Marc,

If you are putting 40+ gal/a down why not just use our standard LH stainless tube assembly. It bolts to the LH coulter support and puts almost all of the fertilizer in a band there. Very little on the gage wheel etc. Most of it is about 5" deep and 3 or 4" to the side of center. This works especially well with the HS kit - LH gage wheel and swirl. No cut edge, no open slot...

I think of Joe's new center tube assembly mostly for 10-34-0 or similar high P fertilizer so you can put more down than an in-furrow setup and enough to do some good without harming the seed and also getting all fertilizer off of the planter. When it's time to plant, you just put seed in the planter and plant, not wait for fertilizer or running a tanker operation. But you probably know much more about fertilizer than I do!

IF you want it thoroughly mixed in throughout the strip cross section, Joe's center tube, dropping it at atmospheric pressure (put the orifice up on the bar somewhere) will probably work better with less mess than trying to shoot it down behind the Trashwheel.

Driving across MN and into SD today (before it started drizzling/raining again) I was amazed to see how much corn has NOT been planted. I saw a good number of field cultivators trying to circle wet spots but only a couple planters out there.  Folks should not feel they are the only ones with corn not planted yet!

On the fertilizer: how about trying a couple rows with your shoot-it-behind-the-lead-coulter system, a couple rows with the center tube and a couple rows with the LH tube? None will be a disaster. As wet as it is this year it may not make a difference. But in a dry year I would feel better with 45 gal on the LH side rather than down the middle, depending on what it is you are applying.

Come to think of it, is this that fish emulsion you have discussed on here? For that product maybe the middle tube would be best.  Best of luck.

Jim at Dawn