LET’S MAKE YOUR PROPERTY VISION A REALITY
Seeding
Back 40 Land Management can install your new low maintenance lawn, over-seed a thinning grass stand, create bountiful pasture forage, stabilize slopes with high erosion potential and even install native grass and flowers on areas that would otherwise be dirt and weeds. Re-seeding bare spots and areas with thinning grass is important for establishing a dense stand of grass that acts as its own form of weed control. It will be necessary to get some form of control over weeds in potential seeding sites prior to installing new native grasses so that the young grasses don’t have to compete against aggressive weeds. Timing herbicide applications correctly and using herbicides that don’t inhibit new grasses from germinating with any leftover residues will allow for an effective combination of weed control and seeding.
No-till drill seeding
Our no-till drill is very effective at establishing anything you might want to plant, as long as it’s not on a very steep slope. It’s mechanism first cuts a small slit in the soil, then deposits a carefully measured amount of seed into the slit at exactly 3/8ths of an inch deep, with a final packer wheel firming up the seed trench and ensuring good soil to seed contact. These seeding rows are spaced at roughly six inches apart to allow for grass plants to expand – once plants are mature the rows will be filled in and won’t be very obvious. This method of seeding is best suited to projects ranging from half an acre to 50 acres in size. The biggest benefits of using a no-till drill, compared to broadcast seeding or using a conventional seeder that tills up the soil, is that it will provide consistent soil/seed contact at the right depth and that it limits soil disturbance. Weeds thrive on soil disturbance, so by only cutting small slits in the soil we are inviting less weed competition as grasses establish. This drill works best on fields that haven’t received any soil preparation, although it will also work very well on bare/prepped soil. Our drill is eight feet wide and easy to maneuver through equestrian properties with small, gated paddocks. We have great germination rates using this seeder to plant dryland pasture grass, irrigated grasses and crops, native grasses, cover crops, and wildflowers.
Hydroseeding
A hydroseeder mixes a special mulch, fertilizer, water and tackifier, often with seeds incorporated into the mix. The mulch is typically made from ground up paper or wood and is what keeps the seeds safe and moist while they begin to germinate. Tackifier is added to the mix to help the mulch stick together and create a semi-firm yet breathable mat, which protects the seeds and helps the mulch remain in place on steeper slopes. Soil amendments and fertilizer can be mixed in as well. Technically, the approach we usually take to using this equipment is called “hydro mulching” – we like to broadcast seed or drill seed it first, then spray the hydro mulch slurry over the top once seeds have been worked into the soil. This ensures all seeds have good soil/seed contact, instead of some seeds being suspended in the hydro mulch as it dries on the soil surface. Hydro mulching is great for sites with limited moisture, as the mulch will help to retain moisture for seedlings, but this method of seeding is one we typically use for irrigated sites where we’re looking for grass stands with the density of turf. Hydroseeding is well suited for lawns, steeper sites where other seeding methods aren’t feasible, areas with high erosion potential, and areas where you want to plant something that isn’t available in a sod roll. We can apply a seed mix of our recommendation or to your specifications, ideally on a prepared soil seed bed.