Farmer]

I'll have a stab at this. Thoughts not experience!
Vadi most likely will with discs out and cover still anchored to the ground, may need to slow down from normal Vadi speed! I'd spray a couple of days before but some do about 4 days after once cover has recovered a bit. Don't expect to drill against direction sprayer has pushed crop over. If you get seed covered well should be fine but may not look pretty for a while.
It may work better if your coulters up up a hole and not level with bottom of disc.
As I said thoughts only but it's surprising what a Vadi can do if you give it a chance.
Have seen YouTube of Vadersatad drilling into cover in France.
Looking forward to the pics.

 

[Longneck]

Thanks, that's the way I was thinking.

Discs should be best coulter for dealing with the cover which is mostly oats with some radish and mustard in the mix.

Good idea about setting the coulter discs deeper.

Hoping we get some decent frost that will knock the cover back a bit.

 

[bert]

You haven't got a 750a so no one is interested

 

[martian]

We drilled beans into a cover crop of oats with a Vaderstat once. I was surprised how well they came ifirr. But I'd spray cover off asap to give the surface a chance to dry

 

[Clive]

If its a good cover crop the tine drill has no chance

I have direct drilled with a rapid before but not into a thick cover and even then it struggled to seed at a consistent depth - lacks the coulter pressure needed but that will depend a lot on how wet or dry it is when you drill and just how much cover you have

given the tools you have available to you I would spray off and shallow cultivate with the rapid (using it like a carrier to mix in the cover crop to the top 2 ") then I would wait a few weeks, spray again and then drill discs up for as little disturbance as possible

you have a mintill drill, trying to use it as a zero-till drill will only end in disappointment

 

[bert]

There you go @Longneck I've got there attention for you

 

[dontknowanything]

you have a mintill drill, trying to use it as a zero-till drill will only end in disappointment

I must be easily pleased!

 

[Clive]

I must be easily pleased!

View attachment 96532View attachment 96534View attachment 96536

The Co is a lot closer than a rapid - with the right coulters they are a good option if you like a tine over a disc drill

I think you would struggle getting one through a waist high cover crop though

 

[Andrew K]

Surely with a tine drill the cover needs to stay rooted but be pretty dead?

 

[Longneck]

I must be easily pleased!

View attachment 96532View attachment 96534View attachment 96536

Wow! That looks like a pretty good result!

What sort of cover was that into?

My cover is only knee high at best so may not be too bad?

 

[dontknowanything]

Wow! That looks like a pretty good result!

What sort of cover was that into?

My cover is only knee high at best so may not be too bad?

All our cover is grazed. As Clive said, tine drills into tall stuff could be...interesting.

Having said that, this coming year I will try cover between OSR and WW, and will go direct with tines, which I'm confident will be fine.

 

[Clive]

All our cover is grazed. As Clive said, tine drills into tall stuff could be...interesting.

Having said that, this coming year I will try cover between OSR and WW, and will go direct with tines, which I'm confident will be fine.

actually on your 10" spacing with your low disturbance coulters and with a roller laying the cover in direction of travel I reckon it could be interesting and maybe work rather well really

 

[dontknowanything]

actually on your 10" spacing with your low disturbance coulters and with a roller laying the cover in direction of travel I reckon it could be interesting and maybe work rather well really

Our drill is probably as good as it gets. It might work as you say, but it's a bit risky especially with something like vetch in there.

Discs mounted on the front like a t-sem would work well but I don't think it's feasible.

 

[Clive]

Our drill is probably as good as it gets. It might work as you say, but it's a bit risky especially with something like vetch in there.

Discs mounted on the front like a t-sem would work well but I don't think it's feasible.

surprised no one has overtired a CO / t sem style conversion - the CO is a good cheap hopper and frame now as a starting point for a zero-till tine drill

 

[dontknowanything]

surprised no one has overtired a CO / t sem style conversion - the CO is a good cheap hopper and frame now as a starting point for a zero-till tine drill

I don't think putting discs on the front is feasible

 

[clbarclay]

Surely with a tine drill the cover needs to stay rooted but be pretty dead?

I found a simtech preffered green to dead cover, but there are plenty of variables. The dead cover was a mixture of weeds where the prevous crop drowned and the soil was too soft for the discs to cut properly, so it pulled up quite a few plants, leaving lumps on the headlands. It sailed through tall living osr volenteers as easily as the unidrill.

 

[H.Jackson]

surprised no one has overtired a CO / t sem style conversion - the CO is a good cheap hopper and frame now as a starting point for a zero-till tine drill

Think the GEN 400 is very similar without the disk in front and off the shelf adapters, the sprinter is not as cheap but has a full width front roller so copes with taller attached residue to a degree.

 

[jjm]

I looked into putting t sem tines onto a free flow but was told that I cannot buy t sem tines and seed boots because they want to avoid people copying their design. They have offered to come and do a demo instead which is appreciated.

surprised no one has overtired a CO / t sem style conversion - the CO is a good cheap hopper and frame now as a starting point for a zero-till tine drill