Seeding & Site Preparation:
Past to Present
Mike Pellant
Great Basin Restoration Initiative Coordinator
Bureau of Land Management
Boise, Idaho
Starting in the 1930’s…How could the
productivity of degraded rangelands in the
Western USA be increased?
Agricultural drills were not designed to
be used on most rangelands
Origination of the Rangeland Drill
First rangeland drill
constructed by the Forest
Service in Oregon in 1951.
Range Seeding Committee (now
RTEC) designed the drill which was
first constructed commercially by
Laird Welding and Manufacturing
Works in 1955
Early Modifications to the Rangeland Drill
Drag chains/tubes to cover seed
Depth bands to reduce
seeding depth or add
weights on drill arms to
increase seeding depth
Deep furrow drill = two disc
openers instead of one.
Deep furrow drill
Rangeland drill
Plant materials (crested wheatgrass), equipment
(rangeland drill), and society supported the “range
improvement era”
1970’s-- Increased wildfires
= significant sagebrush losses
=increased wildlife concerns…
and calls to use more native
species!
Palatable Native Shrubs
Bitterbrush
Fourwing saltbrush
Winterfat
Reestablishing Sagebrush
Grasslander Seeder
• Easy-to-Calibrate
• Will Firm-Up Seedbed and Place
Seed 0"-1/4" Deep
• Directional Agitators Assure
Constant Seed-Flow
• No Stopping to Fix Flats in
Mesquite or Rocky Country
Native Seed—Rangeland Drill
Compatibility Issues
Diverse Seed
Mixtures
Suitable
Seedbed
Improved Seed Boxes on
Rangeland Drill
Multiple seed boxes (3)
on rangeland drill frame.
“Trashy” seed box that
can distribute multiple
types of native seeds.
Can Successfully Disperse Native Seed….
Winterfat/Western Yarrow
….Still Can’t Control Seed Placement in
Seedbed Very Well!
Seeding rate/depth problems in variable and disturbed seedbeds
Rough Rider Drill
•Planting width: 10 ft.
•Overall width: 13.5 ft.
•Height: 7.5 ft
•Front to back length: 17 ft. (with tongue)
Row Spacing: 10 rows on 12" centers :
Weight: Approximately 8,000 lbs
Drill Comparison Study
Rangeland drill
Minimum till drill
Rangeland & Minimum Till Drill Comparison
Drill mix
Fourwing saltbush
Blue flax
Munro globemallow
Bluebunch wheatgrass
Bottlebrush squirreltail
Indian ricegrass
Broadcast mix
Wyoming big sagebrush
Rubber rabbitbrush
Western yarrow
Sandberg bluegrass
Drill
Minimumtill
Rangeland
No Drill
Seeding
Rates
No Seed
Low
High
No Seed
Low
High
No Seed
Density of Broadcast Species
W y o m in g B ig S a g e ( p la n t s /m
2
)
Wyoming Big Sagebrush
End of first growing season
a
1.6
1.4
a
1.2
1
0.8
b
0.6
bc
0.4
bc
c
0.2
0
No Seed
Low
Min-till
High
No Seed
Low
Rangeland
High
Density of Broadcast Species
W estern Y arro w (p lan ts/m
2
) .
Western Yarrow
End of first growing season
3
a
2.5
2
b
1.5
1
0.5
d
d
cd
c
0
No Seed
Low
Min-till
High
No Seed
Low
Rangeland
High
Density of Drilled Species
End of first growing season
30
a
25
a
20
b
b
15
b
10
d
5
e
e
e
c
cd
e
Min-till
Rangeland
Humboldt
Min-till
High
Low
High
No
S eed
Low
No
S eed
High
Low
High
No
S eed
Low
0
No
S eed
Blu eb u n ch W h eatg rass Den sity (p lan ts m -2 ) .
Bluebunch Wheatgrass
Rangeland
Gopher
Density of Drilled Species
S quirreltail (plants/m
2
) .
Bottlebrush Squirreltail
2
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
End of first growing season
a
ab
ab
ab
Low
High
b
c
No Seed
Low
Min-till
High
No Seed
Rangeland
Density of Drilled Species
Blue Flax
End of first growing season
a
10
F lax (p lan ts/m
2
) .
12
8
b
6
c
c
4
2
d
d
0
No Seed
Low
Min-till
High
No Seed
Low
Rangeland
High
Cheatgrass (plants/m2 ) .
Density of Cheatgrass
70
a
60
50
40
30
b
20
10
c
c
Min-till
Rangeland
0
Humboldt
Min-till
Rangeland
Gopher
Successful Native Seeding
Site Preparation/Competition Control
Thre
shol
d
Site Preparation/Competition Control
Thre
shol
d
Site Preparation/Competition Control
Thre
shol
d
Site Preparation/Competition Control
1.
Biological
2.
Mechanical
3.
Prescribed Fire
4.
Herbicides
S
e
e
d
Thre
shol
d
Mechanical Cheatgrass Control
Proper treatment
timing is essential
to reduce future
cheatgrass!
Rough/Loose Seedbed—Seeding Equipment??
Cheatgrass control
requires seed to be buried
2-3 inches (Hulbert 1955)
or live plants to be disked
or plowed before
cheatgrass turns “purple”
Land Imprinter
Seedbed
preparation &
seeding (seeder
can be mounted
on back of
tractor)
Use caution on sandy or loose soils
Chain and Seed
Competition Control and Seed
Revegetation Equipment Catalog
Contents
Home
Forward
Tractors
All-terrain vehicles
GPS
Controlling plants
mechanically
Controlling plants
chemically
Controlling plants by fire
Site preparation
Fertilization and
mulching
Seeding
Specialized planters
Contact us
Produced in cooperation with:
Rangeland Technology & Equipment Council
USDA Forest Service
USDI Bureau of Land Management
On the web at “http://Reveg-catalog.tamu.edu”
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Copyright 2004-2005 Harold Wiedemann
All rights reserved
Summary
Site Prep and Seeding Requirements
• Site Preparation:
• Control competitive species--multiple options
• Consider the resulting seedbed
• Seeding Equipment:
•
•
•
•
Ability to disperse a diverse seed mixture
Proper seeding depth & rate
Cost and effectiveness of equipment
Maintenance and durability
Proper site preparation + appropriate seed mixture +
right seeding equipment + favorable weather, and
good post-treatment management=