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Planting canola with valmar and harrows

10K views 22 replies 18 participants last post by  Delliott 
#1 ·
I was wondering if anyone has planted canola using a valmar and harrows. I'm only seeding 400acres, I use liquid fertilizer so was planing on running my seeder through it first to get fertilizer in the ground the harrowing in seed followed by rollers. Any help would be appreciated thanks
 
#2 ·
People do it but it's not the most ideal way to do it, usually only done under desperate cicumstances. Germination will be sporatic and uneven unless nice rain falls follow right after and it doesn't get too hot or dry right after. Dad did it once years ago with limited success . Some guys did it here for a few years when it was too wet to get on the ground with a drill and had good luck but it stayed wet for a week or more right after they did it. If it was up to me, I would tell you to use your drill.
 
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#3 ·
Hello and welcome to the forum. I will begin by asking you the same question I ask all the time: http://www.thecombineforum.com/forums/6-announcements-help-ideas/286186-location-please.html

That aside, I have done this a few times when really wet here. I think the key is to get some wet conditions right after to germinate the seed and that the soil is sufficiently wet enough to stay wet long enough to get it established.

My suggestion if you are to do it is to use a shatter resistant variety like L140P or L233P so that if it does come up in stages it is easier to manage at harvest.

Canola likes phosphate so might need to get some of that spread too? Might pay for some custom spreading if you can get it all done at once(seed and fert).
 
#4 · (Edited)
I agree with Kevlar. If u can get in with an air drill your better off. Although last year we got caught out in the rain on the last quarter of canola and after 5" of rain in 10 days I floated on the canola and fertilizer all at once. Rented the neighbors vertical tiller to work it in. And it turned out 10X better than I thought it would. I did get some timely rains the weeks after but I was pleasantly surprised how good it turned out. If u can rent a VT tool set it about an inch deep should turn out better than harrowed in.
 
#6 ·
Your yield goal is important to answer this question too. I have seen it where it yielded the same or better than the most expensive drill in the world.

The main point is that most years you will be leaving potential on the table. Harrowing canola is a good back up plan for those really wet years.
 
#7 ·
What kind of seeder ya got?

Most times I have thought deeper was better than too shallow. If you have light packing pressure I don't see why you couldn't run an inch or even slightly deeper.

If you have access to a phenix rotary harrow it would be worth a try if you were comfortable waiting to seed right before rain. It would be a hands down better bet then a typical harrow
 
#8 ·
If you are going to broadcast do it before you put your fertilizer in with the airseeder. The movement of the dirt from the airseeder and the harrowing after the airseeder will all help you to cover the canola with soil. Canola left on top of soil often does not grow or germinates and dies.
 
#12 ·
That drill should work just fine so long as the shanks are straight and openers are even. Harrowing is a last resort for when things are REALLY wet IMO. Spend some money tuning that drill up and you will germinate more seeds than with a harrow under normal circumstances.
 
#13 ·
Someone told me you're best to broadcast and then cultivate and pack. Reason being you could cultivate 4" deep and majority of canola wouldn't be any deeper than an inch. As well, working it brings up moisture to place the seed in. I've seen grass and cereals broadcast on rough breaking and lightly disked and harrowed grow a good catch. However, my success with broadcasting canola hasn't been great. Best to get it in the dirt and packed with a drill.
 
#14 ·
John Deere 1820. Spread K and S ahead and seed canola and some phosphate with the seed. Seed to moisture. Last year in the dryer fields we went 1.75 inches deep to find moisture. was up in 5 days. Used 3/4 inch openers.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Nothing wrong with using a JD1820 to seed canola. Lots of farmers used them for years (and many still are) before the 1830's came out!

Just make sure it is levelled so that all the shanks are the same depth and you should be good to go.

Add a sideband opener from Bourgault Tillage, Atom Jet, Dutch, etc to deal with the N.

Or you can make 2 passes - 1st for the N (could add the S too), 2nd for seed + P. Lots of guys doing 2 passes with an airdrill.

Andrew
 
#16 ·
Many here over the years hired a floater with applying the sulfur and phosphate with the seed. Some even the N and cultivated and packed it shallow. Germination was only a concern on years when it never rained. That has been far from the problem these past few yrs. I honestly like it seeded this way more than the drill some years. The canola is not in rows with plants tight together. The crop makes a nice canopy early on covering the ground against weeds. Don't work it 4" deep IMO. 10-15% of your seed will end up down close to the depth you cultivate. Benefits are the ground warms up instantly to help with germination. Seed is spread out better and your canola plants when young arent rooting right beside each other. The bad is if your soil is dry and it doesnt rain, which nobody has a problem with this year, germination will be reduced. This then allows flea beetles to create more damage. They love young emerging plants, so the more there is to eat the less the damage is noticeable. To tell you the truth with the ruts in my field and how wet they are I am considering doing all my canola this way this year. I have an older airseeder with shovels on. I was thinking of applying my N and phosphate with it. Then hire a floater to broadcast sulfur fines and canola on and harrowpack it in. It would aid in fixing up the shallow ruts and level of some of the 12" deep ones allover that i plan on using our 33' sunflower disc to fill in. this should get things somewhat level and increase my fuel cost but this is the reality of mudbining. All I did was help crop insurance last year by taking the crop off and creating a huge mess of my fields and drying everything from 20+% moisture. I swore I would never do that again years ago because this ain't my first rodeo at a garbage harvest but I did. Stupid is as stupid does! Forest Gump was smarter than me.
 
#19 ·
I was under the impression that canola deeper than 1 inch would not grow. I now see from a few sources that the window is a little bigger.
| have never grown canola due to a fear of a disaster with seeding and not sure about how easy it is to harvest the stuff. I have a flexicoil 5000 with double shoot and paired rows on 9 inch spacings.
I think I may try some canola this spring. I like the comment about using a shatter resistant line in case of uneven emergence and resulting uneven maturity.
I have rolling hills so even with shatter resistant line probably would still need to swath as low laying areas would not ripen at same stage as hills.
 
#23 ·
Regarding the Valmar, you would want the 55 series, and cost is $13k to $17k depending on the size and drive option. The hydraulic drive unit is very simple to install on anything, anywhere. The ground wheel is quite a bit of fussing around if you don't want the hydraulic drive. If I was buying a Valmar now I would get the pull type, 245 I believe is the model, about $20k, just more versatility I feel, though they don't seem to be as popular. Flaman locations often have both types available (including harrows with valmar mounted already), depending on where you are.
But regarding the canola, I think in your position you would be ahead to hire the seeding out, the seed is too expensive to risk it.
 
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