More questions about garden planters/fertilizers

[FarmboyBill]

Since no one saw I posted these questions on the old posting, Ima doin it again lol
Does any you people with push planters have directions as to how deep to set the furrow opener. Mine says to go by what the bag says to set it at, Bag of seed, that is, Well, the seed I bought the guy put each variety in a bag from a stack, and marked what it was by the index of varieties on the front with NO directions on how to set the furrow opener.

ALSo anybody got any idea how to set their fert on there planter. The bag I bought says it covers a 50ft sq area. That's broadcast. I only want to put it in the seed rows.

[Fire-Man]

Originally Posted by FarmboyBill

Since no one saw I posted these questions on the old posting, Ima doin it again lol
Does any you people with push planters have directions as to how deep to set the furrow opener. Mine says to go by what the bag says to set it at, Bag of seed, that is, Well, the seed I bought the guy put each variety in a bag from a stack, and marked what it was by the index of varieties on the front with NO directions on how to set the furrow opener.

ALSo anybody got any idea how to set their fert on there planter. The bag I bought says it covers a 50ft sq area. That's broadcast. I only want to put it in the seed rows.

FBB, seeds are usually planted about 3 to 4 times their thickness. If you are talking about a gravity feed fertilizer hopper-----To adjust, You need to know how much you want to put to each row----example 8lbs to 300ft----Then you would weigh and pour that much in your hopper, you would need to adjust the opening to what you think might work----start at one end of the row---open hopper--- and walk a steady pace-----if you run out of fertilizer before you get to the end-----close the hopper a little OR walk a little faster on the next row----repeat---when you are putting out the amount you want to the rows----then you have got it set(make notes in your book on where it is set and your walking pace so next year you can repeat)-----then you can fill the hopper----walk the same pace---with the same opening setting----and put out the same to each new row.


A gravity feed hopper will flow about the same----like a hour glass-----your walking speed affects the amount you put out big time. Hope this helps.

[FarmboyBill]

Yeah, but, as ion your example, 8lbs for 300fr (is that sq ft?)
In any case, im assuming your talking about 300sq ft. Well, I don't want to put any fert into the walk areas, and they would constitute around near 1/2 the area.

[bja105]

I think he is talking about feet of row. I have a newer Lambert seeder. I have never used the fertilizer hopper. It is gravity feed, so it doesn't stop flowing if I stop walking. My seeder sometimes jams, and I have to stop to fix it.

This year, I broadcast fertilizer before initial tilling, then later broadcast and cultivated it in.

[Fire-Man]

Originally Posted by FarmboyBill

Yeah, but, as ion your example, 8lbs for 300fr (is that sq ft?)
In any case, im assuming your talking about 300sq ft. Well, I don't want to put any fert into the walk areas, and they would constitute around near 1/2 the area.

No, side dressing or right in the middle where you are going to plant.

Get a soil test done----it can help you Sooooo much. Example: Soil test for one of my garden spots. There is NO way I would have known "this" is what I needed without this test.


118 Two cups (1 pint) fertilizer is equal to approximately 1 pound. Three-quarter pint limestone weighs approximately 1 pound.
171 Before planting, broadcast and work into the soil 10 lbs 10-10-10, 2-1/2 lbs muriate of potash (0-0-60) and 8 lbs triple superphosphate (0-46-0) per 1,000 square feet (or for each 300 feet of row). Three weeks after appearance of first new leaves, apply four inches from base of the plants, 15 lbs 10-10-10 per 300 feet of row in a continuous band. For organic gardening recommendations, please call the Home and Garden Information Center.
537 Broadcast dolomitic limestone as recommended, in the fall or at least 6 to 8 weeks prior to planting and mix into the soil to the planting depth.
655 If either boron (B), manganese (Mn), or zinc (Zn) is low, use a leaf analysis to confirm deficiency.

[rambler]

Its tough to work out fertilizer needs, and convert broadcast to furrow applications - most feel you only need 2/3 as much fertilizer if you are putting it a couple inches beside the row, as the roots will hit that richer band of fertility and much more easily feed off of it than having to scavage all over the soil to find little bits....

And then acres to square feet to tons to bagful, and then the rates of different machinery.

The folks using acres, tons, and big spreaders or applicators pulled by 50-400 hp tractors have the math and machinery pretty well figured out maybe for us and can set a lever, drive a certain speed by the tractor rpm/speed gauge and be pretty accurate, but it is tough on the small scale.

I don't have a good answer, practice takes a few years but is how you learn.

You don't want the fertilizer 'in' the row typically, most common fert is too salty and 'hot' for that, you want the band of fertilizer 2 inches off to the side, maybe 2 inches deeper than the seed?

As to planting depths, there are a lot of good guides out there on the Internet, you should be able to google 'planting beets' 'planting kale' or whatever and get a long list of good suggestions on the seeds you have.

Woulda been nice for the seed seller to have written that down for you from the label, maybe needed to ask.

A soil test would be great, only need one every 4 years, even just one to find out where you are to start with sure helps. $25 or less, free from some extension type places.

Then with probably many different plant types in a small a rage, it is hard to really fertilize just right. Grassy plants need a lot of N, bean/ legume plants need a lot of P, and so forth for the different types of plants. Hard to do with a few bags of general mixed fertilizer.

All this is a slow process, I started getting better at it 10 years ago, my soils are only starting to come around and I'm learning better of what I need and not need to do.....

Paul