SEED TUTORIALS
Every plant has a beginning
Native seeds help conserve water, create a lower-maintenance landscape, and build a vital refuge for local pollinators and wildlife.
Planting native seeds is different from turf grass or a vegetable garden. Native species have evolved over millennia to survive local conditions by following their own biological systems.
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Seed Storage & Timing |
Preparing Site | Seeding | Watering | Download PDF
Seed Storage & Timing
Seed storage
Store the seed in your fridge or a cool, dry place.
Make sure the seed does not come in contact with moisture.
Timing
Meadow mix - Fall Seeding
Highly recommend our meadow mix in the fall, generally October - November. After the first frost or snow but before snow sticks to the ground is a perfect time to seed native species.
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If you miss this window, seed in April - May. You may want to follow up with an additional fall sowing.
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Grass mix - Spring or Fall
Spring seeding usually occurs from April - June when the ground begins to warm up, and precipitation is more common. ​
Preparing your site
1. Weeding
Start with weeding and removing any unwanted vegetation if you can. Be thorough or you will regret it in the future when your undesired vegetation bounces back.
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Consider using herbicide to clear the area of plants that spread via rhizomes or are otherwise not effectively controlled by manual weeding.
2. Know your soil
Clay Loam
Sticky and often described like peanut butter
-->Mix 1:1 native clay soil with crusher fines or coarse sand
(Do not use fine sand - This will make concrete.)
You can also add some compost​
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Sand Loam
Granular like sugar, easily breaks apart
-->Add compost
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Silt Loam
EUREKA! It's smooth but also breaks apart.
-->No need to amend
3. Spacing
Ideally, you want 4-6” of good, non-compacted soil to place your seed in.
-->Plow or rototill your area to a 4-6” depth and amend as needed, depending on your soil, before seeding.
At a minimum, soil should be roughed up by dragging across your site with equipment or using a rake to loosen the soil.
Seeding
You can broadcast seeds by hand or using seeder spreader equipment. Seeding the meadow mix by hand is recommended because of the variable seed sizes included in the mix.
Broadcast approximately half of your seed while making passes over your site in one direction and then broadcast the rest of the seed while making passes across your site from the perpendicular direction. Don’t worry too much about clumped seed if seeding by hand, you can just rake it out a bit to spread the seed around.
Lightly water in seed. During germination, you will want to keep the area moist. If seeding in fall or early spring you can likely rely on natural precipitation. Water lightly as needed and once germination is complete, move to deep and infrequent water.
Mulching helps hold soil moisture, can aid with weed control, regulates soil temperature, gives a nice appearance, and protects seed during the sensitive germination stage.
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Lightly water in seed to improve seed soil contact before mulching
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Mix mulch up before spreading to expose it evenly to air
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Don’t add too much! You can mulch your site with no more than 1 inch of straw or woody mulch.
Watering
Focus on deep and infrequent watering
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Saturate soil 4-6” with each watering
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Water again when the top 1-2” is dry or plants start to show signs of wilt. If you’re not sure, it means you can wait another day or two
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Once established, this garden will only need supplemental watering during extended dry, hot periods.
Download
You can download a PDF version of care instructions to print and have for personal use!
Click here to download a General Seeding PDF!
Click here to download
GBNP Native Lawn Mix Prep, Sow and Care Guide!
