Cambridge, southwestern Nebraska | I've planted into stripper head harvested wheat for several years. This year was some of the heaviest so far and we had quite a few damp and cloudy days. Sunshine is a BIG help. Planting went well when the sun shines!
I just use one side of my row cleaner so the two wheels don't "fight" each other. Wrapping was a problem when damp and tough but SUNSHINE solved that problem.
I talked to a local dealer and asked what some of his customers were using and he said most of them just take off the cleaners and run nothing. I'm not sure I like that idea. The ground stays pretty cool under the straw. I like to open up just a little area to warm it up. I also like to clear a little path to keep my guage wheels at a consistent depth. I don't want to clear everything. A little straw in the row helps to keep the soil from crusting if it rains before the crop comes up. And I don't like seeing what some guys do by clearing everything and making it look like they had used a lister. I like to keep it as smooth as possible.
It will all depend on how heavy the stubble is as to what you will need to do. But I have found it isn't as difficult as you might think to plant into the amount of stubble that you will be seeing. It also helps if the stubble will be standing next spring. Some years it will stand and other years it will pretty much be flat.
The benfits of having a stripper head far out weigh the challenge of planting into the stubble. I think once you use your stripper head you won't go back to a platform. |
planting in stripper header stubble
