Planting Chufa

[Shiloh]

The seeds are not uniform and for this reason we have always broadcast chufa and not used a drill or planter.  If you do this you will need to increase your rate because you will have some that don't get covered.  You can cultipack and it will help with this. 

[g8rvet]

I know a cultipacker would work, but dang I hate to buy a $800 plus attachment for one use. I was wondering if a light depth disc would turn them under okay.  I use my disc for multiple things, and my box blade, and my root grapple, and my bucket.  Tractor implements keep piling up!

[dublelung]

I know a cultipacker would work, but dang I hate to buy a $800 plus attachment for one use. I was wondering if a light depth disc would turn them under okay.  I use my disc for multiple things, and my box blade, and my root grapple, and my bucket.  Tractor implements keep piling up!

A cultipacker isn't necessary. I spray, bush hog a couple weeks later then disk heavily. Broadcast chufas and 200lbs of 13-13-13 per acre then I adjust my disk blades to a very slight angle and disk the chufas in. You'll still have several that aren't covered but you'll have plenty that are. I usually plant south MS in mid June and try to time it just before a rain. Hogs will destroy a plot! Raccoons will do a good bit of damage also if not kept in check. I trap heavily so they aren't much of a problem on my plots.

[Shiloh]

Dublelung is correct.  I cultipacker isn't a necessity, just good to use if you had one. 

[roberthyman14]

Can you just turn it under with a disc or does it need to be drilled?  Don't have that. 

When to plant in North Florida/South Georgia?  No hogs seen on property and if I do, it is my home place and we can have fun with that too.

I'm in nw Florida.  We used to plant ours in July  same time we planted our dove fields.   Disk it up good.  We broadcast it at 50lb/acre.  Used a drag to cover and let the rain do the rest.   Last season was terrible planting in our area since we ended up with a prolonged drought.  We had a bachelor group of bucks destroy a plot. Eating all the seeds


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[Goblen]

If you have the time and equipment. Plant it 1.5 to 2 inches deep, and you want lose very much too foraging animals. We don't have hogs here. Just crows.

[Goblen]

We already have our plots bush hogged. Haven't been able to spray yet. Hopefully this week if weather is good. This year we are going to use a John Deere 2 row planter if the seed will work in ether the finger meter or bean meter. I don't have high hopes it will. I read it would and that it wouldn't.
Edit. Soybean plates worked flawless.

[Shiloh]

You might have trouble with that older 2 row Goblin.   The difference in seed size tends to cause clogs at the plates.  We have a new to us vacuum planter that my dad rebuilt so we are gonna try it.  We tried an older 2 row a few years ago and it did not work. 

[Goblen]

You might have trouble with that older 2 row Goblin.   The difference in seed size tends to cause clogs at the plates.  We have a new to us vacuum planter that my dad rebuilt so we are gonna try it.  We tried an older 2 row a few years ago and it did not work.

Thanks. I may buy some used plates and modify them for next year. Hopefully I can find someone that has made it work and cam advice me so I don't have to start from scratch.

[Brianb3006]

I managed to get the bush hogging done before the rain started. Hopefully we'll see some sunny days this week and I can get everything sprayed.


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[wareagle22]

I have a planter similar to the one above and I have planted chufa with it using the soybean plates.   You will have to sift through the seed to get out all the big seeds.   I poured mine out on a white sheet and picked through them.   It's a pain in the butt but it can be done and that JD planter will work great.   It seems like the chufa you get from the NWTF are way more uniform that the ones I bought from the Co-Op.  Some of the ones from the Co-Op were as big as a quarter.   

[hootgobbleyelpgobble]

As for the light discing to cover the chufa, I have always adjusted the sections to run straight so it is not covering so deep and has done well for years this way.

[Goblen]

Planted with the John Deere 7000 2 row planter 2 weeks ago. No rain yet since planted. But coming up good. The planter gets every seed at the right depth. Less seed getting eaten by wildlife. Used the soybean plates, had no clog ups from bigger seeds.

[TauntoHawk]

I had wanted to try some up in the north but the usual timing to plant in my zone would be now and it's just too dry. If we start getting rain maybe I'd get some in before the end of June

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[ShortMagFan]

Got 4+ acres planted last week. Followed procedure that's worked well in the past. Only thing missing is rain

Following the directions/procedure I do has worked well in the past but man it's labor intensive. Could be a lot easier with 2 tractors going at once