I got this 2 row planter a few months ago. After a bit of tinkering it now works. It's set for 30" rows. I plan on planting about 10 acres with sunflowers for a dove field this spring.
My questions...what initial groundwork needs to be done to the field for this spring before using the planter? I've worked up the soil with a disk the last few years and broadcast sunflower, milo, millet, fertilizer, lime and disked it all in. Do I need to disk it before using the planter? There's alot of stalk residue on it right now, plus alot of pigweed that is germinating. Should I disk it again in the next few weeks, or should I do it just before planting? If I disk before planting, should it be parallel, diagonal, or perpendicular to the rows?
How deep should I set the depth of the two blades that spread/open the soil? The toplink is a fixed toplink. Should it be the kind that sort of swivels around (like a bush hog or a grooming mower, that way the blades just push in with their own weight). I can't find any user manuals for this implement, it's a Dearborn 2 row planter, probably made in the '40s. The tractor has 35 horse.
I'm pretty sure that I'll have more questions about this whole process when it's about time to plant. I know very little about agricultural practices, as you can probably tell by now. Thanks.