Cotton Growing Tips to Achieve Best Results This Season

Spring has been in full swing for a few weeks now, and making sure you take the right steps from the time you begin preparing to put your cotton seed in the ground until the time it is harvested will be important. Here are some key factors that, along with some help from reliable cotton picker parts, can help you yield successful results this season.

Timing is everything

Cotton crops will need at least 120 to 180 frost-free days to grow effectively, so planters will have to make sure that all frost hazards in a particular climate area have passed before planting seeds. Some farmers work with warmer temperatures year-round, and are able to begin planting as early as mid-March when spring officially begins. Other areas of the country, particularly in the Midwest, typically have to wait until the end of March or the beginning of April to begin planting to ensure that the soil temperatures have warmed to at least 65 degrees.

Preparing the soil for success

Since cotton originates in tropical climates and can only thrive in warm conditions, farmers must make sure that their crops have plenty of access to sunshine and sufficient moisture. Like all plants, cotton requires healthy, rich soil that has been nurtured with organic compounds and has been well drained to prevent oversaturation to allow for proper growth. Soil that is prone to oversaturation could potentially restrict the flow of much-needed oxygen to the cotton plant and stunt the growth process, so making sure to avoid this pitfall through planning and preparation is vital.

Oversaturation could also lead to soil crusting—the forming of a hard layer on the surface as wet soil begins to dry. This hardened layer could lead to breakage and other problems for the crops as they try to break through the surface. Because of this, the optimal depth for seed planting is relatively shallow, between 0.5 and 1.5 inches at the most, shortening the distance the plant has to travel to begin emergence. If you do notice this soil crusting, be sure to break up the crust right away to assist in the plant’s growth.

The cotton growing season is long but rewarding, and when it is time to begin harvesting your crops, you will need to make sure that all of your machines are ready to get the job done. If you are preparing your equipment for the season and find that you need cotton picker parts, make sure you seek out the best quality to ensure that your harvester will be working as efficiently as possible.

For the best in fabricated and manufacturer parts, make sure to contact Certi-Pik, USA. Working with both American and international customers for nearly 30 years, you can trust that we have the skills and equipment necessary to provide you with the parts you need to successfully reap your cotton harvest this upcoming season. Get in touch with us today to place an order or learn more about what we can offer you.

Why Use BBB Accredited Manufacturer Cotton Picker Parts

In the cotton industry, knowing that your equipment will work as it should is essential to success. And the machines you rely on should be relying only on tested and trusted parts. It isn’t rocket science. If your cotton picking machine has bottom-shelf, bargain-bin parts, it may run, but it may not run well or for very long. Does this describe your parts? Read on! You’ll find there are several reasons to get essential harvester parts from a reputable source; first and foremost, it’s important for keeping your machines functioning their best.

Without further ado, here’s why you should purchase your cotton harvester and quality-made fabricated replacement cotton picker parts from a Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited manufacturer:

If you are in the market for new or replacement cotton picker parts, look no further than the excellent selection from Certi-Pik, USA. We know this industry well and are ready to help you find the parts and equipment you need to succeed in the cotton business. Contact us today!

Avoid Fire Hazards by Managing Cotton Picker Parts

Few things are more detrimental to your cotton harvest than a fire. It can destroy crops and equipment alike. Cotton picking is vulnerable to fire because the amount of dry material and friction creates a natural environment for it—unless you take precautions. Here are six good practices to help maintain cotton picker parts so they do not produce conditions for a fire:

Certi-Pik, USA offers a complete catalog of cotton picker parts to repair your equipment and get ready for the next cotton picking season. Contact us today if you are ready to place an order.

Essential Cotton Picker Operating Safety Guidelines

The cotton picker is several thousand pounds of complex, rotating machinery cutting its way through acres of cotton fields. If this doesn’t sound intimidating to you, operating a cotton picker is probably just another day on the job for you. However, just another day on the job can quickly become your last day on the job if you aren’t careful.

There are several hundred farming-related deaths per year in the U.S., plus thousands of injuries, and the majority of these unfortunate events are related to accidents involving farming equipment. It’s best to practice safety first and protect yourself and others from the possibility of injury when on the job, so here are a few essential safety guidelines to keep in mind when operating a cotton picker:

To ensure your safety and avoid the risk of injuring others, use best practices for cotton picker operation and make sure that your picker is always in good repair. For help with replacement cotton picker parts, please get in touch with the team at Certi-Pik, USA today.

Doffer Maintenance: Why Proactive Care Makes All the Difference

The doffer column is an essential part of your cotton picker’s operating system. Doffer lugs rotate in tandem at a speed many times faster than the rotating speed of the spindles to remove the seed cotton from the spindles with a stripping motion. The doffer lugs are a very delicate part of your cotton picker’s operating system. Even a difference of a few parts of an inch clearance can cause damage to your cotton picker and to your crop. To ensure that your doffers are always operating correctly, here are a few tips for doffer maintenance.

Check the clearance of your doffer column daily

If you notice that your cotton picker is doffing poorly, the most common problem is an issue with your doffer’s clearance—the space between each doffer lug and the spindles of your cotton picker. Daily operations or a jam in the system can cause the clearance to become unbalanced, which can result in poor doffing, damaged doffer lugs or even damaged crop. Doffer lugs should operate within about 0.003 inch from the spindle surface. To avoid problems, be proactive about checking your doffer clearance daily. If you notice a problem while operating your cotton picker, be sure to stop and check your doffer clearance before proceeding.

Monitor the flexibility of your doffer lugs

Your doffer lugs should be strong enough to clear seed cotton from the spindles of your cotton, yet flexible enough for trash and other debris to slip through without jamming up the system and causing damage to your spindles. Weather, sunlight and use over time can harden your doffers. Monitor the flexibility of your doffer and immediately replace any doffer lugs that have hardened. If a hardened doffer lug has already caused permanent damage to your spindles, we can fabricate new cotton picker spindles for you if necessary.

Replace worn or broken doffer lugs immediately

There are multiple causes for a worn or broken doffer lug. Age, weather conditions and simple wear and tear can cause doffer lugs to break or the leading edges to become worn and rounded. A worn or broken lug will affect the rotation speed of your doffer, as well as cause frequent spindle wraps or twists on low bars. To keep your cotton picker operating at its best, be sure to frequently check your doffer lugs for damage and wear. Replace damaged doffer lugs as soon as possible to avoid permanent damage to your doffer column and cotton picker spindles.

Your cotton picker is an expensive and delicate piece of machinery. Even a small imbalance or worn part can result in costly repairs, damaged crops and even injury. To avoid problems, be proactive about maintaining your cotton picker. Regularly monitoring and repairing your doffer is one way to ensure that your cotton picker stays in good repair for the long term. However, if you do find that you’re in need of replacement parts for your cotton picker, the staff here at Certi-Pik, USA are always ready to help. Give us a call today for more information.