Many people know the benefits of seed pelleting. It wraps tiny and hard-to-sow seeds into round and uniform pellets for precision sowing. The seeds can go into the field with fertilizer and pesticides. It saves labor and reduces seed consumption. But many farmers and seedling nurseries overlook one point. Pelleting is only a processing method. It cannot change the original quality of seeds. If you want qualified and practical pelleted seeds, you need to complete several preparations before processing.
First, use seeds with a high germination rate. The pellet coat is just wrapping material. It cannot improve seed vitality. If the original seeds have a low germination rate, even good-looking pellets will lead to uneven seedling emergence. Test the germination rate before pelleting. Only use seeds with high germination. This is the foundation of good seedling emergence.
Second, ensure seed purity. Dirt, broken shells, empty seeds and weed seeds mixed in the seeds will cause troubles. The pellet machine cannot tell seeds from impurities. Impurities will also be coated into pellets. This causes empty pellets or pellets with more than one seed and ruins the effect of precision sowing. Remove all impurities. Clean seeds help produce pellets with consistent size.
Third, prepare sufficient and stable water supply. Pelleting powder is a degradable polymer material. It breaks down only when meeting water. Enough water allows pelleted seeds to break the coat and sprout normally. Otherwise, the seed germination rate will be affected.
Last, confirm the sowing method in advance. Pneumatic sowing, seedling raising and seed tape sowing require different pellet sizes. Confirm your sowing method first, then adjust the pellet formula and size to get the best result.
For seed pelleting, the important work lies in pre-processing preparation. If you get these four points ready, the pelleting process will run smoothly. Seedlings will emerge evenly later, and the value of seed pelleting technology can be fully realized.