Seed Trench Cracks

I used Martin spading closing wheels last spring and had problems getting the seed trench to close. The chains dragged dirt over the crack and covered it up. There was about an inch of rain, it got hot and the trench cracked open exposing the plant’s seed shoot to light before it was out of the ground.

—Kevin D.,

kdreyer@wcta.net

Your problem might be the mounting brackets on the Martin wheels, as I’m assuming they’re on the original John Deere mounts. They probably aren’t closing enough on top and you shouldn’t need a chain to drag in dry dirt. Experiment a little and change the mounting of the Martin wheels to get more angle from front to back.

This illustrates the problems of using plastic wheels. If steel won’t penetrate and close the trench, plastic certainly won’t when no-tilling hard ground.

—Jon

There’s no perfect closing wheel

The Martin comes close, especially when it’s mounted behind the rest of the no-till system.

When spading wheels aren’t closing well, it’s because of one of the following situations:

1. The soil is drying out when no-tilling. You missed the ideal planting time.
2. The soil lacks calcium, humus or residue that is essential for no-tilling success.
3. Your no-till planter is not set up correctly.

Refer to www.erinet.com/hymark/nu-till.html and study the links, especially the trouble-shooting guide.

—Ed Winkle,

ffa@voyager.net

Does anyone have personal experience in using the Martin wheels on a Case IH planter under wet, dry conditions? I heard the…