Wildflower planting advice needed

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Not currently.

And again. The tillage is to kill the grass. I don't want to have to float a mower across the pond every couple weeks.

 

[ovrszd]

Not currently.

And again. The tillage is to kill the grass. I don't want to have to float a mower across the pond every couple weeks.

How bout this idea. Spray a glyphosate on the grass which will kill it. Spread your seed amongst the standing dead grass. It will provide "mulching" benefit. The glyphosate will not harm the broadleaf flowers.

 

[jaxs]

I have never had any luck planting wildflowers. Not to say I don't have a field full of them, but what I have just got there on their own. I would love to have a patch of lupine...it's so beautiful when it blossoms in mid-June, but nothing I do works. I think I have one plant that I transplanted from the roadside maybe 6 years ago that comes back every year but that's it.
OTOH I have plenty of Indian paintbrushes, buttercups, milkweed, dandelions and a lot of others I don't know what are.

Interesting ! Those you name do well in Texas so I might suggest Bluebonnets (a varity of Lupine and state flower of Texas). One of my favs is Fire Wheels aka Indian Blankets. They remain in bloom longer than many. I'm no authority but I recommend multiple seedings in the same area in hope of catching optimum timing which is impossible to predict in advance. All wildflowers produce large quinity of seed but only a fraction will geminate first year. For that reason I soak seed in fridge a week or two before planting to break hard skin resulting in higher germination rate. I use amount of seed that is supposed to plant 1k sq feet in rows 4 feet wide totaling 250 feet long spaced well apart. The stratagy being that seed production will quickly cover several thousand sq feet that would have required 10x as many seed initially. Cultivation isn't uaually required for wildflowers but imo Lupine is an exception. At planting and to help establish thicker stand of existing Lupine chiseling followed by chain harrow or drag is beneficial in allowing taproot go deeper 1st year then sustain more years before dying back.

 

[jyoutz]

Se

You think setting my tiller super shallow and going back over it after I brodcast the seed would work? I'll only be able to get my walk behind tiller and hand tools out there. My homemade barge will barely float the tiller.

Set the tiller shallow, seed, then drag a piece of chain link fence around to cover the seed.

 

[Beeenvenue]

Interesting ! Those you name do well in Texas so I might suggest Bluebonnets (a varity of Lupine and state flower of Texas). One of my favs is Fire Wheels aka Indian Blankets. They remain in bloom longer than many. I'm no authority but I recommend multiple seedings in the same area in hope of catching optimum timing which is impossible to predict in advance. All wildflowers produce large quinity of seed but only a fraction will geminate first year. For that reason I soak seed in fridge a week or two before planting to break hard skin resulting in higher germination rate. I use amount of seed that is supposed to plant 1k sq feet in rows 4 feet wide totaling 250 feet long spaced well apart. The stratagy being that seed production will quickly cover several thousand sq feet that would have required 10x as many seed initially. Cultivation isn't uaually required for wildflowers but imo Lupine is an exception. At planting and to help establish thicker stand of existing Lupine chiseling followed by chain harrow or drag is beneficial in allowing taproot go deeper 1st year then sustain more years before dying back.

I bought 14 acres in January 2019. Looked like photo 1. By April I had photo 2. Now after 4 years of carefully NOT cutting too early I have photo 3

I’ve learned a lot about bluebonnets. They germinate 1,2 and 3 years after they open but are randomly coated with more or less of a hard coating to allow for that to happen. And if you mow before about June 30 you may see decreasing numbers - you have to wait until most of them pop open on their own to get maximum reseeding. (I have a video where on a calm day you can hear their seed pods popping open!). That’s a bit of a pain because prairie grass and weeds are pretty high by then, so first cutting of the year in early July is tough and very hot. The price you pay…

Edit - photo 1 is initial, photo 3 is April 2019, photo 2 is April 2022 (uploading reversed order of photos 2 and 3)

 

[joecoin]

You think setting my tiller super shallow and going back over it after I brodcast the seed would work? I'll only be able to get my walk behind tiller and hand tools out there. My homemade barge will barely float the tiller.

You could try running the tiller without the tines rotating just to push the seed into the soil. Maybe put a piece of cardboard under the non-rotating tines?

 

[bigtiller]

I think Iowa is the only state in the union that considers the sunflower a noxious weed. But it is fun to watch the big flowered head follow the sun around the sky.

 

[Oaktree]

I think Iowa is the only state in the union that considers the sunflower a noxious weed. But it is fun to watch the big flowered head follow the sun around the sky.

Some sort of feud between Iowa and Kansas many years ago? Agree sunflowers are cool.

 

[ovrszd]

I think Iowa is the only state in the union that considers the sunflower a noxious weed. But it is fun to watch the big flowered head follow the sun around the sky.

I'm not sure whether Missouri does or not. But I do. Extremely prolific. And pretty. Lures us in with those charming good looks.....

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I got the tiller over, tilled lightly, then got 2 lbs of seed sewed. Rained pretty hard last night, it either pushed the seeds down into the ground or washed them away.