Grass seed planter having fluid injection soil opener

Claim 1

A planter comprising: a frame adapted to be moved by hand over the ground along a selected line of direction; a source A of pressurized liquid positioned remote from said frame and a flexible conduit coupled to said source A and extending to said frame; a source B of gas pressurized seed material to be planted, said source B being located remote from said frame, and a second flexible conduit coupled to said source B and extending to said frame; a plurality of fluid outlets supported by said frame lying generally along a line across said line of direction and coupled to said source A through said flexible conduit, and each being oriented to direct a fine pressurized stream of liquid at a point on the ground, whereby there is cut a plurality of parallel grooves in the ground in said line of direction as said frame is moved along said line of direction; a like plurality of seed material outlets coupled to said source B through said second flexible conduit, and each supported on said frame along a line which intersects a said fluid outlet wherein said last-named line is along said line of direction, and wherein each said seed material outlet is positioned to direct seed material into one of said grooves as said frame is moved along a said line of direction at a point spaced from the point of impact of a said stream; valve means coupled in circuit between said source A and, simultaneously, all of said fluid outlets for selectively turning on and off flow simultaneously to said outlets; and seed control means connected in circuit between said source B and said seed material outlets for initiating and terminating the supply of seed to said seed material outlets; whereby, by operation of said valve means and said control means, and movement of said frame over ground along said line of direction, a plurality of parallel narrow grooves are simultaneously cut in the ground, and seed is deposited in each groove, and whereby seed is deposited behind and thus spaced from a said stream of liquid, this spacing preventing direct impact by a said stream on deposited seed, reducing the number of seed washing out of a groove, and thereby achieving a higher effective planting rate.