Planting A Seed @ MindSay

This is the second part of the little article that I posted yesterday.

Will Rogers once said, "Buy land, they ain't making any more of the stuff." Quite true, so we take his advice and get ourselves a 100 acre parcel of land to call our very own. The next step is to turn that patch of dirt and weeds into the paradise that we have always wanted. Eco-logical Restoration of a large piece of land can seem an expensive and hopelessly daunting task. But with a closer look at the process and proper techniques, an environmentally logical restoration plan can be formulated to fit just about any acreage and almost any budget.

Many folks figure that since they have a 100 acre piece of property, and their Native American Seed catalog says that they need 20 pounds of seed mixture per acre, that they are going to need 2,000 pounds of seed to plant on their land. Since that might be too expensive, they give up on the idea entirely. But wait just a minute. Where there is a will, there is a way.

1. The first step is to figure out what species of plants need to be planted. Are there already good stands of certain Native Species? Is it over-run with exotic invasive weeds? Is it just bare dirt? Two key elements need to be examined: Knowing what is already there and having an idea of what "should" be there. This information quickly allows the landowner/manager to create a desired species list. From there, a custom blend of Native Seeds and seeding rates can be developed that are a good fit for the land and its intended uses. These steps sometimes require a little background knowledge of natives and how they work into the bigger picture of nature. Spending time (lifetime) doing research, or a little money for a professional consultation, at this stage of the process could save big bucks by getting you onto the right path to a successful planting.

2. After getting to know the land a little better, the next thing is to focus on areas that are really able to be planted. Out of those 100 acres, how much area is covered by buildings, roads and other such "improvements"? And, of course, you won't be seeding into the stock tanks. There are likely areas of trees or heavy brush that can't be planted as well. So the original figure of 100 acres might actually only be 80 acres +/- that can be actually planted. Now, out of that 80 acres, there are different ways to go about planting it that can have a big impact on the cost of the project. One of the most cost effective ways is the use of a no-till seed drill that is designed to plant Native Seeds. The money and time saved by employing an experienced operator using the proper equipment often makes much more sense than purchasing or even renting the equipment and trying to do the job yourself.

3. Aside from using the right energy andtechnology for the job, there are also many strategic techniques that can be used to stretch the project budget. For example, planting part of the acreage in strips instead of a solid planting can greatly extend the budget for a restoration project. This process is very similar to planting sod for a front lawn in a checkerboard pattern and allowing the grass to fill in. This technique takes a little longer to get the desired end results, but is very effective in seeding large areas of land where it might be cost prohibitive to plant an entire area. Calculating from our original figure of 100 acres, which became about 80 acres once we eliminated the areas that are not going to be planted, let's do a lil' figuring. Maybe it would be best to plant 60 of the 80 acres in strips and 20 acres in a solid planting. That leaves us 20 acres planted solid and half of the 60 acres (30 acres) to be actually planted, for a grand total of 50 acres planted. Already, you can see, we have cut the cost of planting in half. By placing attention on existing vegetation and by creating a custom seed mix, we can bring any project into a price range that is both cost effective and of great value to the landowner and to the land itself.

That is what eco-LOGICAL restoration is all about. Start the healing process on your land while increasing your land's value and productivity. Being among the more fortunate of the planet's citizens, we feel this is our responsibility. Our mission at Native American Seed is to help you to make grassland restoration an economically sound choice for the stewardship and long-term management of your land.

The farm crew is getting ready to leave for South Texas to plant a 900 acre restoration project.  But first we had to get the seed properly mixed and bagged up to take down there.  It sounds easy but trying to mix 8,000 pounds of seed is no simple task.  It took us just about all of two days to mix the seed get it bagged up into 50 pound bags and loaded into the grain truck.

Here's a picture of Jose, pouring the seed onto the barn floor so that it can be mixed.  The pile of seed is only about 800 pounds, so in all we had about ten piles this size to mix and bag.

Because of the volume of seed to be mixed we decided to use the front end loader to help with the mixing.

Here's a close-up of the seed mixture.  There are aprox 1 to 2 million seeds per pound in the mix, so we were dealing with about 12 Billion seeds.  It was kinda cool being surrounded by that much life, just waitng to grow. 

This is a picture of us loading the grain truck.  I was throwing the fifty pound bags up to Johnnie and he stacked them.  Jose had an "important" phone call to make, so he missed out on the fun of throwing the bags

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Now is the time of year to think about planting wild flowers.  The is no easier way to get Native plants in our landscapes than to sow wild flower seeds in the fall so that we can enjoy their beauty for years to come.  It is an excellent time to get things like Bluebonnets, Lemon Mint, Indian Blanket, Cutleaf Daisy, Indian Paintbrush and many others started, so that they can develop a strong root system and burst forth this spring in all their glory.  Here are some tips to help you have success at growing your own wildflower meadow.

SITE SELECTION

Select an area that is suitable for the type of seed you are planting. Take into consideration the soil type, sun exposure and the moisture needed to germinate and maintain that species. Adequate moisture is required for germination. By planting at the right time, natural rainfall can be taken advantage of.

WHEN TO PLANT

Cool season plants like most of the wildflowers germinate in the early fall when rainfall is most likely to occur.  Best time to plant wildflowers is September and October, however germination can continue to occur through early spring in some cases.

    Warm season plants such as most of the native grasses germinate and grow from when the night time temperatures are at 50 degrees for ten consecutive nights, or when the soil temperature is 65 degrees or above.

SITE PREPARATION AND PLANTING

You will get a higher rate of germination and healthier plants by sowing seed in a prepared seedbed. Good seed to soil contact is essential.

Native Wildflowers   

Scalp any existing grasses and remove the clippings so the seeds can make contact with the soil. Rake the seeds lightly into the soil. Gently press soil on top of seeds.  Be sure not to cover more than twice the diameter of the seed. Never plant wildflowers into nonnative winter grass or clovers.

Native Grasses

It is best to start with an area free of  weeds when planting native grasses. Till the soil no deeper than 2 inches. Be careful not to till too deeply because this will stir up unwanted weed seeds that have been lying dormant. Remove debris from the area, rake level, and smooth. Scatter the seed evenly across the area, rake in, then roll to press in less than half an inch deep. The goal is to place the seed just deep enough to stay in adequate moisture for a sufficient amount of time to allow germination to take place.

Be careful not to plant the seeds too deeply. A good rule of thumb for planting depth is no that the seed should never be planted deeper than twice the width of the seed.

WEED CONTROL

In most cases, it is advisable to consider weed control in two phases - as part of site preparation prior to planting, and as an important component of the post-germination maintenance program. Before planting, remove existing weeds by pulling, tilling under, solarization or a combination of these things.

    Once wildflowers and grasses have germinated, further weed control is usually necessary. If practical, pull or hoe all weeds as soon as they can be identified, or selectively cut weeds with a string trimmer. Be sure to remove weeds before they reseed. Weeds invariably appear after seeding, and controlling them is one of the most difficult problems in establishing grasses. Because weeds grow faster than your newly planted seedlings, you must control them or they will out compete your desired plants.

The detrimental effects of weeds include shading your seedlings and competing with them for moisture. One way to control weeds is to water and mow correctly. Watering too early or too late in the season and over watering are practices that encourage weeds to grow. Since many weeds are annuals, keeping them mowed off during the first year, you will have a strong effect on the future year’s weed populations.

IDENTIFICATION TIP

Sprinkle a few seeds in a clay pot and keep by the house where you can water and watch grow. Use these seedlings for identification in your planted areas.

ESTABLISHMENT

All seeds need ample moisture to germinate and to develop into healthy seedlings and plants.

Native Wildflowers

If little to no rainfall, you can remain patient until rainfall occurs. That’s the benefit of using native wildflowers! If your patience runs thin, you may water using the Watering Guidelines below. Caution:  If you begin watering, do not allow your new seedlings to dry out!

Native Grasses

Most native grasses are warm season perennials. Take advantage of spring rains, and plant during this time to aid large planted areas that are difficult to water. For  quickest establishment of lawn grasses use watering guidelines below.

WATERING GUIDELINES

For germination, water lightly and frequently to keep top of soil constantly moist. Depending upon weather conditions, you may be initially watering several times per day. After seeds have sprouted and seedlings are approximately 1” in height, give less frequent but deeper and more lengthy watering. This allows for healthy establishment of the root systems of your new plants. Once native plants are established, supplemental water is not required, though they will appreciate a  drink during drought conditions.

BE PATIENT

Patience is important. Annuals are usually the quickest to germinate, grow and bloom. Perennials take more time getting established. Native grasses and wildflowers are eternal, not instant!. Much energy is spent in growing deep, strong roots the first few years, just like a good family!