Saturday, November 19, 2011

How to plant wild flower seeds???

Do I need special soil or just dig a hole and put the seeds????????????????

How to plant wild flower seeds???
If the seeds were purchased from a local store, or you collected them in a nearby area, you should be able to grow them. There are of course a few exceptions, but generally you should be able to grow them. For most wildflowers the seeds aren't really put into a hole, but rather spread on the soil and then covered with a thin layed of soil, about a 1/4 inch at most. A good rule of thumb for planting most seeds is to plant it twice as deep as the seed . So if you have a pea seed that is 1/4 inch, you would plant it about 1/2 inch deep. So the smaller the seed, the shallower it should be planted. Since most wildflower seeds are small, they should just be scattered on the soil, or covered with a very thin layer of soil.
Reply:it is always a good idea to get some topsoil and mix it with your current soil, it wouldn't hurt to get potting soil that has fertilzer and plant food. for wild flowers you don't need to dig holes for the seeds. Just rake lines in the soil spread your seed then cover with very little potting soil. water everyday twice if it's super hot in your area.
Reply:I have a neighbor that puts the wild flower seeds in ice cube trays fills with water and then freezes. In the spring she scars or barely roughs the area that shes going to plant in then throws the ice cubes with the wild flower seeds in them around the area. She always has a wonderful stand of bluebonnets, Indian paint brush, corn flowers, poppies, etc. After they bloom and start to die back she gathers the seeds and starts the process all over again.
Reply:I always prepare the ground by removing the weeds (that is unless you think the weeds are beautiful and will enhance the area.) Rake or till the soil if removing the weeds, I also like to add some fresh compost to the ground as I am doing this. Then I take my seeds and just broadcast them over the area. I always use more seed than the area/size the package calls for just because of the fact that some are not going to make it and I love the filled in look. After they are broadcasted over the area heavily I take some more fine compost mixed with soil and just sprinkle it over the area lightly. If you are doing a fairly large area sprinkle some seed then cover with soil and move on. You do not want to cover the seeds to thick with the soil I would say a 1/2 inch at the most. After you are done I like to water with a mixture of miracle grow and water really well and then keep the area watered really well after that. It seems to me like it may be too late in the season to be planting wild flowers. You may want to look up what kind of flowers you are planting and the zone you are in and see when you should be planting them. Happy growing
Reply:What kind of wildflowers? Where do you live? What kind of soil do you have? How much sun does your yard get? What is growing there now? We really need more info.





It is rather late in the year to be starting seeds unless you live in an area that has warm weather for at least another 6 months. However, as a start: If you have bought a pack of seed simply labelled "Wildflower Mix", you may be disappointed. Those packs usually contain a mix of annuals and perennials, mostly garden plants not native plants. The annuals will flower this year and may set seed for next year. The perennials may not flower for two or three years. If there are any native seeds, they may not germinate at all as native seeds usually need special treatment before germination.





You should prepare the planting bed as you would prepare any garden: remove weeds and grass, till in some compost, rake smooth and plant. Expect weed seeds to find your nice bed and grow; it will be a challenge to tell the weed seedlings from the "wildflower" seedlings. Alternatively, you could plant the seeds in a seedling tray as you would start any seeds, grow them up and then transplant to your garden bed.





If you are trying to start a large meadow, there are different instructions and it will be a three year project. Click the link below for more info.


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