Judges Contracting Ltd has opted to extend its seven-year use of the Vredo seeder range because of the direct contact approach the machines uses to plant the seed.
Remarkably the decision to upgrade wasn’t to replace the existing model, but instead to add some more width and a larger hopper size to the current operation. Both seeders, old and new, are used relentlessly by Judges Contracting Ltd director, Bryan Judges and his team, and offer the assurance that the seed will be safe with every use.
This is an unrivalled benefit to any contractor, groundsmen or greenkeeper when it comes to overseeding because it takes time and money to seed a pitch, but with the seed placed in direct contact with the soil Bryan knows he will get a reliably excellent germination rate.
“We get a good germination because the Vredo puts the seed down into the ground,” Bryan began. “Obviously, it depends a lot on the weather, but even if you don’t get the rain straight away the seed sits in the ground and waits until it comes.
“We’ve seen it work time and time again over the last seven years, and that along with the quality of the machine is why we upgraded to another model and refurbished our older seeder, which is still using the original disks.
“The speed we can use the machine at is also a big advantage, a normal football pitch takes a couple of hours to go over twice on the diagonal and you can go quickly. The important thing here is that we can go quickly without compromising on quality.
“Knowing we can rely on the seeder is very important because time is money, and it makes scheduling difficult if you lose a day here and there, because at this time of year you’d never catch up.”
Scheduling difficulties aren’t the only issues that contractors face. In order to run a smooth operation different sites will be worked on during a day, meaning versatility is paramount. Varying budgets have to be met and this is where the adjustable seed rate of the Vredo Compact comes in.
Combined with a 220-litre hopper capacity and 75mm disc spacing the machine has all the qualities needed to overseed on a wide variety of sites. Bryan uses it on football pitches, rugby pitches and cricket outfields across councils, national and local sports stadiums, and public and private schools.
Speaking about these qualities Bryan said: “Being able to vary the seed rate is a good for us because the amount of seed we use varies depending on their budget. We work at sites from public schools to sports facilities so the variation of clients and sports we work on can fluctuate and we are able to meet that.
“There are also times when two pitches for different clients may be next to each other, so it’s quicker to seed them at the same time rather than doing one after the other. So, having that flexibility to alter the seed volume to meet the different requirements proves useful for us almost every time we use the Vredo”
The efficiency of the machine comes from the process it uses to put the seed in contact with the soil. Seed is placed in a V-shaped slit, at a pre-set depth of between 5mm & 25mm deep, directly in contact with the soil for maximum germination rate. The slits are then closed by a compaction roller and a level surface re-established.
