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Broadcast or grain drill?

I have an old McCormick steel wheeled grain drill that I got operable. Last year around labor day, I planted 150# of rye into 2 acres of healthy growing ladino clover right after I mowed it. I figured that the openers would get the seed to the soil better than just broadcasting. It doesn't seem that it was successful, which is confusing as easy as cereal rye is to grow?

Fast forward to this spring. I cleared another 2 acres for food plots, which will be planted in clover & chicory and PTT's. I'll be planting buckwheat this spring in the new plots to prepare them for the late summer final plantings. 1 acre will be disced and or tilled and the other acre will be sprayed with glyphosate, scratched with a cultivator and planted. Should I just broadcast all of it? It seems like the planter should give better success, but a little concerned from last years results. Or should I broadcast the treated area and use the planter on the tilled areas?

Thanks!

I've had good luck with rye and buckwheat broadcast. The failure with drilling is a bit puzzling, maybe you went too deep?

I thought the same, but it was cutting thru the clover in untilled ground. From what I recall it was really just scratching the surface <1" deep.

As easy as Rye is to grow that is puzzling. I would try the planter in part of the worked (disc) ground so you know if the thing works, and do it first. Wait 10 days and see what pops. Maybe do it now so you can re plant after you learn if the planter is not doing its job. I think it is tho and something else maybe happened to the rye. Good luck!

Maybe a seed failure on the rye? How old was the seed?

Seed was purchased from local seed/feed store a week or two before planting.

I'll just chalk it up to bad luck. Thanks for the feedback.

We used to broadcast and cultipack oats and winter rye. Later purchased a grain drill for corn and soybeans. Attempted planting oats and winter rye with the grain drill (small seed setting) a few times, but the results were never as good as broadcasting and cultipacking.

Broadcast small seed,drill the bigger stuff;I.E.corn.Have and use both but broadcast seems to work the best with small seed.Corn needs some spacing.We plant sorgum and clovers ect.with the broadcast.Cultipack after.

Could be mother nature too, I broadcast some rye last year in clover, and it was sposed to rain next day. It did, about a half a tenth. Then nothing for 3 weeks. I think it either tried to sprout and got cooked or just got cooked but got nothing...

I feel pretty lucky so far, planted 1/4 acre of sunflowers and about an acre of buckwheat (broadcast & cultipacked) on Saturday. Got a good soaking rain on Sunday and a good mix of sun & rain over the past few days. Still have about 2 acres of buckwheat to plant in the next couple weeks. I'll be planting rye again late summer/early fall and will likely broadcast into my existing clover/chicory plots and as a nurse crop with my new fall plots. Thanks for the feedback!

On small seeds i disconnect the seed tubes and let the seed trickle out on the ground. Have had great results

On small seeds i disconnect the seed tubes and let the seed trickle out on the ground. Have had great results

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