This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Sowing a meadow
Liriodendron
Posts: 8,328
Hi! I'd appreciate some advice, please.
I ordered a seed mix (80% grass, 20% flowers) from John Chambers for the shady bank behind my house. (They made me up a specific mixture for the conditions I have here.) I've killed off the couch grass which covered the bank, but left the dead growth in place to reduce soil erosion in heavy rain.
The woman at JC suggested it would be ok to sow the seeds now. I'm just wondering if I might have greater success leaving it until next April? I'm imagining seeds sown now will just sit around in the cooling soil, not germinating but providing food for the birds.
Any thoughts, please?
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
0
Posts
Sow it now. It's totally the best time. Many meadow plants need a chill to germinate and won't germinate if they don't get it.
It's what happens in nature. Seeds drop at the end of summer, some germinate quickly, other germinate in spring. They've evolved to do that in our climate.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Thanks for the advice, Nut!
I'd propose removing the dead top growth from the couch grass but leaving the roots in the soil to reduce erosion (it's very steep, about 1:1). Do you think that might work? I'd also need to find a way of keeping cats from using the area as a toilet...
You might as well leave the roots, you'll never get them all out and with luck you'll have killed it. I wouldn't loosen up more than the surface.
What sort of cats can use a 1:1 slope
In the sticks near Peterborough
We'll see... They seem to like pooing on the dead grass at the moment, but there should be less purchase for them when I get rid of the top growth. Hopefully...
Thanks a lot for your help, much appreciated.