Improving on "swords to ploughshares," let's develop a specialized round for current military rifles that can be use to plant seeds quickly and over large areas. Caliber would depend on seed,i.e. a 50mm could plant acorns from the tail gun of a C-130 or the door gun of a Huey UH-1. The round could be developed with a specialized nosecone to embed to the proper depth and protect the seed from deceleration trauma. Even if one in ten germinated, you're still ahead of the game.
-- Novysan, Apr 19 2004

Prior Art http://www.halfbake...ea/Plane_20planting
Rayfo's take on this. [DrCurry, Oct 04 2004]

More prior art http://www.halfbake...otechnic_20planting
this one from [csea] [krelnik, Oct 04 2004]

It would be biodegradable presumably.
-- benjamin, Apr 19 2004


The nosecone? sure, in fact, it could contain plantfood, to help the process along. Perhaps the shells could be made of a biodegradable substance with plantfood as well, for when they go spewing out the door.
-- Novysan, Apr 19 2004


20mm Aboreal rounds
-- bristolz, Apr 19 2004


"Lookout!"
"Grenade?"
"Nah. Coconut"
-- RayfordSteele, Apr 19 2004


Plant a vineyard with grape shot.
-- booleanfool, Apr 20 2004


Howdy, stranger.
-- FarmerJohn, Apr 20 2004


Excellent - the first benevolent bioweapon... +
-- friendlyfire, Apr 20 2004


Tilling the top-soil, their tanks took them onward,
Planting portions of the Pan American past.
Poised for action, they fired one by one,
Sowing redwood, and fir, and sycamore until the day is won!
-- Letsbuildafort, Apr 20 2004


'who's been mixing up the walnuts with the redwood again?'
-- skinflaps, Apr 20 2004


Seems redundant with [rayfro]'s idea.
-- phoenix, Apr 20 2004


"Eat acorns, evildoers!" +
-- echo, Apr 20 2004


I'd always wondered if a tree could grow in someone's brain... you'd need to clear the planting area beforehand, or you might riddle a picnicing family with seeds.
-- whatastrangeperson, Apr 20 2004


Hoooo Ahhhhh!!!! LET'S PLANT 'EM ALL, AND LET GOD SORT 'EM OUT!
-- zigness, Apr 21 2004


"I love the smell of weedkiller in the morning . . . Smelled like victory."
-- jings, Apr 21 2004


Drive-by plantings. +
-- st3f, Apr 21 2004


<bad Arnie accent> This clear cut is no match for the Germinator.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Apr 22 2004


Wouldn't that be paradoxical? A single flower growing from a deceased corpse.

Ithink poppyseed would be the most symbolic, though one would have to load the ammunition in a shotgun cartridge.
-- WordUp, Apr 22 2004


Make sure you get the right kind of poppies or you'll start another war.
-- hippo, Apr 22 2004


You could use hard capsules that were made partly of gelatin so that they would disintegrate. They also could contain a nutrient broth to give the seed a head start.
-- snikrepkire, Apr 22 2004


Egads, I just got whacked in the head with weeping willow seedlings.
-- winsome, Apr 23 2004


For crying out loud!
-- FarmerJohn, Apr 23 2004


/a deceased corpse//    Perhaps he meant copse, considering the context...
-- snikrepkire, Apr 23 2004


Tank shells for the bigger saplings. Awesome idea we could have food and fruit forests everywhere. I wonder if it would wood work
-- Evenessence, May 19 2004


I think this is how Johnny Appleseed did it.
-- MikeOxbig, Mar 12 2006


When? In the infamous Arbor Day Massacre?
-- DrCurry, Mar 12 2006


Follow the machine gun up with a few flights from a water bomber.
-- FunkyMunky, Mar 12 2006


Some years ago, I heard of something similar (may be an urban (rural?) myth...)
A large number of tree seedlings were allowed to start growing in a nursery.
Said seedlings then had their roots frozen into a small, point-down cone, along with a water/soil/fertiliser mix.
The supply of seedlings were then loaded into the back of a C130 cargo plane, which flew out, low and slow, over the forest area. Seedlings were then dumped large-scale from the back of the plane.
The cone-shaped base and tuft of growth provided a perfect aeroform, allowing the seedlings to plant themselves as they struck the ground, already watered and fed.
-- neutrinos_shadow, Mar 13 2006


//50mm could plant acorns // Mighty big acorns.
[EDIT] On further reflection, also a very large gun to mount on a Huey.
-- coprocephalous, Mar 13 2006



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