Conservation & Ecology
“
Currently, in the UK, there is no
independent testing of wildflower seed and, for the inexperienced meadow maker, seed choice can be a bit of a lottery
years after establishment. It is a step on from the naturalising process, by adding species and hoping they will germinate and establish. The visual results of seeding are likely to be quicker than natural regeneration, but the area will have other influences that are often out of the meadow maker’s control: high winds, heavy rains, too much heat, not enough, all have an effect on germination. Sowing time - autumn or spring - and day length will affect species variety. Birds and animals can damage or kill vulnerable seedlings, soil types will certainly have an impact on what is successfully established. Creating a new seed bed will awaken
existing weed seeds that are already within the soil. This undesirable seed bank will need to be dealt with in order for the wildflower seeds to flourish. In addition, the quality of the seed will play a large part. Currently, in the UK, there is no independent testing of wildflower seed and, for the inexperienced meadow maker, seed choice can be a bit of a lottery.
Whilst this is the most guaranteed method of creating a meadow, initial cost is higher than seeding. It is perfect for the meadow maker wanting immediate, guaranteed and risk free results
” 106 I PC JUNE/JULY 2015 This is just the start of the process and,
whilst you can have success eventually, expect a lot of on-going work in order to get the best from the species you have introduced. Cutting, removing and spot spraying will keep you busy for the first 3-5 years. It is rare to hear of any long term success with perennial wildflower seed that doesn’t involve a lot of detailed planning, followed by hard work over a number of years.
It is possible to get better seeding results with annual wildflowers as they are more able to compete with the weeds. There are very competitive and commercially available non-native seed mixes bred and developed to deliver reliable results. The Olympic Park is a good case in point.
Here, much of the success was due to the use of carefully manufactured soil that had little or no weed burden and, whilst the flowers did work well without requiring an extended period of establishment and
maintenance, there were a number of years of on and offsite testing in advance of the Games to ensure success and results for an immovable deadline.
Turfing
Using a pre-grown wildflower turf is a relatively recent introduction in the establishment of wildflower meadows. As a modern and high input technique, it has the benefit of much attention to detail and has been tried and tested to give optimum and reliable results. A mat of pre-established wildflower plants is nursery grown, set in appropriate quantities to provide an even distribution of species. There are no existing weed seeds within the product as good quality wildflower seed is sown and, therefore, there is no competition whilst the plants are establishing. Unlike seeding, there is much more of a
guarantee that the plants will thrive as they are well established and no disruption of the soil is required once the turf is laid, removing the risks seen with seeding. The result is a complete meadow, much further along its evolutionary scale than one could hope to get after ten years of naturalising. The meadow maker can specify exactly the mix of seeds that they would like and, should they be working on a project where maintaining the local mix of flora is important, locally harvested seed can be used.
Not only are you more likely to have
success with the plants that you do want, but you also have more control over the weeds that you don’t want. The turf is a densely networked root mat that supports its healthy, established and instantly competitive wildflowers above it. The massed density of roots in the turf act as a weed suppressing carpet, smothering any seeds that are in the soil and on the point of germinating. Whilst this is the most guaranteed method
of creating a meadow, initial cost is higher than seeding. It is perfect for the meadow
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