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Description: Seed
mixture MM05 will give customers in the midlands, west and uplands living
with a peat soil the chance to grow a really interesting wild flora. Best in full sun.
This Mixture is will grow in Soils derived from Blanket Bog or Raised Bog
MM05
is a general mixture suitable for acid, neutral or alkaline peat soil,
lowland or upland.
The sites suitable for this flora can be found across much of Central, Coastal and Upland
Ireland where the either Deep or Shallow Blanket peat is found. After a house is constructed, these peaty soils are often mixed with the
underlying gley, clay or subsoil.
Raised Bogs are characterised by deep
layers of peat often found in the midlands of Ireland or in low-lying
areas.
Sow MM05 onto the deep peat or the limestone marl, gley, clay or subsoil
mixed up with the surface peat. MM05 offers a choice of cold hardy,
colourful species otherwise unavailable in a garden centre.
With modern earth moving machines, house builders can infill and level a
site, scoops of deep peat are dredged to the surface, either way the resulting soil will
tend towards deep acidic peat and will accommodate and offer a home for species who
don't normally tolerate the surrounding natural pure peat saturated boglands
ecosystem as well as species which will thrive.
Often the
site will have a high water table or be saturated, and will over look
the Raised Bog proper, such a site will require specialist 'Bio filters'
for sewage treatment. We supply flora for 'reed infiltration beds'
and to reclaim the 'Bioflow' treatment systems sometimes unsightly
earthworks..
MM05 contains annuals which would not normally be found in such sites, but will add
first year interest and are intended as a nurse crop in situations that
are often hostile.
If you require the actual flora of a raised bog contact us directly for a bespoke seed mixture.
Blanket Bogs
Fields created in areas of blanket bog often have a slightly
different ecology to the boggy countryside in which they inhabit.
Indeed such a site, can be a field, inherited from the distant past or created in
a day with an earth moving machine, either way the resulting soil will
tend towards shallow, wet and acidic and will accommodate species who
don't normally tolerate the surrounding natural ecosystem. Often the
site will be underlain with water impervious rock such as old red
sandstone or granite.
The site may be saturated or well drained but non the less wet, either
sheltered or exposed and in many case fertile, as seaweed or manure may
have been added to the soil. Whatever the case MM05 provides
species which will tolerate these conditions and form a beautiful
low maintenance ecology.
MM05 contains annuals which would not normally be found in such sites, but will add
first year interest and are intended as a nurse crop in situations that
are often hostile.
If you require the actual flora of a
blanket bog contact us directly for a bespoke seed mixture.
Forestry is displacing Irelands peat land wild plant community, so if you
grow MM05 you will be helping the conservation of nature and another
generation of plants.
Mixture Specifications:
Origin: Native Irish Origin, Wildflower Seed
Mixture.
Moisture Level: Suits normal, moist, or flooded wet.
pH range: Best between 5 - 7
Aspect: Sunny
Life Cycle: Annual / Biennial /
Perennial.
Height Range: <30cm - > 000cm
Flowering Period: May to August.
Fertility Range: Will
grow on any soil, suits fertile top soil, the less fertile the soil, the
less cutting will be required.
Wintergreen: Moderate
Total number of seeds per gram:
2132
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Species
List:
Bell Heather, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Bog Asphodel, Bog Cotton, Burdock, Bush Vetch, Corn Chamomile, Corn Marigold, Corn Poppy, Corncockle, Cornflower, Devil's bit Scabious, Eyebright, Fleabane*, Foxglove, Greater Trefoil, Hoary Plantain, Lesser Knapweed, Marsh Bedstraw, Marsh Cinquefoil, Marsh Ragwort, Marsh Thistle*, Meadow Buttercup, Meadowsweet, Ox-eye Daisy. Pokeweed, Purple Loosestrife, Ragged Robin, Red Bartsia, Red Campion, Red Clover, Red Rattle*, Redshank, Ribwort Plantain, Rough Hawksbit, Scented Mayweed, Sheep's Sorrell, Sorrel, Water Avens, Wild Angelica, Wild Carrot, Yarrow, Yellow Flag Iris, Yellow Loosestrife, Yellow Rattle,
Species of 'Vetches' may be added to this mixture
as they become available.
Redshank can be added for very poor peat soils where other annuals will not succeed)
Depending on availability:
Biting Stonecrop,
Eyebright*,
Marsh Woundwort*,
Marsh Cinquefoil,
Lesser Spearwort
Marsh Loosewort,
Tormentil, Marsh Marigold,
Species
of Sedges and Sheep's Sorrell often occur in such meadows we can add
these species if required.
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Product
Warning: DBN
recommends that this mixture is not for human or animal consumption. Click
here for further details
Sowing Specification:
Soil Preparation:
Create firm, fine tilt on seed bed.
Optimum Sowing Time: Spring, early
autumn, when the soil is warm.
Sowing Conditions:
Normal, roll or rake into surface to
keep out of reach from birds. Click
here for more details
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
Click
here for more details
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Seed
Mixture Specifications:
Origin: Native Irish Origin, Wildflower Seed Mixture.
Suitable for soil type: All types of soil mixed with deep peat,
or pure peat.
Moisture Level: Normal, Moist or Wet
pH range: Best between <4.5 - 6.5
Aspect: Sunny
Seed Sowing Rates:
Normal
sowing rate 'without added grass seed':1.5 grams per metre.
High sowing rate 'without added grass seed': Add 3 grams per metre.
Grass
seed or nurse crop requirement:
Nurse
Crop: No nurse crop is required.
Grass Seed Requirement: n/a, use Bent and
Fescue species, Do not use species of Perennial Rye grass
Sow with or without grasses: Either / with grasses /
without grasses
Sowing rate with grasses: 2 to 7 grams per
metre depending on the percentage of grass.
If sown without
grass seed,
this mixture:
Will not require a nurse crop.
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Morphology:
Life Cycle: Annual / Biennial /
Perennial.
Height Range: <60cm to >180cm
Flowering Period: May to August.
Fertility Range: Will
grow in any soil
Wintergreen: Partially.
The main species which should dominate and persist in this
mixture: Birdsfoot
Trefoil, Bog Asphodel, Bell Heather, Devil's bit Scabious, Meadow
Buttercup, Greater Trefoil, Lesser Knapweed, Marsh Ragwort,
Meadowsweet, Ribwort Plantain,
Purple Loosestrife, Red Clover, Rough Hawksbit, Sorrel, Water Avens,
Yarrow,
Yellow Flag Iris,
Annual
Species: Red Rattle, Red Bartsia, Yellow Rattle, Eyebright,
Corn Chamomile, Corn Marigold, Corn Poppy, Corncockle, Cornflower,
Scented Mayweed, Redshank.
Biennial Species: Foxglove, Wild Angelica, Wild Carrot. Pokeweed, Marsh Cinquefoil, Yellow
Loosestrife.
Rare, unusual, and feature species: Marsh
Thistle, Marsh Woundwort,
Lesser Spearwort,
Species which will grow if the conditions are ideal: Bell
Heather, Bog
Cotton, Ox-eye Daisy, Red Rattle, Red Bartsia, Yellow Rattle, Fleabane, Eyebright, Marsh Loosewort, Tormentil. Bog
Asphodel, Marsh Bedstraw.
Species which will be affected by management: Bog
Asphodel, Bell
Heather,
Design Notes: MM05 will require an open sward, to allow some species to flourish, if sedges can be encouraged instead of grasses all the better. The presents of heather requires careful cutting in the early years to allow for its establishment. Once established the heather species can be keep low to 12 cm with a general annual cut.
Moss will form on the soil surface which may need occasional raking every few years. DBN does not recommend chemically treating the moss to get ride of it.
Performance:
Peaty soil are difficult if saturated, Seek advice if sowing onto flooded peat
In normal conditions (mainly in early Autumn and Spring) this mix should
germinate 3 - 6 weeks after sowing, from then on, provided the sward is
kept open and a 'Thatch'
is not allowed develop, species will continue to germinate and emerge,
through to the third year.
First Year:
The
annuals supplied in this mixture may grow and flower, it depends on what
type of peat you have, for the annuals to be successful. This mixture requires one cut when finished flowering.
Second Year: In the second year the biennials
will also be very colourful.
If this mixture was not cut in first year, cut
and remove foliage in early Spring.
Cut again in July, August or September,
depending on when flower finish or the level of weeds that emerge.
In the third year this meadow mixture will seem
to have less flora than the first and second year. Why?
The perennial species are still young, many will only have
germinated in the second season, so flowers will be sparse. However,
there should be identifiable foliage and some flowers. If not contact
us.
If the native grass seeds present in your soil grow vigorously, the meadow will require two
or three cuts, the first cut in Spring (April/May) and the second cut in July or August, the meadow can again be
cut in September if the grasses are still growing strong.
When
should this meadow be established and require one cut?
In the fourth year, when the perennials in the mixture should be flowering on
many stems and starting to clump and spread, again if the grass is still
vigorous cut in spring and in August of the fourth year. However if the
perennials are growing strong there will be no need to cut until July,
August or September depending on the fertility and wetness of the soil
and the species which have grown.
A
wildflower meadow should last many years, provided the wildflower species
were correctly
established, weeds were controlled and the meadow was cut and the cut
material removed and occasional 'Gaps'
are created. If not contact DBN.
Persistence if unmanaged: Low
Tolerance of Cutting: Moderate.
General Cutting Time: Mid to end of Summer.
Specific Cutting Time: Wait 3 weeks until after the last flush
of flowers fade away, after seeds set.
Disposal
of cut materials: Always remove the
cuttings, wildflower meadow hay should be removed as soon as possible
and not be heaped on site as it will grow mouldy (a health risk).
Meadow cuttings can be spread as compost in sheet mulches around trees
and shrubs or composted.
Management: Control grasses and weeds until
well established. Accept any normal non-invasive weeds as they provide cover,
once the sward is established, digging, spot spraying or weed wiping can
be used to eliminate problem species.
Control weeds, especially Creeping
Buttercup, if Creeping Buttercup is present cut this meadow in May in
year two.
Most species in this mixture
are 'Browse' resistant.
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A
General Description of Meadow Range:
Meadow Mixtures are
designed to grow on soil in specific situations.
This range of seed mixture is ideal for those concerned with species suitability,
composition and performance to be attractive, encourage wildlife and local biodiversity.
If these mixtures are suitable for your situation, they offer good value
and if
given time, develop into a flora that will persist if properly maintained. Back to Top
Wildflower growing is relatively new to horticulturalists, please check our online
Wildflower Growers Manual
for further details.
Your purchase:
Contributes to DBN's work of creating crops
of Conservation Grade - Native Origin Wildflora. You help us to inform
and pay land-owners to manage native species and to assist DBN in
handing on our heritage for another generation.
By growing (some will be difficult) these and all other species, you
directly help to conserve national and global Biodiversity and protect
wildlife. You should also consider yourself another Irish wildflower
grower.
Professional
Ecologists: Our 'Meadow Mixture Range' is intended as a 'soil
suitable' horticultural range of specific flora suitable across a
wide range of Irish sites.
For further reading see: Seed
supply by 'Soil Type' | Genetic
diversity- Seed Triggers.
| Seed
Treatments - Stratification, Scarification and more
For seed mixtures by
percentage weight see Mixture
composition - Seed percentage
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