Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

Document Type

Brochure

First Page

1

Last Page

2

Abstract

A well-planned seed mix is essential to reconstructing a diverse and stable plant community. Selecting species for any native planting involves knowing the physical characteristics of the site (soil type, hydrology, slope, aspect, and sunlight exposure) then choosing the most appropriate native plants for that site. All native plantings should include grasses, sedges, and forbs (both legume and non-legume species). The seed mix should also include annual, biennial, and perennial species to foster both early establishment and maintain long-term diversity.

The cost and availability of the seed is often the primary factor in determining which species and how much seed of a species gets included in a seed mix. Seeding calculators are valuable tools to enable practitioners to develop diverse seed mixes within a seed budget. It is also important to consider the source of seed and the ratio of forb to grass species in the mix. A well-planned seed mix will result in a diverse, weed-resistant prairie plant community that will last a lifetime.

Department

Tallgrass Prairie Center

Original Publication Date

2018

Repository

UNI ScholarWorks, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa

Copyright

©2018 Dave Williams

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.