The Environment Thread :-)
1 lurker |
59 watchers
May 2024
4:46pm, 6 May 2024
21,416 posts
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Chrisull
Yep 3rd year running for No Mow May here. Nice thread here on why long grass and short grass together work well: twitter.com
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May 2024
5:07pm, 6 May 2024
17,015 posts
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jda
I’ve done no-mow for several years (just an autumn cut) and the herbaceous perennials are starting to take over, which makes sense now I think about it! So I’m going to do a summer cut this year too. Not before the yellow rattle has set seed however.
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May 2024
5:34pm, 6 May 2024
26,697 posts
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Bazoaxe
It’s often May before I can get the first cut of the year done. Will be cutting the lawn the weekend as weather made that impossible this weekend.
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May 2024
9:58am, 7 May 2024
21,421 posts
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Chrisull
jdawayinamanger - Yellow rattle - I have a ton of that seed, as we're using some in the churchyard wildflower meadow, that my environmental group is helping out with, and loads left over. Are you using actually in your lawn or just on borders? Isn't it a bit of a bully on the lawn (assuming it's on your lawn)? As if it isn't too bad, I might put it to work...
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May 2024
10:16am, 7 May 2024
17,018 posts
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jda
I've still got plenty of grass on the meadow several years on. I get the odd seedling popping up on my proper lawn (surprisingly few, as it's only 6 feet away and down hill) but it's never established there. Of course it doesn't survive to flower on that bit.
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May 2024
4:18pm, 7 May 2024
32,398 posts
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macca 53
jdawayinamanger wrote: We inherited two small patches of lawn, I’ve converted one to a wildflower meadow which I’m inordinately proud of, it’s really a lovely feature of the garden with dozens of different species. The other patch is still just mediocre lawn and takes a lot more time and effort. Is there an idiot’s guide to this anywhere, jda? Could we just broadcast wildflower seeds into a scarified lawn, for example? We were talking just last night about converting half our allotment to a wildflower area… |
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May 2024
1:50pm, 8 May 2024
17,027 posts
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jda
I read a few web pages but nothing particular stands out macca 53 . However I did pull off quite a bit of the top of the turf (rather approximately and poorly - it was quite hard work) to give the weeds more of a chance to find soil. If you have a thick thatch then the main problem might be germination and survival of any other seeds. I don't think the light scattering of "meadow mix" had much effect, round here the soil and climate is a long way removed from red poppies and cornflowers. The 99p packet of yellow rattle off eBay worked a treat however, scattered in autumn as recommended. It evolves over years, you don't need to worry if it doesn't look great for a while. My wife was quite sarcastic for a year or two...not any more! |
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May 2024
3:42pm, 8 May 2024
21,427 posts
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Chrisull
macca 53 what’s your starting point - ground, size current state etc, I know a bit about this now, and can advise or have a couple of experts on tap….
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May 2024
11:45am, 9 May 2024
32,402 posts
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macca 53
Chrisull we’ve just taken on a badly neglected allotment and plan to use half of it for “non productive” use, mainly grass and flowers. Today it’s partially covered in black sheeting which has split in lots of places and couch grass, nettles and ground elder are the main residents!
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May 2024
12:36pm, 9 May 2024
21,434 posts
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Chrisull
Ah ok - yellow rattle might not be so suitable, but it depends on how much grass is there. Generally it's favoured in grassy places as it parasitises grass and keeps the grass shorter and less vigorously growing. So I don't know if it's in a mowable state? As that it where you start. So on a grassy area, you need to reduce the fertility, and this is done by mowing regularly, right down to the earth pretty much and then removing the grass clippings as they are one thing that really increases the fertility. After that sow yellow rattle in the early autumn, it needs to be in by October as it requires frosts for germination. It flowers May-June and drops its seeds so it will come back next year. Your main enemy is grass though, because it will outcompete other wild flowers that get sown for the light. After a couple of years (yes that long!) you should see reduced grass growth, and be to get in some wildflower seeds (or if you can get hold of wildflower hay from a harvested wildflower meadow). Even so, I think you need to watch for the wildflower shoots germinating and prune around them. If you don't have that much grass and it's more soil, it's a case of removing the invasive species, and then planting as per normal and removing incomers that will compete with your flowers (convolvulus / bindweed is a real pain). As for varieties, well it depends on soil type, but it's a case of what already does well in the local community that gives a clue. Things like Vipers bugloss, musk mallow, ox-eyed daisies are wildflower meadow staples. I know people like their poppies etc, but I'm a believer in keeping it our more natural indigenous species (which tend to be a bit less showy than some of the typical wildflower meadow stuff). |
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