Grass Seeders

Typically used for reseeding and overseeding pastures, the pneumatic Air 8 (8 outlets) and the Air 16 (16 outlets) are usually fitted to an OPICO Grass Harrow.

Download the brochure here: OPICO Grass Harrow and Air Seeders (fliphtml5.com)

Designed to accurately meter and distribute grass and small seeds evenly across the full width of the grass harrow which opens up the soil, creating a tilth for improved seed to soil contact. 

The seed roller metering is driven by a land wheel on the Air 8 and by an electronic GPS receiver on the Air 8E and Air 16E. The 8 outlet seeders have an electric fan whilst the 16 outlet has a hydraulic fan. Hydraulic fan upgrades are available for the Air 8 and 8E models.

The grass seeder seed rate can be varied from 1 to 80kg* per hectare, according to the type of seed being sown and whether reseeding or overseeding. Where oversowing only specific areas of a field, electronic seeders can also be switched on or off during the harrowing operation.

Sowing should always be followed with rolling to ensure good seed-to-soil contact is achieved.

The productivity of old or patchy leys can be rejuvenated and the life of the ley extended, simply by overseeding. This is especially useful where poor drainage or flooding has killed off grass in certain areas of a field, or where livestock have poached ground near gateways and troughs. In addition, the field does not have to come out of use.

With few effective clover-safe herbicides around, many farmers have adopted the approach of ridding the leys of perennial weeds like docks and thistles first, and only stitching-in clover once a clean grass ley has been established. Using the OPICO Grass Harrow, bare ground is exposed onto which the broadcast clover seed can land and establish.

Typically a first year reseed is expected to give 25% more yield than an old ley, although improvements of 40% have been known. Furthermore the modern grass varieties in seed mixtures have been bred to utilise nitrogen better, and have higher yields and digestibility than older grasses.

In soil conditions where it is difficult to establish new leys, aggressively cultivating the surface and heavily overseeding with a OPICO Seeder in consecutive seasons can give a reliable alternative.

After the usual ground cultivations, always roll the field at least once to obtain a good firm seedbed before harrowing and seeding and then roll again after to ensure good soil to seed contact.