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vacuum seeders
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Posted by gardengyrl Ca9 (My Page) on Sat, Mar 5, 05 at 11:12
| Anybody use one? I'm trying to weigh the relative advantages of a wand vs. a sheet seeder. Right now the wand is winning. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience using one or the other type. Thanks |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: vacuum seeders
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| I use a vacuum seeder to seed plug trays its about a $700 investment. What gets costly is buying all those predrilled seed plates for different size seed and then buying plates for different size plug trays. If your only doing a hundred trays or so a season a wand is the better investment... Bob. |
RE: vacuum seeders
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| I looked at them at a vegetable conference, then decided to make my own out of PVC pipe, pipette tips and a few PVC fittings and section of plastic hose hooked to a vacuum pump. The results were that for most fine seeds more than one would stick to the tip and in some cases none. It sure speeds up the opperation for 12X24 cell trays. You can also easily make the seed pichup tray (raised) by cutting a section out of PVC pipe and putting fittings on the ends. I didn't glue anything except the pipette tips into holes in the PVC pipe. I create and break vacuum with my one hand although I had purchased a PVC ball valve for that purpose. My costs without the pump are under $20 but I got the used plastic pipette tips free ( they would cost <$.10 each). |
RE: vacuum seeders
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| We made a wand seeder and it works pretty well. We use soil blocks, but we made it so it will do 20 in one dip. We made it with copper tubing ($7), aquireum hose ($2), and a eBay vacume pump ($12). We used the tiniest copper tube for the tips, and soldered the thing together... We occasionally get multiple seeds (especially with lettuce) so I hold it up and tap off the extra seeds with my finger and add when very rarely needed. I can seed in a tiny fraction of the time, with much less of a sore back! |
RE: vacuum seeders
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| You guys sure are resourceful, I admire that. It seems like the wand is the most versitile and easiest to fabricate. I appreciate the information and I might even try my hand at fabricating one myself. |
RE: vacuum seeders
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| You can use syringes with the point cut off for the tips. |
RE: vacuum seeders
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| Does anyone have a picture of a home made wand seeder? Are there any instructions online on how to make one? Any help is greatly appreciated! |
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