Planting clover with a standard drill????

[2zwudz]

Can a standard grain drill be used to plant clover seed. I have a old case drill that is not a no till drill and does not have a grass seed bin. Can it be used??? If not how can I modify it to do so???
Thanks
Mark

 

[swat1018]

The only way you might be able to is mix it with something to buffer/carry the seed. Not sure how much you are trying to do, may just be better off trying to frost seed it.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Can a standard grain drill be used to plant clover seed. I have a old case drill that is not a no till drill and does not have a grass seed bin. Can it be used??? If not how can I modify it to do so???
Thanks
Mark

Yes, you can use that drill to seed clover. The two things that you need to do are, close the seed openings to the point that they are about 3/4 closed, and adjust the gear sprocket settings to about the slowest position. Then adjust the depth until the drill is barely touching the soil because clover seed should not be buried deeper than 1/4", and is ok to be laying on top of the dirt.
To test the settings load some clover seed into the drill and run it several feet on concrete with the discs an inch off the concrete to drop some seed. Now mark off a one foot by one foot area and count the seeds in that square. You should have about 70 seeds in that area for either red clover, or ladino clover. This will give you 4lb per acre of ladino, or, 11 lb per acre for red. If not, adjust the drill accordingly.

 

[stonegraham]

yes, it can be used to plant clover seed and all other small seeded species in existing pasture grasses

 

[Mennoniteman]

yes, it can be used to plant clover seed and all other small seeded species in existing pasture grasses[/QUOTE,

Just curious, why would anyone want to plant clover in pasture grasses for deer. Deer eat very little grass.

 

[MarkDarvin]

Small perennial seeds are expensive. Accuracy and adequate coverage matter. I'm a fan of the extreme blower spreader. I've had one for four years now, and it's my go-to for all my small seeds. It also gets you across your plot when it may be too muddy to drive, but perfect to germinate.

https://extremeblowerproducts.com/products/

 

[Mennoniteman]

Small perennial seeds are expensive. Accuracy and adequate coverage matter. I'm a fan of the extreme blower spreader. I've had one for four years now, and it's my go-to for all my small seeds. It also gets you across your plot when it may be too muddy to drive, but perfect to germinate.

https://extremeblowerproducts.com/products/

I never heard of that gizmo before, but it looks interesting. I wonder if it would work with a battery blower,?

 

[MarkDarvin]

I never heard of that gizmo before, but it looks interesting. I wonder if it would work with a battery blower,?

That's exactly what I use. I didn't want another engine and carb to maintain, so I got a pretty sweet electric blower for $150 that had a ton of power, 60 minutes run time, and a five year warranty on the battery.

 

[Mennoniteman]

That's exactly what I use. I didn't want another engine and carb to maintain, so I got a pretty sweet electric blower for $150 that had a ton of power, 60 minutes run time, and a five year warranty on the battery.

What brand blower did you get for $150?
Since I'm a carpenter peer pressure forced me to buy a red one.

 

[MarkDarvin]

What brand blower did you get for $150?
Since I'm a carpenter peer pressure forced me to buy a red one.
View attachment 20476

Core Elite E420. Never heard of them before I bought it. My small engine guy was selling them and he said he'd do all the warranty work if there was ever a problem. It's been great, but as I searched for internet info on them, they seem to have disappeared except for an ebay seller. I don't talk to that small engine guy anymore either. Turns out he doesn't fix broke down small engine equipment.

Anyway, I love that blower. Haven't had any problems with it and it's really sped up and elevated my seeding game.