Wildflower plot

[lhfarm]

Have a strip of land that slops from the edge of the yard to the wood line. Was used as pasture many years ago, now rough mowed annually. I'd like to plant wildflowers this spring. I'm guessing it is under an acre total and very uneven. So I'd prefer not to plow and disc because of erosion fears.

Did a search on the topic this morning and found a few very old threads. It appears the ideal would be a two-row no-till planter. Not sure I could justify the expense, or even find one. Has anyone had luck with mowing, discing and broadcasting wildflowers?

Thanks,

 

[smstonypoint]

Barry,

I suspect the answer to your question will depend on the wildflower type(s). Native plant societies are often a good source of info for this sort of thing. It looks like there is one in Indiana. The society's web site may prove useful.

Gardening with Native Plants

Steve

 

[lhfarm]

Barry,

I suspect the answer to your question will depend on the wildflower type(s). Native plant societies are often a good source of info for this sort of thing. It looks there is one in Indiana. The society's web site may proce useful.

Gardening with Native Plants

Steve

Thanks, good resource. We did a native grasses restoration many years ago and I rented a large no-till planter from the DNR. I had a Ford 4000 (4cyl gas) and it barely pulled the planter. I know the TC40DA is much a lighter tractor. I'll contact them to see if they have any small rental equipment.

 

[forgeblast]

I have an area on my property next to a stone wall that i would rather not mow. I went to our local hardware store at the end of the season and they were selling 20 packs of seeds for a dollar. I bought as many as they had, my plant is to use some of the mushroom compost ill be getting to spread a layer down and just throw the seeds in there come spring. I was doing it the last couple of years but with smaller amounts of seed, or seed from the flowers we had landscaped with around the house....this should provide us with some great results.

I have seen places sell native mixes for different areas of the us, you can buy large amounts of it also.

 

[Haoleguy]

Barry - Last year I did a smaller hillside(8 ft x 100 ft) with a 16 northeast native flowers(3 annuals & 13 perennials) from American Meadows( Our Story ). Pressed soil contact is all you need to get the seeds going and it is a hinderance to cover them. I'm thinking if you cut, thatch, rake, seed, and roll you might be able to get started with what you want while leaving the grass structure in place to hold the hillside. Might have to repeat similar sequence for a couple of years. In my case i grubbed the hillside, laid down jute ground control fabric, distributed seed, pressed the seed in, weeded and watered often. I know that others that I consulted have hit their hillsides with herbicide the summer before and then seed in late winter after that summer. I'm still experimenting with wildflower cover crops for a vineyard so anything that you learn with please share with us in the future......Gary

 

[jinman]

Barry, I think many wildflowers should be planted when Mother Nature plants them. If you wait until spring, you'll get some results, but I'd expect many seeds to not germinate until the next year, depending on varieties of course. I've certainly seen that to be the case with bluebonnets.

 

[lhfarm]

Barry - Last year I did a smaller hillside(8 ft x 100 ft) with a 16 northeast native flowers(3 annuals & 13 perennials) from American Meadows( Our Story ). Pressed soil contact is all you need to get the seeds going and it is a hinderance to cover them. I'm thinking if you cut, thatch, rake, seed, and roll you might be able to get started with what you want while leaving the grass structure in place to hold the hillside. Might have to repeat similar sequence for a couple of years. In my case i grubbed the hillside, laid down jute ground control fabric, distributed seed, pressed the seed in, weeded and watered often. I know that others that I consulted have hit their hillsides with herbicide the summer before and then seed in late winter after that summer. I'm still experimenting with wildflower cover crops for a vineyard so anything that you learn with please share with us in the future......Gary

Great site. I'm tempted to mow and rake now. Spray with Roundup next month, as soon as I get some green growth and then disc. After that broadcast the seed, then roll. I plan to do some pictures and may try different methods in different spots, so I'll report back.

Barry, I think many wildflowers should be planted when Mother Nature plants them. If you wait until spring, you'll get some results, but I'd expect many seeds to not germinate until the next year, depending on varieties of course. I've certainly seen that to be the case with bluebonnets.

When we did the prairie grass restoration (spring planting), we mixed in some wildflowers and they did well the first year, but not the second and have disappeared. I plan to do some more planting in the fall too, since I think you are probably correct about following Mother Nature's plan. I'm more concerned about the planting method on this rough area.

 

[jeffreythree]

I planted a big patch a few years back. I used this method: http://www.seedsource.com/garden/planting.asp We are lucky here in Texas to have the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center http://www.wildflower.org/, but it has a national staate by state map for suggested species, planting guides, and lots of info on wildflowers.