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Shotgunning wildflower seeds?

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ArmedBear

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I was talking with our range manager about spreading some seeds on the hillside behind our clays range next spring. The regularly alternating rain and sunshine we've gotten this year after a long drought has made for some real amazing flowers in the hills and the desert around San Diego, and we'd like to encourage this if there's enough rain next year.

What I thought of was to load up a bunch of shells with "mixed local wildflower" seed packets, and shoot them up into the hills when the soil is wet and soft.

Anyone ever try this? Think it might work? Or would the seeds be destroyed as they were fired?
 
would have to be at a very, very low pressure....

But seeds are tough. If they weren't, they couldn't have survived this long. I'm sure if you did this right, it would work.
 
That's an interesting idea.
I think the main problem you would have is the seeds not being very deep in the ground.

You'd either need to put a lot of seeds down or be close enough to put them an inch or two into the soil. If you don't mind it being patchy, just go for it.
Though, it would probably be easier to use conventional method of spreading the seeds.
 
For the novelty of it? Why not. I don't think flower seeds are going to go very far when fired from a shotgun as they aren't very dense.

If your goal is to have fun with a shotgun it sounds like a good idea. If your goal is to seed an area with wildflower, I think your time would be better spent hand-casting the seeds.
 
It's a pretty steep slope. It'd be a lot easier to stand at the base of it and blast upwards (as well as, it would probably be kinda fun and therefore easy to recruit volunteers).
 
did a quick google search... came up with a couple interesting items:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/yorkslincs/series3/gardening_shotgun_yorkshire_reginald_farrer.shtml
In one infamous incident, Farrer loaded a shotgun with seeds collected on his foreign travels, and fired them into a rock cliff and gorge in his native North Yorkshire.

The lasting legacy is a spectacular display of plants from the Himalayas which are today growing in a wild display around Ingleborough.
Click to expand...

also a patent for such a thing:

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3996865.html
Shotshell with seed capsule

United States Patent 3996865

A cartridge for both hunting and seed distributing purposes comprising a cylindrical casing having a primer, a propellant charge ignitable upon firing of said primer, spaced-apart wads above said propellant charge defining a load-receiving volume therebetween, a load of plant seeds received within a capsule disposed within said volume; a multi-missile shot charge provided above said volume and means for enclosing the normally forward end of said cartridge.
Click to expand...

although talking about a specific and extraordinarily robust type of seed:

http://waynesword.palomar.edu/pljune98.htm
we replaced the lead pellets of a low-velocity 12 gauge shotgun shell with seeds of Indian shot. Note: This questionable practice is NOT recommended for safety reasons and because it might damage your barrel. At a distance of 10 feet (3 m) the seeds made a gaping hole in quarter inch plywood, and some of the seeds were practically unaltered by the blast.
Click to expand...

who knows... it's a fun topic anyway ;)
 
Interesting...

Palomar College is in San Diego County. Maybe I should contact this guy. Thanks! :)
 
do a search for spreading wildflower seeds in balls of clay or soil. I recall reading about this in some gardening magazine, a project to introduce kids to gardening; they mixed seeds in soil or clay and threw them in a field they would break up and germinate, depending on how steep your hillside is the seed balls may roll back down at you. Not as fun as shooting from a shotgun but maybe you can use sling shots or better yet make a catapult or trebuchet.
 
Come to think of it, I think I may be able to scrounge up a cannon...
Click to expand...

Wasn't that how they used to spread "ditchweed" at one time in the distant past? I guess technically it's a wildflower.
 
Interesting patents, though somehow I doubt seeds would harm your barrel more than lead or steel.
 
Wildflower seed is generally very light. A pound comes in a very big sack.

And the good stuff (guaranteed pure live seed) is EXPENSIVE.

If you want to plant wildflowers, do it in a proven, traditional manner. Like bensdad sez. You'll economically arrive at better results.

Other than that, it might be fun to see the band of flowers around station 8, if you could convince the range master not to mow.

Soakers - Landscape Architect.
 
As someone who loves to eat fruit, may I suggest some cherry pit sabots? :)

I always wished that Johnny Appleseed had been more into blackberries, cherries and strawberries, but apples are nice, too. If Johnny'd had a shotgun full of seed, he could've blazed a wider trail.

timothy
 
I say go for it. Couldn't hurt; and the worst you could do is waste some seed.

I'd wait until the wind was blowing towards the slope, and then start blasting. Or maybe just shoot straight up and count on the fluttering action for dispersal. Seeds get planted like this all the time, falling off (and out of,) birds and whatnot.
 
What's the worst that could happen?

Stack your shotgun with alternating shells containing the seed, cream, and sugar so if the seeds don't grow you'll wind up with a hillside of tasty breakfast.

Call it "Quaker Puffed Wildflowers" and have a new industry.
 
Hmmmm...

Coffee beans in a 3.5" shell, through a Turkey Super Full choke, might come out in a nice coarse grind...
 
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