INSTALL YOUR PROJECT

Seeding: Drilling

Drilling is best used on larger sites of more than 1/2 acre due to the equipment involved. It often results in better seed-to-soil contact and higher germination rates than hand- broadcasting. Due to native seeds’ seed size, shape, and weight, meadow seed mixes aren’t compatible with standard agricultural seed drills such as a local farm might have onsite, so a tractor with a special native seed drill attachment is needed. 

Photo: Adam T. Deen

At the time of this writing, we are aware of two companies with native seed drills for hire in the Hudson Valley:

  • Monarch Vegetation Services is connected with Ernst Seed Company and is based in Cochranton, PA. They offer seed drilling services for solar sites and commercial and residential scales.

  • Matt’s Landscaping, based in Falls Village in Northwestern CT, offers complete meadow installation including site preparation with organic herbicide (not described in this guide) and seed drilling.

Cost: For the pilot sites documented in this guide, installation prices ranged from $350-$1000 per acre. Total cost often includes mobilization and travel cost for the contractor, so prices are lower if the site is large or if multiple sites can be seeded within one mobilization. For lower costs per acre on a small site, talk to your neighbors about installing meadows on several properties! 

A standard Truax drill (5’ wide) can usually install up to ten acres of meadow in one day. These drills are capable of installing cover crops at the same time as the meadow mix. 

Tractor with a Truax native seed drill attachment sowing a meadow in Red Hook, NY. Photo: PCA

View case studies that made use of native seed drilling: Gallatin Case Study and Red Hook Case Study


Native seed drills are manufactured by one company, Truax. They are widely available in the Midwest and Great Plains where prairie restoration is a priority, but can be hard to find in the Northeast. Truax native seed drills can be calibrated to install meadow mixes of various types and proportions of grass to wildflower seed.

Photo: Adam T. Deen