Job setup
Use the rate from your hybrid's guide. Silage is usually sown heavier than grain. Zero the counter at the start, or type in whatever it reads.
No size: it holds your target rate. Put the size in to have the seed run out with the paddock.
Seed for this job
Maize is sold by seed count, not weight — a standard bag is 80,000 kernels. Set how many, then tap the bag. The count goes back to 1 after each add.
Planter fills
Log the hectare counter each time the seed boxes run empty. After every fill it works out what the seed left needs to sow, and what to set the controller to.
Check the planter
Measure along one row and count the seeds dropped in:
That length of one row is a thousandth of a hectare, so seeds × 1,000 = seeds/ha. Check a few rows — one blocked or doubling finger shows up straight away.
Finish the job
Unopened bags plus whatever's left in the seed boxes, in 80,000-seed bags (half a bag is 0.5). Blank counts only the bags never put in.
Maize planting basics
- Bag size: a standard bag is 80,000 kernels. Bags are counted, not weighed.
- Seeding rate: set in seeds per hectare from the hybrid's guide. Silage is commonly around 90,000–115,000, grain a bit lower. Go heavier into cold or rough seedbeds, or where pests are bad.
- Seeds vs plants: not every seed comes up. At about 95% emergence, 100,000 seeds/ha gives about 95,000 plants/ha.
- Rows: 76 cm (30 inch) rows are the usual spacing. Seed spacing along the row comes from the rate and the row width.
- Soil temperature: wait until the soil is at least 10 °C at sowing depth and warming — cold soil means slow, patchy emergence.
- Depth: place seed into moisture, usually around 4–6 cm. Even depth gives even emergence.
- Speed: keep planter speed steady. Going too fast is a common cause of skips and doubles.