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Clearing grass for a wildflower patch

joe.shimminjoe.shimmin Posts: 214
in Wildlife gardening
I want to clear an area of grass to plant wildflower seeds to make a little patch of meadow for wildlife. How do I clear the grass? I have lots of frogs in my garden and I don’t want to harm them. 
My options: herbicide
: dig the turf out
: put carpet over the area to block the light.
What are your thoughts?

Posts

  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    I am no expert but we have over the years tried different things to "sow" wildflower seeds. Many have not been successful.
    We have followed guidance especially for yellow rattle but no success.
    We have scrapped back the grass in the orchard in small plots to give bare soil and then sown the seeds. This worked last year.
    We then made smaller areas to sow yellow rattle....we wait to see if this has been successful.
    It does seem though that growing the seeds into seedlings (plugs) maybe the way to go.
    Great that you are doing it and wish you all the best.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Strip the turf off by using a turf stripper (hire for the day), or the hard way, use a spade, cut it in squares and then lift by sliding it under the turve.  Stack those somewhere upside down, cover with plastic and leave to rot to lovely loam.  The impoverished soil left behind (under the lawn grass) will be good to direct sow into , or use plugs.  Do not add fertiliser for wild flowers.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited February 2022
    It will help us if we know whether you want to create a wildflower meadow of annual flowers for pollinating insects, or whether you intend to plant perennial wildflowers that, as well as flowering and providing nectar,  will also prove the right sort of foliage for the larvae of the pollinators etc?  You have different planting options with different plants. 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • joe.shimminjoe.shimmin Posts: 214
    Thanks guys, I was going to go for annuals.
  • joe.shimminjoe.shimmin Posts: 214
    Would putting down old carpet for 5 or 6 weeks work?
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