How do I calibrate a grain drill for hemp seed?
Hemp seed size changes the stand a pound of seed makes. NC State says to calibrate the drill from seeds per pound and germination, not from one pound rate.
How do I calibrate a grain drill for hemp seed?
Calibrate the drill to seeds in the ground, not to a wheat setting. NC State Extension says fiber and grain population targets differ, and seed size plus germination change how many pounds that target weighs. HFGA's fiber community record is 40 to 50 pounds per acre in 7 to 10 inch rows. Confirm the lot with rechem before you fill the box.
Related reading
Related reading
When and how do I plant hemp?Plant with the grain drill you own, in the spring window for the seed. HFGA's fiber record is 7 to 10 inch rows and 40 to 50 pounds per acre.
A pound of hemp seed is not a population. Lots differ in size, so the same notch on a grain drill can plant a thick fiber stand with one bag and a thin one with the next. Calibrate to the seed in the box.
NC State Extension says farmers who think only in pounds per acre miss the stand, because seed size varies across fiber and grain varieties. Their account puts a fiber crop at a very high count, over 1 million seeds per acre, and a grain crop nearer 400,000 to 500,000. Those are population targets in that publication, not a rechem label rate. The seller should give seeds per pound, or a thousand-kernel weight, and a germination rate. If seeds per pound is not on the tag, they say weigh a sample of at least 200 seeds. Germination then changes how much seed you need to land the live plants you meant to plant.
The pound records already in print
The Hemp Fiber and Grain Association community record for fiber is 7 to 10 inch rows and 40 to 50 pounds of seed per acre. They say to confirm that with the offtake partner. It is a community record, not a drill chart, and it is not a grain rate. Oregon State University Extension writes a grain target of about 12 to 14 pure live seeds per square foot, which they say is near 30 pounds per acre when seed runs from 15,000 to 27,000 seeds per pound, in 6 to 12 inch rows. Cite that as Oregon's grain note. Do not paste it onto a fiber field, and do not call it rechem's number.
Order the lot from How do I get hemp seed?. The season around the drill is When and how do I plant hemp?. Genetics are What hemp genetics can I plant?.
What the calibration does not replace
Catching seed from the meters tells you the rate. It does not choose fiber versus grain, and it does not treat the seed. Fiber after that pass is Hemp fiber planting chemistry. Grain is Hemp grain planting chemistry. The treatment on the seed is Organic seed and planting chemistry. If the drill is going into residue, read Can I no-till plant hemp?. A second crop behind wheat is Can I plant hemp fiber after winter wheat?. The seed band is Seed. rechem is a Heartland company.
FAQ
Quick answers about this part of the approach.
Can I copy my wheat drill setting onto hemp?
No. Hemp seed is smaller, and lots differ in size. A wheat notch is a guess until you catch and weigh a run from this seed.
Why do two lots at the same pounds make different stands?
Because a pound of small seed is more plants than a pound of large seed. NC State says to start from seeds per pound, then adjust for germination.
Where do seeds per pound and germination come from?
From the seed provider, on the lot. If seeds per pound is missing, NC State says weigh a sample of at least 200 seeds. Do not invent the count.
Is the fiber population the same as the grain population?
No. NC State describes fiber as a much higher seed count per acre than grain. HFGA's published pound record is a fiber record. Grain is a different target.
Does rechem publish a drill chart?
No. rechem names the lot and supplies the seed. The meter setting is the one you calibrate for that lot, then confirm with the buyer.