this post was submitted on 20 Aug 2024
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chapotraphouse
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https://www.ernstseed.com/ for seeds
Your dnr can recommend a species blend and Ernst will mix it up for you. If you truly need hundreds of pounds it's gonna be eye wateringly expensive. I think I paid like 300 bucks for 4000 square feet worth. Then the septic failed and half of it got dug up lol.
I would do a small space first and see if it takes. There might even be grants and stuff for doing large areas.
Rough about the septic, comrade. I replaced mine last year.
I actually don't know how much I need in terms of weight, but something around 300k - 350k Sq ft for that field. I don't know what I'm doing with the rest yet, but that's where I'm starting.
Also, this xerces guide is neat, I'm looking through it. And thanks for the seed place. They pretty reputable? I don't want something invasive mixed in.
yeah, ernst was recommended to me by my state's department of conservation. we specified the seed mix by %weight and they mixed it for us. no invasives in my planting (yet lol)
since you brought up the septic / dug up area, i have heard from folks around here that work for a conservancy that they've had good results sowing wildflower plugs into existing lawns instead of doing extensive site prep. Once the wildflowers start growing, the lawn becomes uncompetitive as it gets shaded out. I want to try that next year I think with seed plugs started indoors from my existing plantings, because site prep was really difficult and seed is expensive. @happybadger@hexbear.net might also have some thoughts on this
Okay, cool, thanks. I know conservation will provide a seed listing, if nothing else. It's just a big investment. I didn't say this earlier, but I'm definitely going to do a test spot this year and see how it goes. I'm not able to drop serious cash on seeds without knowing how it's gonna go, to some degree.
I'd be interested in trying some plugs. I'm just lucky enough to have some equipment, so I can turn over some ground pretty quickly.
The plug thing seems really compelling for expansion. You could just sew a tenth of an acre or something then let it grow and if it looks good, mow it down then take plugs from that same plot for transplanting in the spring. If what they said about the grass competition is accurate then it wouldn't take too long to turn a little meadow into a lot of meadow. Keep us posted on how it goes!
Rewilding can be a pain in the ass. Your state should have a land grant university. They'll have a horticultural extension office at the county level which includes planning agents, native plant nursery connections, and regional best practices. Our local one is like the most knowledgeable horticulturist in the region.