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I have 4 acres to mow. About an acre of it is a designated wetland.
It's uneven everywhere but the wetland area is spine breakingly uneven to drive over.
So I said - to the heck with it, I'll let it grow and will consider it wetland park. I cut some alleys into that acre, so that it looks "designed" and warned neighbors.
But it is front of the property and is very dull looking. Nothing but a tall grass with very little color to it.
What I'd like to do is to add more natural color to it. Seed some meadow wildlife flowers so it actually does look like a natural park.
But how do I go about this with all the grass? I mean, I can get a guy in with a field mower and mow it - but he does not pick the clippings, I am not inclined to do an acre myself.
Will it actually grow if I simply spread seeds fall time?
Our neighbor leaves his front acreage "natural." He had a farmer cut it down once or twice and use it for hay but the farmer says it needs some lime, etc. so won't do it again. There are some black eyed Susan flowers along with a few wildflowers, thanks to the birds, but brown high grass is the majority of the "meadow." I saw a news article on Steve Hartman (CBS) who has a wildflower meadow and I believe he has to weed it. Wildflower Seed Planting Instructions
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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My parents did this on part of their 5 acres, but they plant in spring, most wildflowers are annuals, but reseed themselves. Plant in fall and some seeds will survive to spring but many will rot. What they did the first year was to let the grasses dry out over summer- winter, then as they started to show green again in spring, rototilled the area thoroughly, and spread the 20 lb bags of seed. By May it was a colorful show that lasted until about September. Now they just touch up here and there in bare spots, most come back from their own seeds.
Clovers, yellow alfalfa, daisies, yarrow are tough and they will compete successfully with grass even if you'll seed them on the unprepared ground, but you do have to mow in the spring the first, possibly second year to give them a chance to establish. Non native grasses tend to start their life cycle earlier, so spring mowing will help native flowers and grasses to compete.
Whatever seed mixture you pick, seed in the fall because that's how flowers in the wild seed, some will not even germinate without being subjected to freeze-thaw cycling. Just try to mimick landcapers seeding grass using either rolls of seeded straw or chippers shredding straw on the seeded areas. Let the grass grow into the fall then mow really high, then seed, then mow again, then mow high in the spring, it will be far from 100% germination/survival success, but plenty to establish footholds and suitable for your area plants will just spread from there. Even then spring mowing is beneficial.
Last edited by RememberMee; 07-19-2016 at 08:11 AM..
Sellers of wildflowers love to spread the myth that you just scatter some seed in the fall and voila, instant colorful show in the spring and every year after. The truth is that meadows need good preparation of the soil, and you will have to work to maintain the wildflower meadow. Otherwise, weeds and other tall grasses will take over. It can be very pretty, but it will require maintenance and yes, some reseeding over the years. The advice to plant in the fall is good. It's called stratification, and many wildflower seeds do not germinate without exposure to the cold.
I can recommend black-eyed Susans as a wildflower that refuses to go away! I planted some over 10 years ago, and I am still pulling them out. They pop up everywhere and spread their seeds everywhere. Sometimes I give up and let the plant grow. LOL
In my area, joe pye weed (makes a great show) would do well in the wetlands, as well as many others, but we need to know your zone at least.
The clippings from the guy who doesn't rake would be a great start or addition to a compost heap. You could use woodchips on your alleys to make them look more finished.
Possibilities are endless but not instant. When I start something new, I work with a five year plan.
Many folks don't realize that annual mowing is critical to maintenance of a meadow, unless you have grazing animals. Mowing is what keeps the shrubs and trees out. Do not know the best time of year for mowing, however, since I've never had a meadow, although I'm thinking about it.
Clovers, yellow alfalfa, daisies, yarrow are tough and they will compete successfully with grass even if you'll seed them on the unprepared ground, but you do have to mow in the spring the first, possibly second year to give them a chance to establish. Non native grasses tend to start their life cycle earlier, so spring mowing will help native flowers and grasses to compete.
Whatever seed mixture you pick, seed in the fall because that's how flowers in the wild seed, some will not even germinate without being subjected to freeze-thaw cycling. Just try to mimick landcapers seeding grass using either rolls of seeded straw or chippers shredding straw on the seeded areas. Let the grass grow into the fall then mow really high, then seed, then mow again, then mow high in the spring, it will be far from 100% germination/survival success, but plenty to establish footholds and suitable for your area plants will just spread from there. Even then spring mowing is beneficial.
"yellow alfalfa".........?
I'm back after doing research and YES there is "yellow alfalfa"
This 70 year old learns something new every day.
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