SOWING WITH THE ELIET GZC750/1000

The art of lawn construction in a single machine

ALL LAWN CONSTRUCTION OPERATIONS IN ONE MACHINE

ELIET provides two machines that combine almost all landscaping operations in one machine. With the ELIET GZC 750 or 1000 you choose for a compact, autonomous self-driving machine that is a model of efficiency. Thanks to optimal manoeuvrability and an eye for user comfort, this is the ideal partner for every garden professional who wishes to excel in the construction of a perfect lawn.

The complete construction of a lawn with a GZC involves two separate processes: seedbed preparation and sowing.

PROCESS 1: SEEDBED PREPARATION

1. CRUMBLING

The front crumble rolls carry most of the machine’s weight. When preparing the site these rolls are the first to come into contact with the roughly prepared soil. These meshed rolls partly flatten the soil and crumble large clods.

2. FINE TILLAGE OF THE TOP LAYER

The finer the soil structure of the seedbed, the better the habitat of the grass seeds and the faster the germination process is triggered. The teeth till the top layer with intense vibrating movements and break up clods to produce a very fine soil structure. The fast vibration mode (590 strokes per minute) is best for this operation.

3. GROUND LEVELLING

As the teeth move quickly through the top layer, they function as a levelling blade that collects and drags soil along. Any small bumps on the surface are scraped off and hollows are filled with part of the moved earth. In this way the structural irregularities are levelled out and smoothed away.

4. ROLLING

The machine-wide rear roller then finishes off the levelling work carried out by the vibrating harrow by firming the loosened soil again. Air cavities in the top layer should be prevented because they cause the soil to dry out too quickly and create a false image of a level surface. Failure to sufficiently firm the top layer results quite quickly in subsidence, rutting and erosion.

PROCESS 2: SOWING

1. LEVELLING

In the second process the front rollers enhance the preliminary levelling work. Any traces of the first process are simultaneously smoothed away.

2. SOWING

The hopper is then placed in the machine to scatter the seeds according to the set flow rate. The guide plate, along which the seeds slide down, comes to about 10 cm (3,9 inch) above the ground providing a low free fall height to minimise the effect of the wind on the seed distribution. The scatter zone is located between the front roller and the vibrating harrow.

3. COVERING THE GRASS SEED

As no further actual tillage is required during the seeding process, the vibrating harrow does not need to be set deep. The function of the vibrating harrow is now to evenly distribute the scattered seed over the working width so that the sowing lines are broken up. The most important action here is to ensure that the seeds are covered with a thin layer of soil so that they are protected from the wind and the sight of birds. The ideal sowing depth is between 5 and 10 mm (0,2 and 0,4 inch) for a rapid grass seed emergence. The slow vibration mode is best for this operation.

4. FINISHING

The rear crumble roller presses the soil just enough to safely cover the sown grass seed and to leave the soil airy enough to quickly absorb moisture after rain. Hence the moisture level in this secure habitat below the top layer is ideal for the seed, which will then germinate faster.

more info: www.eliet.eu