Too Cool Tool, Seed Drill

[FL_Cracker]

Friday I rented a seed drill from our local tractor dealer. It's owned by the County Extension office and all you have to pay is $10.00 per acre for the tractor dealer maintain it.

It's one cool tool. Just put seed in the seed box, which holds several hundred pounds and let it to the ground and drive. The first row of blades cut the ground, the second row has two blades and the seeds drop in the middle and that put the seeds in the cut done by the first row cutting blades, and the last row is a rubber wheel to compact the hole closed again. It's a single pass overseeding process and it works great.

The attached picture shows how little damage it does to your turf. It requires a 50hp tractor to pull and covers about 6 - 7' with each pass. You also need one set of remotes. The seed in planted on 6 or 8" centers.

Now I just need a little rain and that will complete the process.

Charles

 

[Farmwithjunk]

What brand? Local SWCD rents a "Haybuster" brand. Neighboring county has "Tye" brand. I bought a used Haybuster "77" 2 years back. Does a superb job. I spent 2 days pulling mine around last week.

 

[sweettractors]

Those machines are real handy. What type seed did you put thru the drill?--Ken Sweet

 

[FL_Cracker]

Farmwithjunk, I think it was the Tye brand.

Ken, I was using a mixture of 15lbs Fescue, 10lbs. Orchard & 2lbs. Clover per acres.

Charles.

 

[sweettractors]

When you interseed seed of that mixture and at that rate, I would be concerned about how it was going to germinate and thrive with the competition from the existiing stand of grass in the picture. Maybe I am missing something /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif--Ken Sweet

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I was wondering that myself.25 lbs per acre is fairly standard for OVERseeding, where you expect a 30 to 50 % germination rate, and in sparse grass/turf. But direct seeding (slit seeding) will generally yield higher germination rates. Then you have issues with over-crowding. Also, that looks to be a fairly thick stand of grass being re-seeded.

The pastures I seeded last week were very weak. The summers drought, combined with some over-grazing made my grass very thin. interseeding works well in those conditions. Now I'm just waiting for some rain /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[FL_Cracker]

This is my first time doing it this way but I working with the local County Extention Office so I hope it does the job. All I have right now is faith & I'm praying for rain.... Just a little!!!!

Charles

 

[FL_Cracker]

That was one of my thicker stands, most is verey thin but the lines didn't show as well for the picture. There are a lot of weeds in there and I am working on getting rid of them. 2-4-D etc....

Charles

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Bottom line, we all do what we can, then wait and pray Mother Nature does her part. If she does, we look like a genious. If she doesn't we rent the seeder again. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif