Bulking up small seed quantities

[Boomerang]

Need to sow a mix of different sized seed in a small grass seeder .
But need to bulk up volume so seeder will cope .basically havnt got enough seed to fill hopper . It's WAY to expensive .
Any ideas ?
Not sure sand is an option.

 

[Great In Grass]

The most common choices are dried sand, sawdust and compost for smaller areas.

 

[M-J-G]

An old boy I know told me to use sawdust
When I couldn't find the small seed roller for our Opico grass seed Harrow.
Worked fine.

 

[Tim G]

 

[Boomerang]

It's a wild flower mix of varying sizes

 

[Chae1]

Spoke to somebody that used rice for low rate osr!

 

[Barleymow]

Mixed chalk with clover in Aus

 

[Boomerang]

Spoke to somebody that used rice for low rate osr!

 

[Great In Grass]

Another option is to mix in a small amount of amenity grass seeds. This will act as a nurse crop for the wildflowers, sheltering them whilst they establish as well as preventing soil erosion by stabilising the soil.

 

[Nukemall]

Spoke to somebody that used rice for low rate osr!

Would probably have had a better rice crop than osr this winter!

 

[Barleymow]

Be handy in a wet season crop the best looking one

 

[Farmer Ben]

Tapioca is used in oilseed rape breeding to bulk up seed lots.

 

[Boomerang]

Aiming for 1.5 kg over 400m2.

When I bulk it up add sand or whatever add say 6kg sand plus 1.5kg seed . And calibrate seeder to put it all on given area. So although I'm aiming for 4gn2 with sand plus seed I'll apply 18gm2.

 

[Happy hillbily]

@farmideas had an article years ago with someone who was doing the same, possibly with clover though. Filled a milk bottle with the seeds, drilled a hole in the lid, and made a frame to hold it inverted in the hopper of a vicon wagtail. The seeds trickled into the hopper out of the milk bottle, and spread through the wagtail as normal, saved bulking up the seeds.

 

[deere 6600]

@farmideas had an article years ago with someone who was doing the same, possibly with clover though. Filled a milk bottle with the seeds, drilled a hole in the lid, and made a frame to hold it inverted in the hopper of a vicon wagtail. The seeds trickled into the hopper out of the milk bottle, and spread through the wagtail as normal, saved bulking up the seeds.

I used to mix oat husks with rape seed etc to bulk out a bit sorry don't know where you would get them now or just some old grass seed

 

[farmerm]

@farmideas had an article years ago with someone who was doing the same, possibly with clover though. Filled a milk bottle with the seeds, drilled a hole in the lid, and made a frame to hold it inverted in the hopper of a vicon wagtail. The seeds trickled into the hopper out of the milk bottle, and spread through the wagtail as normal, saved bulking up the seeds.

I remember someone doing something similar to that on a farm I worked on over 20 years ago!

 

[Bury the Trash]

@farmideas had an article years ago with someone who was doing the same, possibly with clover though. Filled a milk bottle with the seeds, drilled a hole in the lid, and made a frame to hold it inverted in the hopper of a vicon wagtail. The seeds trickled into the hopper out of the milk bottle, and spread through the wagtail as normal, saved bulking up the seeds.

 

[serf]

Your getting a bit advanced here for me .....

 

[Chae1]

How do you calibrate the bottle?

 

[Bury the Trash]

How do you calibrate the bottle?

the drill hole in the carton { that is to let the seed drop out) with a small bit to start with then progressively bigger if needed, to suit .
put the timer what drops out then work out speed/area covered etc...same as usual

the baler cord pulls the bottle upright to stop seed running out on headland

ive never used the idea mind, keep meaning too .
Original Idea Curtesy of Mike Lemmy i believe who sowed clover with it.