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Seed
Mixture Specifications:
Total number of seeds per gram: 2440
Native Irish Origin Wildflower Seed Mixture EC04
Suitable for soil type: All types of soil, Clay, Loam, Sand, Light Soil, Heavy
Soil, and cultivated Peat,
Moisture Level: Dry, Normal, Moist, but not Flooded Wet
pH range: Best between 5. - 7.5
Aspect: Semi Shade and Shaded. The performance will be limited
under very heavy tree canopies.
Morphology:
Life Cycle: Annual, Biennial & Perennial.
Height Range: <10cm to >180cm
Flowering Period: March to September.
Fertility Range: Will
grow in very fertile soil to poor soil.
Wintergreen: Yes
The main species which should dominate and persist in this
mixture if the ground is kept free of grass and not cultivated. Cowslip, Devilsbit, Lesser Knapweed, Meadowsweet, Ox-eye Daisy, Purple
Loosestrife, Ragged Robin, Ribwort Plantain, Sorrel, St Johnswort,
Wood Avens,
Annual Species:
Corn Chamomile, Corn Marigold, Corn Poppy, Corncockle,
Cornflower, Scented Mayweed.
Biennial Species: Burdock, Foxglove,
Mullein, Hedge Garlic Mustard,
Teasel, Upright Hedge Parsley,
Wild Angelica, Wild Carrot, Welsh Poppy.
Rare, unusual, and feature species: White Foxglove (Found in Carlow, to keep pure collect seed from white
flowers and sow separately), Primrose,
Species which will grow if the conditions are ideal: Primrose, Sweet Violet, Dog Violet, Purple Loosestrife
prefers damp soil.
Species which will be affected by management: Primrose, keep
weed free until established, Primula species will germinate in the
second or third year after sowing.
Design
Notes: Can be sown with grasses, but is unnecessary, This mixture will not
require a nurse crop, as it contains annuals..
EC04 if sown in any light or semi shade,
tolerates moist or dry conditions.
While the mixture will grow in full
sun it will perform best when there is some shade for part of the day.
This seed mixture will provide many species that are colourful in late
spring.
In dry areas under trees it will produce about 8 final species.
In
dry shady areas under trees and hedge's, EC04 can be sown with EC03 or
woodland plants at the same time as you plant seed.
The
woodland wildflowers will not flower in the first year. Some species are very slow to appear. You will have to wait for 3 years for the
primula.
EC04 is a difficult mixture to grow. The area must be prepared and managed to the highest standards.
Try to eliminate all nettles, Ivy and bramble by cutting or strimming
the area, or spraying.
Some species in this mixture
are 'Browse' resistant.
Sowing Specification:
As Normal, roll or rake into surface to
keep out of reach from birds.
Soil Preparation:
Click
here for more details Normal, create fine tilt on seed bed,
Optimum Sowing Time: Autumn after leaf
fall if under trees or in September or Spring in semi-shade or full sun..
'Ideal Time' and season to sow wildflower seeds
Sowing Conditions:
Normal Sowing seeds
Sowing Method: By hand is recommended, if
using seed spreaders be careful to insure the small varieties of seed do
not drop to the bottom of the seed spreader and get sown all in the one
place. Can be Hydrasown. Click
here for more details
Fertiliser: None. Powdered or liquid seaweed will aid germination.
Click
here for more details
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Seed Sowing Rates:
1.5 grams per metre.
Normal
sowing rate 'without added grass seed': 1.5 grams per metre.
High sowing rate 'without added grass seed': Add 3 grams per metre.
Low sowing rate: None.
Grass
seed or nurse crop requirement:
Nurse
Crop: Annuals provided in Mixture.
Grass Seed Requirement: None.
Sow with or without grasses: Unnecessary,
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Seed Specification:
Up to 80% of all seed should germinate in the first year.
Up to 90% of all species should germinate in 24 months.
Up to 95% of all species
should have flowered by the fourth year after sowing.
Late Autumn and early Summer sowings may be slow to emerge, depending on the weather.
Performance:
Persistence if unmanaged: Moderate.
Tolerance of Cutting: Moderate.
General Cutting Time: July or August and Early march to 10cm.
Specific Cutting Time: Wait 3 weeks until after the last flush
of flowers fades away, after seeds set in July.
Management: Strim, The third year is the
critical year to maintain this meadow as scutch grass, nettle and dock
will try to dominate as the growing conditions are ideal for such
unwanted species.
A
General Description of Ecotype Range:
Ecotype seed mixtures are
designed to imitate natural ecologies found in specific situations. This
Hedgerow mixture contains many species found in semi-shaded wild
situations in Ireland. It will grow on all soils and in
many different situations, if 15 to 20 species persist you have done
well.
The EC range is not intended as an exact copies of an Irish ecosystem but to represent floras that would otherwise take hundreds of years to develop
if 'nature' was left unaided. This range of seed mixture is ideal for those concerned with encouraging wildlife and local biodiversity as
the plants will attract species suited to the ecology.
If these mixtures are suitable for your situation, they offer good value, contain some of the most exacting and unusual species and if
given time, develop into a diverse flora that will persist if properly maintained.
Professional
Ecologists: Our 'Ecotype Flora Range' is intended as a
baseline 'non-locally' specific flora suitable for conservation across a
wide range of sites found in Ireland.
For further reading see: Seed
supply for Irish Habitats by classification. For seed mixtures by
percentage weight see Mixture
composition- Seed percentage. Seed
Treatments- Stratification, Scarification, Heat treatments and more.
Genetic
diversity- Seed Triggers.
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By Nature ©
Crettyard, Carlow, Ireland.
Telephone:
++ 353 (0)56 4442526 Email: info@wildflowers.ie
Web
Sites: www.wildflowers.ie
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