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January 30, 2003
SEEDING IMPRINTERS: SUMMARY OF STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS *
1. Imprint geometric shape: V-shaped trough.
2 . Imprint top shape: Rectangular almost square.
3. Imprint top area: About one square foot.
4. Imprint length: 10 inches.
5. Imprint top width: 6 to 12 inches.
6. Imprint end spacing: 2 to 3 inches.
7. Imprint side top spacing: 2 to 3 inches.
8. Imprint depth: 4 to 7 inches.
9. Imprint pattern: staggered (Fig. 5, Dixon & Carr 2000).
10. Imprinter teeth: Ten-inch lengths square cut from 6"x6" or 8"x8" steel angle.
11. Imprinting roller length: 3 feet up to a 10-foot maximum in one-foot increments.
12. Roller core diameter: 20-inch minimum.
13. Imprinting pressure: Adjustable from 15 to 30 pounds per square inch (psi).
14. Imprinter weight: 500 pounds minimum per foot of imprinting roller length.
15. Imprinter ballast: 500 pounds minimum per foot of imprinting roller length.
16. Seeder Design: Seed agitating and discharge mechanism uniformly distributes trashy or fluffy seed mixes of native species just in front of the imprinting roller at the prescribed rate per acre.
Notes
a. See Table 1(Dixon & Carr, 2000) for the six categories of imprinting rollers which satisfy the first twelve specifications, listed above.
b. Land imprinter should be loaded enough to produce full-tooth imprints. Deeply compacted soils should be ripped before imprinting.
c. Imprinter seed sometime during the fall months preferably following the first good rain but before the ground freezes.
d. Native seed mixes for ecological restoration should include early, mid and late successional species with at least one-fourth by weight being the seeds of early seral or pioneer species. Also include a cool season annual grass to provide quick cover for erosion control.
e. Conversion factors: 1 inch = 2.54 cm, 1 foot = 30 cm, 1 psi = 6.90 Kpa, 1 pound = 453 gm.
* Specifications were published in the year 2000 and updated in 2003. Details may be found in the publication:
Dixon , R.M., and A. B. Carr 2000. Land Imprinting Specifications for Ecological
Restoration and Sustainable Agriculture. Proc. Conference 31, International Erosion
Control Association. February 21-25, Palm Springs, CA p. 157-169.
The Imprinting Foundation
1616 E. Lind Road
Tucson, Arizona 85719