Patent ID: 7036440

Claim:
An adjustable tray size seedling planting apparatus for a multitude of seedlings contained in a tray configured in a rectangle with 4 edges, a top, and a bottom, with multiple rows of seedling growing cells containing seedling root balls comprising: a. means for a tractor connection comprising a connection to the tractor hydraulic system including a valve such that the trailer hydraulic system provides a hydraulic pressure to the adjustable tray size seedling planting apparatus that varies with the speed of the tractor and the position of the valve; b. means for adjusting planted seedling spacing comprising a control camshaft having a hydraulic motor, a cam shaft, a multiplicity of cams, a multiplicity of cam followers, and a multiplicity of cam follower switches, the hydraulic motor removably connected to the tractor hydraulic system such that the motor turns at a speed proportional to the speed of the tractor, the cams adjustably connected to the camshaft and the camshaft connected to the motor such that the cams rotate at the speed of the motor, the speed of the motor determined by the hydraulic pressure from the tractor; the cam followers moving linearly in response to the cam rotations such that they activate the follower switches at each rotation of the camshaft wherein the seedling tray cell spacing adjustment means the seedling extractor means, the seedling tray positioning and advance means and the seedling alignment and planting means are controlled at relative times set by the relative angular locations of the cams on the camshaft wherein the spacing of the seedlings in the ground may be varied by adjusting the valve to vary the hydraulic pressure to the camshaft motor to vary the speed of the camshaft; c. means for seedling tray size adjustment; d. means for seedling tray cell spacing adjustment; e. means for individual seedling extraction; and f. means for seedling alignment and planting such that the seedling is positioned at the planting means and the seedling root ball is surrounded with soil.