Seeding Techniques

Greenhouse:

CAN-DUIT Vacuum Seeder

We received the CAN-DUIT Vacuum Seeder as a donation from the Blackmore Company, Inc. (Belleville, MI). The seeder aided us in seeding hundreds of 72-celled flats for our lettuce bolting study. The seeder uses vacuum suction to pick up seeds from a tray (needles can be spaced according to the cell spacing), and then the seed is gently released onto the surface of the soil by pressing a button to release the vacuum suction. The seeder gave us great precision in seeding and saved us a considerable amount of time. Different sized needles can be used for different sized seeds to allow for more or less suction.

Loading CAN-DUIT seeder	Depositing seed	Emptying remaining seed

Field:

At the HRC, we used a Nibex precision planter and a Planet Jr. seeder to plant most of our direct seeded crops. The trusty, old standard Planet Jr. planters use seed plates and a gravity feed. The Nibex precision planter is a cup-disc planter. It is a little more cumbersome to calibrate and operate but it is indeed very precise.

Nibex precision planter	Planet Jr. seeder