| | Download Instructions | Downloadable Calculator
Grassland species are normally seeded in mixtures rather than monocultures. In theory, seeding rates for mixtures are simply a sum of the amount of pure live seed (PLS) of each seed lot in the mix, an amount sufficient to ensure establishment and survival of each species.
Mixtures can be complex because of the number of species used (especially in conservation and reclamation programs) and variations in seed purity and seed size. Soil limitations and seeding equipment settings need to be considered and in Canada, a metric conversion may be required.
This calculator will calculate a mix and estimate a seed density for drills or broadcast seedings for any grouping of plant species in the list. Some mixtures will not flow through all drills, some species and mixtures may not grow in your area. Do not waste seed. Consult a knowledgeable seed or forage specialist for an appropriate species mixture.
This calculator will calculate a mix and estimate a seed density for drills or broadcast seedings of tame and native forage species. Information on individual species can be located in the "Seed Guide" section of this downloadable calculator.
Download Instructions
The file folder on the disk will place several files and folders on your computer.
You may drag and drop them into any convenient folder on your hard drive. Remember to move the whole folder -- files within the folder are linked to the main program file.
| 1. | The first file is this one, titled "Readme2" |
| 2. | The main program is titled "Seeds905" or "SeedCalc".
You must have Microsoft Excel installed on your computer to run it. If you do not know whether Excel is installed look carefully at the icon displayed in the file index when you opened this disk.
If it has an 'X' symbol, the computer recognizes that it is an Excel file. |
To open the file, double click on the file icon. Excel will initiate, and usually a window will appear with a warning. This program has macros, which are small programs designed to simplify programming. The warning will say that this file contains macros and that macros may contain viruses. (This program was checked with a current version of Norton AV, and is clean of all known viruses, trojan horses and other problems. If you are still unsure, click on the "Disable Macros" button, close the file, click "No" when asked if you want to save changes and run a virus scan of all the files in this program. When you are satisfied open the Excel file again and...)
The macros need to work for the Seed Mixture Calculator to work. Most Excel versions are set by default to a 'high' security setting. This should be changed to 'medium' to allow the macros in the program to work without significantly affecting the systems security. Use the following procedure to modify your security:
| 1. | Double click on the Seed Mixture Calculator file icon. |
| 2. | After the Excel opens the file you will get a message stating something like, "The macros in this project are disabled...". |
| 3. | Click OK, (or "no" or "Cancel" depending on your version of Excel. |
| 4. | Open "Tools... Macro... Security..." on the Toolbar menu. Click "Medium"... Click "OK" or "Accept Changes" or "Apply". |
| 5. | Close the Seed Mixture Calculator file without saving. Close out Excel. |
| 6. | Double click on the Seed Mixture Calculator file icon for the second time, to open it. |
| 7. | When it opens you should have a warning screen that says the file contains macros and 3 buttons. Please 'click' on the button titled 'Enable Macros' to open the program. |
At the bottom of the open window are some worksheet tabs. One is titled "Instructions".
Please click once on this tab and read the instructions before proceeding. Please note you require Excel to run this downloadable calculator.
| 3. | A third file is titled "A Seed Mixture Calculator".
The document describes the calculator, it's features and uses.
Open the file using Acrobat Reader, a free universal text program. |
| 4. | Installation and deinstallation
For universal use, files should be installed in the following directories on your hard drive:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\AAFRDApps
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\SEEDS905Disk contents |
To move or remove these folders and their contents open Windows Explorer by double clicking on "My Computer", highlight the folder by clicking once on it, and press your 'delete' key.
Download a new version at this time.
This calculator has an expiry date of December 31st. |
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