Covering grass seed

550Doug · Jun 5, 2010

I've got a 3 acre plot to be rototilled and seeded with a lawn seed mixture. I can co the spreading with a cyclone seeder but was wondering how to cover the seed. obviously i cannot hand rake it so I was thinking about dragging a couple of logging chains with each end tied to each end of a 2 x 4. Any other ideas about how to quickly get some soil over the seed?
Thanks

thurlow · Jun 5, 2010

Got a piece of chain-link fence or a metal gate you can drag around?

Bob · Jun 5, 2010

I've seen folks use a metal bedspring (boxspring) as well.

fixerupper · Jun 5, 2010

If you can get hold of a medium weight roller, use the roller and nothing else. If the ground is good and dry take a lot of time to get it nice and flat before seeding. If it's a little damp stay off it until it dries. You're gonna have to live with it for a long time so you had just as well do a smooth job now.

We're going to be seeding around my son's new house soon and I'm going to dread it because the new fill is too damp to do a good job of seed bed prep, but his loan won't go through until the landscaping is done, including the grass seeding. Jim

Ray · Jun 5, 2010

You can rent a brillion seeder at any rental place.They do a good job of seeding and also
pack the ground.Just dragging things around usually leaves you with bare spots or dragging the seed to the ends where you turn around.

Crem · Jun 5, 2010

We have found out if you can get some straw it works well as it holds the moisture in so the seed will germinate. Three acres is a large area though. We use small square bales and an old bale bedding chopper that we pull and feed the bales into it.

Gene Dotson · Jun 5, 2010

My favorite covering tool is a heavy oak plank, about 4"x12" with long pole barn spikes driven through to extend about 2 inches below the board. Angle the nails backward in 3 rows with about 3 inch spacing in each row. It is 4 feet wide, same as my lawn roller. I hook a short chain to the plank and pull it in front of my roller. Did a beautiful job on my airstrip... Gene

Russ from MN · Jun 5, 2010

We use an adjustable spike tooth harrow with the teeth turned almost all the way back for deer food plots, seems to work ok.

RMinVa · Jun 5, 2010

Wayyyy back when we still row cropped tobacco and had Farmall 140's we would cut a pine pole about 20 ft. long and tie short light weight pieces of pine brush/limbs all along the pole and the pole was tied to the rear cultivator bars. You don't want it heavy. It did a great job and was one heck of a stand of grass when it came up. I did the same in 1999 on some cutover land I couldn't use a cultipacker on and it worked good then too. Cheap to make and works great.

GeneMO · Jun 5, 2010

Disk? Set it straight and shallow and drive slow.

Gene

OliverGuy · Jun 5, 2010

like said below, rent a brillion drill. We have a 6' 3pt, but for 5 acres and up I go rent a 10' pull type. They will get the seed into the soil provided you have a loose seedbed. Before we had a drill, we broadcast and pulled a chain link fence across, worked it in enough, but didn't move too much soil. You can drill when it's windy too.

Anonymous-0 · Jun 5, 2010

I have had good luck using a thatcher. The kind with the spring teeth. Set it about 1/2 inch deep.

Areo

LAA · Jun 5, 2010

I use a rotary hoe.

36 Coupe · Jun 6, 2010

Disc harrow.If you dont have one cut down a small tree and drag it to cover the seed.

c.w n.y · Jun 6, 2010

a packer would do a good job of pressing it into the soil if one is available.

Covering grass seed

550Doug

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thurlow

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Bob

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fixerupper

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Ray

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Crem

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Gene Dotson

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Russ from MN

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RMinVa

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GeneMO

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OliverGuy

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Anonymous-0

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LAA

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36 Coupe

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c.w n.y

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