Tow-behind slit seeders - how well do they work?

[chrisjbell]

I haven't used one of the doohickeys you're talking about, but I have used a number of seeders. I work at a golf course and basically the whole point is growing grass.

All a seeder does is make a small trench with a rotating disk, drops a line of seed in it, and then rolls over it to press it down. What you wind up with are rows of seed, so as has been mentioned if you are planting a grass that is spreading you get pretty good coverage. When we plant rye, for example, it comes up in distinct rows so we generally seed in two (or more) directions (a criss-cross pattern).

The seeders you rent are small versions of the tractor mounted seeders we use (a rental will cover a couple of feet, the big ones are the same thing but PTO driven and a lot wider).

You can get pretty good results by just laying the seed down and raking it in. All grass really needs to grow is to be in contact with the soil and be kept moist. You don't want to bury it too deep or it won't sprout as readily.

Someone suggested tilling, spreading seed, and dragging. We do that with good results. One of the implements we have is a "renovator", which is just disks that spin around and tear up the thatch. After doing that we spread seed and drag and that works nearly as well as using a seeder.

 

[TwinWillows]

I have one. Strictly for VERY infrequent homeowner use. Does a good job of seeding for us when we've needed it - which hasn't been all that much really.

 

[Kays Supply]

I give a second vote for the aerator and over seed. I spread seed for years with very poor results. I started aerating and over seeding with GREAT results. The combination is hard to top.

 

[davesisk]

OK, so sounds like then the ideal way is to aerate, then overseed (then maybe aerate again to somewhat bury the seed?) I'd imagine some of the tow-behind aerators work a little better than the tow-behind seeders. True, or no?

Thanks guys!
Dave

 

[Kays Supply]

My aerator is 3 point. I put a 50 gal. barrel on it and add enough water to make it go as deep as I need.

 

[1966vette]

I need to do some seeding with grass seed that really needs to be buried rather than just spread on top the ground. (Planning on sowing some Centipede grass in the spring...maybe that will actually grow in my yard!) So, I'm wondering how well something like this works:

Agri-Fab Spiker/Seeder 100-Lb. Capacity, 32in. Width, Model# 45-0309 |Lawn Spreaders | Northern Tool + Equipment

The other option is to just rent a walk-behind overseeder, which to my understanding, does something similar in that it slits a hole and drops seed into it. I would guess that a gas-powered walk-behind slit seeder probably works a little better than the tow-behind slit seeder, but I don't know that for sure.

Has anyone used one of these? How well does it work? I don't see a way to add weight, so I'd imagine it works fairly well in terms of slitting when the seed hopper is full, but stops slitting well when the seed hopper gets empty. I suppose I could add a rail or post or two and just hang some weights on it though...

Let me know your thoughts or experiences. Thanks!

Dave

Youæ±*e looking for maximum seed to soil contract & the seed does not care how you get it.
The better the seed to soil contract the better chance of successful germination.
You can till & rack which is a lot of work but provides excellent performance or you can rent something for this task.
I rented a Ryan 鉄lit Seeder & it was awesome!
I also rented a Bluebird & it was not as good.
Remember you want MAXIMUM seed to coil contact!