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reptyle

seed dispersal

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So imagine a multi-tubuled sphere. Tubules are made from biodegradable cellulose. Each tube is filled with nutrient rich seed mixture. These spheres carried along in the wind much like a tumbleweed, travel long distances across open land until, eventually, becoming lodged against a tree or resting up against rocky outcrops, perfectly positioned to utilise the dew which tends to form in these locations. This method can be used to massively increase the biomass in arid regions. Starting with pioneer species and gradually increasing in fertility.

The ratio of tubule size to the style of the weave dictates the amount of wind being caught and thus the dispersal device travels.

im sure theres some expansion that can be done on this concept.

another idea was to use paper or biodegradable plastic ping-pong ball size capsules filled with seed, nutrient and those water holding jelly crystals dropped from the sky over susceptable areas.

thoughts?

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Tumbleweeds, I like it :D Though I can see local kids kicking them around like footys and the odd wombat looking startled as it trundles by...

The "ping pong" ball thing is used a bit in forestry, along with clay seed pelleting (clay, fert, seed, fungicide, wetting agent, chelating agent), a few good sites on that. It all depends on what you're trying to seed, fairly localised plants tend to get around anyway, and just because there are a lot of extra beans around doesn't mean there is water to support em etc...though I do believe in the stepping stone theory of revegetation and in any event it's a noble cause.

My unknowingly gifted other half mentioned a while ago that you could load a bunch of useful beans into those little water bomb balloons, fill em up with kelp and water and drive around bombing gullies and weedy patches. Be an idea to use green ones though as otherwise birds might try to eat them. Actually on third thoughts the bits might end up in waterways choking turtles. Podbodies Nerfect.

How bout a helium balloon with an attached package with a tiny plug , string running from it, launch balloon wait til it's high enough for ya and pull the plug... like sands thru the hourglass ? :P

In rocky terrain packing in peat, coco or whatever would help with impact damage to seeds while still being hard enough to help the package burst if dropped by chopper. Two "cells" from eggcartons taped top to top (if that makes any sense) would be a handy to chuck little package, biodegradable and recycled, they suck up moisture pretty well too...fill em up with mix and a few seeds, whatever else. then with a bit of taping they shouldn't open til the seeds are bursting them open when there is the right kind of moisture around.

I like the "automatic" nature of your tumbleweed but reckon it might end up in gullies etc which tend to be planty enough anyway, though it would be dropping more seeds in rougher areas with little nooks and crannies to protect germing plants in.

Me I just carry a clippy bag of mixed useful things and chuck a sprinkle here n there when I remember. Just don't get too ambition , a trail of illegals 6 feet tall with your home at one end and your work at the other isn't a great look, though it is a beautiful thing I guess :D

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Could you train a monkey to eat the seeds and then send him walking about land and trails, dispersing the variety of seeds throughout the ...

wait a minute, i think this has been done before! :wink:

What I fail to understand, is how so many fruit trees can pop up just where someone has chucked an old piece of fruit and yet, when I sprinkle seed and even give it a water or a kick-over of dirt, they don't like to take.

Should there be seasonal times for dispersing your seed-bombs? In or out of germinating season?

I liked the idea of just using balls of coco peat (i think it was this) fitted out with bits of broken terracotta (protection, no doubt), the seeds and some compost or maybe a few water-saving crystals (woooo-ooo, the power of the crystals Compels you!). How did the johnny/janey appleseed historical figure manage to sow thousands of apple trees with no seed-bombing technology .. musta been some sorta greenfreak!

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trained monkey number 1127469 reporting for duty :D

Love the rocket idea, have to admit it occured to me but didn't want to sound like a terrorist :P you can get those model kits from hobby shops, but might be something of a fire hazard really.

Not sure what you mean to do wit hthe terracotta in the coco balls? Big fan of coco here though, lovely stuff in many ways. Not so nice for the low paid sri lankan bastards breathing the crap in all day though.

Most seeds of any real merit will patiently wait up to a year for the right conditions to form, what you want to avoid though is false starts... some kind of inbuilt capacity to only pop when the right amount of water is around would be handy. I'd pack any seedballs bone dry at any rate.Hard coated seeds tend to wait until they get a LOT of water to start up, smaller softer things try and start off any amount really, all it takes is one drink and they're off. Like those baby hawaiians, need a HEAP of constant moisture to pop those coats properly, unless you nick them (or bite them :D chompchomp) whereas tomato's just take off.

I know I haven't really planted out my vege beds for years now, they're mostly self sown.

I'd be aiming for a year round mix of seeds I guess, and spread the balls maybe twice a year to cover your bets. Depends on your purpose.. lookinng into prepackaged "guilds" would be an idea, also innoculation of anything that appreciates fungal associates etc.

I spread seed on a small scale by throwing fruit fly affected tomatos for example as far as I can, get seeded herb bushes (annuals) and basically beat the rest of the garden with them scourge style (oo kinky, love those plants til it HURTS baby). Some areas get decent overland water flow in peak rains, releasing seeds around then can make sure at least some of em end up in places where the water "sinks" so they get a good drink, also planting things in creeklines JUST under water level as they creek is drying up, roots drop as the water level falls.Not a great idea with weedy tough things though, or anything that tends to drop a LOT of seeds.

Maybe we can all chuck in and by an old ww2 bomber, start flying all over the country planting the A to Z of useful things :D We have an Ace around here don't we?Dunno if he can fly but it'd be something you'd get good at really quickly wouldn't it?

I've loaded plastic bags with some things, made a lil hole in em and held them out the window of the car doing 80 along green leafy stretches, haven't seen the results yet but ya never know :D

In a way seed balling is making smaller seeds into bigger seeds ie larger nute reserves and water holding capacity, for a good head start.Then again it's a lot like leaving the seeds in the fruit and just chuking it as far as you can :P

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