Abstract: An apparatus and method for spot planting seedlings in which planting instrumentalities intermittently engage ground and plant seedlings at spaced spots. The planting instrumentalities include a site preparation pulverizer, seedling insertion dibble plates, and an impacting packer head for compressing soil. Mechanism is provided for sequentially actuating the various planting instrumentalities and for reducing to zero the relative traversing velocity between the planting instrumentalities and a spot of ground engaged thereby.

Abstract: An apparatus for continuously metering seeds onto a seedbed and simultaneously pressing the seeds into the soil. The seed planting apparatus includes a drum adapted to be moved in rolling contact across the seedbed, and which transports seeds on its peripheral wall from a hopper to the seedbed. The seeds are retained against apertures in the peripheral wall by means of a vacuum transmitted to the apertures through manifolds within the drum that are interconnected with a vacuum pump by means of individual hoses. A cam interrupts the vacuum by compressing the hoses when the seed-bearing apertures contact the seedbed, thereby releasing the seeds and pressing them into the soil. The seeds are preferably placed on the seedbed in a uniformly spaced array predetermined by the uniform alignment and spacing of the apertures on the wall of the drum.