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Does yellow rattle harm other plants?

sb3-Kpx6edSsb3-Kpx6edS Posts: 21
in Plants
I have a sunny area where I grow tulips, daffs, poppies, phacelia, astrantia, oxeye daisies etc. Unfortunately, grass invades. If I were to introduce yellow rattle, would this deprive the plants mentioned of nutrients? Thanks in advance for any guidance on this.

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  • sb3-Kpx6edSsb3-Kpx6edS Posts: 21
    That's good news for me Pansy, I'll give it a go in the Autumn. Thanks!
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited May 2023
    Monty Don said yellow rattle parasitises non-grass plants, but was not specific.  And don't treat as gospel anything any guru says.

    I have not found that yellow rattle weakens any wild flower grown on low fertility ground.  It only weakens grass, I woudn't expect it to stop grass invasion.  Annual meadowgrass for example would blow in as seed, germinate, seed again, ad infinitum.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    Oh for yellow rattle to grow in our orchard. We have over the years followed all the instructions and never had any germinate.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I think if you want to prevent grass invading a patch of planting, you have to start by not having the grass. 
    Some Tulips will naturalise in grass, as will many types of daffs, but most of the others will struggle to compete with it, regardless of what you do. Oxeye daisies will be fine though - they can cope with almost anything.  
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • McRazzMcRazz Posts: 440
    edited May 2023
    bertrand-mabel said:
    Oh for yellow rattle to grow in our orchard. We have over the years followed all the instructions and never had any germinate.
    After a few years of no germination i found the only way was to literally get down on my knees and plant each seed individually. I used a knife to cut a slit in the turf and deposited a couple of seeds in each aperture... Fast forward a few years and I can barely see anything else BUT yellow rattle! (I also harvested the successful seed myself from a local meadow, not online)
  • sb3-Kpx6edSsb3-Kpx6edS Posts: 21
    Thanks for the feedback. It seems yellow rattle has a few issues.....
  • LittlegardenLittlegarden Posts: 105
    It seems to be tasty for something in this garden. I have tried putting in a few plugs and they have been eaten. 
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    My tips (based on success, but otherwise little investigation):

    1. fresh seed
    2. sow immediately (± July/Aug)
    3. wait for the spring


     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
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