5 ms·
How about "shooting" the seeds at some velocity into the ground so they are embedded a few mm into the top soil?
by albert_e 4y ago
How about "shooting" the seeds at some velocity into the ground so they are embedded a few mm into the top soil?
- yetihehe 4y agoSome seeds can't survive such deceleration.
- Ancapistani 4y agoCan you provide examples of such? I'm not calling bullshit, I'm honestly curious. I'd like to experiment with them - maybe using a paper or clay "sabot" that encases the seed, then fire it out of a relatively low-pressure pneumatic barrel. I'm imagining a fixed-wing drone with a downward-facing semi-auto "seed gun" that fires seed "bullets" from a magazine. It sounds like a fun side project that touches on several of my hyperfixations :)
- yetihehe 4y agoI'm not seed expert, but I think for example acorns or any slightly wet seed will smash if shot at ground. Only dried hard seeds would have a chance.
- xypage 4y agoThey're so light that their terminal velocity is very low, so when "shooting" them you'd have to be very close to the ground otherwise they'll decelerate almost immediately, long before they reach it. Anecdotally, even from right next to the ground I don't think seeds have enough mass to have the kinetic energy at any realistic speed to embed into the soil.
- albert_e 4y agoMoving goalposts a bit ... Can we coat the seeds in a layer of compost / biodegradable fertilizer ... and so make them heavy enough to work like small bullets, and also thereby protect the seed from shattering on impact