Planting carrots always takes a long time. If you sow seedlings in random order, then as they emerge, you will have to thin out and remove weak shoots. Seeders are used to reduce planting time as well as planting evenly. They can be purchased or made yourself.
Types and advantages of using a carrot seeder
Seeders made for manual seeding are divided into several types:
- Fat - recommended to simplify the process of fertilization or lime distribution over the territory;
- Garden - designed for sowing seeds for agricultural needs in areas near the house or vegetable gardens;
- Cereals - provide for planting in vast territories - in grain fields.
A simple seeder can be made from scrap material without spending too much money. But all simple devices are made only for the hole, that is, it is often problematic or almost impossible to adjust the required volume of the hole.
If you make a simple seeder with your own hands, then it is recommended to provide for the moment of planting various planting material. It is necessary so that the hole made of the sheet of iron can be adjusted.
The advantages of such a device are:
- Uniform sowing planting material;
- Placement on the same depth;
- The same distance between landings;
- Simplicity in use;
- Ease in building.
With the help of such a unit, you can quickly and in a short time plant a vast territory. After working with a carrot seeder, you do not have to pull out excess seedlings, injuring those that remain for further growth.
Manual Seed Planter
This type of planting technology is used over large areas. It is able to create even grooves, in which a uniform amount of seeds is applied. It can be used not only for sowing planting material for carrots, but also for beets, onions, parsley, lettuce or other small seeds.
The groove is made by moving the wheel, on which special blades or spikes are located. With these outgrowths, the wheel creates holes of a certain size with the same depth.
The device of the seeder is such that a spout goes from the hopper through which a certain amount of seeds is sown. The seedling feed is strictly regulated by a special valve.
At the back, there is additionally a wheel with a smooth surface, which, when driving, falls asleep and compacts the holes with planting material.
Some manual seeders can have multiple planting rows and can also be adjusted for the depth of the push-in depression.
Piston
The piston seeder for carrots looks like a plastic container, cylindrical in nature. Planting material is placed in it. At the bottom there is an adjustable conical hole for sowing seedlings into the soil. On top of this device is a piston fitted with a spring.
This unit works on the principle of squeezing a certain amount into a pre-prepared recess in the ground. To prevent seedlings from scattering in different directions, the piston seeder is placed 5 cm above ground level.
Some farmers find the piston planter a problematic device, while replacing it with an ordinary medical syringe. But working with a syringe brings a lot of inconvenience:
- When squeezing seeds, they often scatter in different directions;
- Pressing the syringe cannot be controlled therefore, the seeds spill out in different volumes.
The piston planting system is designed for large areas, and with a syringe you can't sow much. Therefore, it is better to use a spring-loaded piston.
Funnel-shaped
One of the simplest mechanisms is a large dispenser with a miniature "spout". The cone extending into the ground has a hole, the volume of which can be adjusted by the diaphragm inside.
The funnel is placed above the soil surface at a height of 15 cm and the preparation is gently shaken... The seeds, rolling out along the groove, are evenly placed in the furrow.
Using such a funnel-bowl, it is possible to achieve correct, even grooves, while not thickening with an excessive amount of seeds.
The disadvantage is the need to adapt or adapt to such work... If you shake it often or vigorously, then you can plant the seeds not at all in the groove, but around the entire area.
Planter for carrots from a bar
This planting method is similar to the egg tray planting method. To make a planter from a bar, you will need several plastic covers and a block of wood. Its dimensions can be arbitrary, but it is better to adhere to the proven volume of a wooden plank - 5x5x50 cm.
The covers are nailed on one side. The earth needs to be well loosened so that it is airy and soft. The top layer of the soil is leveled with an even side. The side with the lids is lowered into the soil and pressed... After the block is raised above the surface, even holes remain in the soil substrate for planting carrot seeds. It remains only to insert the prepared seedlings and sprinkle.
Mini rake for planting seeds
The planting rake is easy to perform if you have previously had experience with a hacksaw or jigsaw. For the prepared bed, you should pick up a long board, such that it completely covers the area.
It is recommended to clear the area for working with such equipment no more than 40-50 cm wide.
Also, for the production of a rake, you will need a block of wood, up to 20 cm long - this will be a handle.
The lower side (end) is to be cut. On it, peculiar teeth in the form of a trapezoid are cut out, so that the lower base is no more than 1 cm, and the depth reaches 2 cm. On the flat side, place the handle in the center. This can be accomplished with a nail. The work on the mini rake is over.
To perform sowing, it is required to lower an impromptu rake onto the dug, air area and draw along the perimeter. In an instant, smooth grooves are formed on the site, into which the planting material must be laid.
Additional types of seeders
There are many methods for planting seeds. Carrot seedlings are the biggest challenge for gardeners. They are quite small and difficult to plant evenly. After germination, a very large number of young shoots must be removed. Therefore, it is recommended to use different methods for planting:
- Sowing with toilet paper - numerous seeds are glued to a piece of toilet paper in an arbitrary or strictly defined order. Later, this area is covered with a small layer of earth. When sprouts germinate, they do not need to be discharged. The only thing is that weeds sprout abundantly among them. The disadvantage of this method is the long-term gluing of small seedlings to a piece of paper;
- Seeder from egg container - an original and simple way. The advantages of the method are simplicity and evenly planted seeds at the required distance. To do this, press the tray into the ground and pour the planting material into the resulting holes, 1 or 2 seeds each;
- With tape - in specialized stores you can find a special tape for planting carrots. The seedlings are already glued to it in the required order and at the optimal distance. Landing is easy to perform - a tape is applied to the made furrow and sprinkled with earth.
Thus, to plant carrots without a seeder at home is easy, but before that you need to spend either money or be patient by spreading small seeds on toilet paper. But to get a rich, and most importantly, even harvest, you can make any sacrifices.
How to make a manual carrot seeder with your own hands?
In the case when there is no extra financial means to purchase a seeder, you can make it yourself. Before work, you should draw up a drawing and an individual design of the future unit. It is best to do everything with simple models.
Production requires an axle, aluminum tubes, and wheels, as well as iron, sheet format. These parts can be used to make an excellent homemade planter without the need for heavy and costly technology.
Collection scheme:
- Aluminum tubes turn into handles. Requires measuring the angle of inclination and adjusting the height of the seeder for growth, it is best to design the handles "away from you";
- Seed bins are formed from iron in the form of cones or funnels. They are located on the axis in such a way that there is a small space of 1 cm between them;
- Each the funnel should go down with a sharp coneinside which there is a hole 0.1 cm wide;
- The central axle is connected to the wheels, the bins are placed on top of the axis to which the handles are attached;
- Additionally, if desired, you can install row limiter.
Having tested the design, you can adjust for yourself as needed so that the seedlings fall out evenly and at the same speed.
Thus, when using seeders, you can not only plant seeds in your garden or dacha with pleasure, but also spend less time. Besides, when working with technologies of such planting, it is not necessary to remove excess shoots as the culture grows... If you follow the recommendations, you can make high-quality equipment with your own hands and plant large areas of not only carrots, but also other crops.