I’m looking at a couple of Jang seeders placed on a toolbar to plant Pro-Cut Sunflowers for a sunflower event. Any body have an opinion on Jang seeders?
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They can be a little fiddly but accurate seed rate and placement once you get them dialed in. I had a push type and it was sturdy enough, parts can be expensive, especially metering wheels.
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Are you direct seeding sunflowers? If so, you will want the large-seed version of the jang seeder not the small one.
I’ve only used the small-seed Jang and it’s great for vegetables so long as you have a diversity of roller sizes.
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Yes direct seed. I struggled with selecting the proper version for Sunflowers but Johnny’s Seed has some research on the JP model for proper sunflower rollers for assorted pro-cut sunflower seed which is not as big . I believe I need the version for the smaller seeds but a 3 row planter is expensive so I need to make sure
got it - if Johnny’s has done the research I’d use that for your initial set-up, but know that you will definitely have to play around with the roller brush height to get the right spacing.
I usually end up seeding 1.5-2x the amount of seed I want to germinate and grow well. If calibrating the seed to singulate causes the seeder to skip over too many holes when you’re seeding, then I would either loosen the brush or use a larger hole size and distribute twice the amount of seed at half the rate (2 seeds every 6" vs 1 seed every 3").
lastly, if you’re not positive about using the jang seeder or how long you intend to grow sunflowers this way, I’d recommend buying the single jang and doing 3 passes. Yes slightly more time, but less expensive if you decide to go different route in the future.
Thank you for the advice. It’s good to talk to folks like you and Chikn that have actually used the seeder.
I was afraid the new seeder may have a big learning curve and it looks to be true! Johnny’s notes that the seeder often drops more than 1 seed per hole on most of the sunflower varieties I want to plant and the seed is expensive! 10K seeds is almost $200 and I’m looking at close to 30K seeds.
Your are right about the high cost of the 3 row unit and we considered placing just 1 seeder in the center of the toolbar and planting the center row then moving it 8 inches and planting up and down the row to get the 2 outside rows planted. My row spacing with this method may not be precise enough to cultivate with the tractor but a preemergent herbicide may work to control the weeds until the sunflowers get tall enough to shade them out.
Overall, its a high risk project with only a moderate return in the first year. It does scale up easy so if it works well I could easily expand 3x or 4x.
A yetter flex 71 row unit would work good too if you mounted it on a bar and pulled it with an atv or small tractor. These units are probably more expensive than a Jang, but they are very durable. Spartan and prowl h20 applied right after planting works well for keeping weeds down. Planters are expensive but sunflower herbicide is very expensive.
Have you looked at John Deere Max Emerge units mounted on a tool bar, you maybe able to purchase them used and they worked extremely well for my 60 acres of squash. The planters that used these row units are available used or scrapped at ag dealers, parts and units are very accessible.
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60 acres is a bunch. What type of squash?
Found some 2 refurbished row units in northern states with sunflower plates but nothing close by. From what I can determine that is one of the most successful planters ever made and about 100X more substantial than the Jang
One complicating factor is that I need to get 3 rows across a 28 inch flat bed.
3 rows on a 28" bed for sunflowers? Sounds TIGHT.
Maybe try 2 rows instead? You can always do closer in-row spacing to compensate for the missed row.
Or maybe you forgo 28" beds and multiple rows / bed and just more-densely seed single rows 24" apart. Maybe slightly fewer sunflowers/acre this way but you’re set up for easier cultivation and harvest access.
Way too tight for traditional Sunflowers but about right for Pro-Cuts which are designed to produce 4 or 5 inch flowers on a single stem with no pollen for cut flowers that keep a good while
When we planted by hand we planted 5 rows to a 34 inch bed so this new spacing is less tight than in the past.
I alternate 10 foot grass isles with sunflower rows to make it easy to walk
Another option would be…
Not for mounting on tool bar of tractor,
Push by hand.
In a well prepared seed bed. ( rototilled ) these work good.
I turned the handle over on mine to get a better angle
They come with multiple seed plates ,suitable for most garden crops, sometimes require duct tape over some holes in the plate
To get proper plant spacing.
Can lay off rows with a tractor first so you have a line to follow.
Have planted many different crops of a acre or so in size with mine
For ~ 30 + years , still works great.
I know you said you are looking for a seeder to mount on a tool bar. But this may be a much more affordable option.
And a great little seeder for areas of up to About a acre .
May not be a exact precision seeder.for some things.
But better than by hand , and affordable.
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Thanks for the suggestions Do you mix the 2 together? Prowl is reasonable but the price for Spartan is sky high! Looks like Prowl is also labled for tree fruit so I can use it on Apples and Peaches. Also found Treflan which is labled for sunflowers and fruit trees too but must me incorporated pre-plant which would be OK
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Thanks for the heads up on the Earthway.
I failed to mention that my back problem will not allow me to push a seeder up and down the rows like I used to do. We thought about trying to hire a helper but we have not much luck finding employees that like to work!
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Looks like earthways can be “hacked”. Not sure if it would work for you or not though.
Yes, I mix Spartan, prowl, and glyphosate. When I plant clearfield sunflowers, I come back in and put beyond on, at a certain leaf stage.
I have thought of doing something like “ the hack “ above.
But.
My soil is a heavy clay, with a occasional Rock.
I doubt the earth way seeder would survive that rock being pulled with a tractor.
In we’ll prepared ,very sandy / loamy soil with no rocks, this may work ?
With some tinkering…
Either some sort of a spring loaded attachment, with some give to it.
Or a ridged frame with a reinforced furrow opener . ?
I can relate to the bad back, and finding someone that wants to work,
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55 acres acorn, Table Ace, 5 acres bush butternut, Butterbaby, 5 acres buttercup, Sweet Mama, and 1 acre spaghetti, Tivoli. These were selected for disease resistance, hybrid vigor, and reduced vine. All was sold to a veggie broker who sold to the major grocery changes in the area. We also grew 16 acres of asparagus, 2-3 acres of tomatoes, and 7 acres of differing chilis including bells.
It would be fairly easy to space these on a toolbar with the units in a triangle. They are made to plant soybeans at 30" with a trailing unit in the middle of the two front rows on 15" centers
Nice road trip!!.
Because of my experience with an Earthway, aluminum and plastic, I would doubt a tractor pulled Earthway would survive a ‘Rock’.
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