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Wildflower and Herb Growing Guide
Post by admin on Nov 4, 2004, 11:28pm

Wildflower and Herb Growing Guide

by Dan Jincks
Copyright 1996-2004 Walnut Creek Enterprises

In spite of their designation as wild plants and wildflowers, they will do their best if you don’t treat them as wild. If you were to toss the seeds into a weedy neglected spot, you would see little or no results. Almost certainly the wildflowers would not bloom their first year as they struggle to get a foothold among the well established competition. If you treat them as valued garden plants, your efforts will be rewarded. If you already have a favorite successful gardening technique for vegetables or ornamentals, with a bit of adaptation, it will likely produce good results with herbs and wildflowers. Below are our techniques.


source:
http://easternneck.fws.gov/BayScape/pages/FZeegerTilling_JPG.htm

Preparing the planting bed - Individual species have somewhat different optimum conditions. Unless otherwise specified for the particular plant, soil conditions should be sandy/loamy with about a neutral ph of 7 and be kept at a moderate moisture level. Rocky soil is usually only a problem if your tiller has problems with it. There should be full sun for 1/3 or more of the day.
We will be referring to tilling and cultivating by using a gas powered rotary tiller, but smaller gardens can certainly be created by spade turning and hoe cultivating. The bed should be tilled like any garden. Newly broken sod should be started at least a few weeks before planting - and tilled a few times to ruin established root systems. If the soil is sticky clay, add a generous amount of sand and organic matter such as composted manure or peat. Most of these plants prefer loose sandy soil rather than thick clay. Lime is a fairly critical concern. Sandy soil is often quite acid and requires a good deal of lime to be added. Use crushed limestone or dolomite since their action is gentle and lasts many years. A pick up truck load from our local quarry cost only $5 and is enough for several hundred square feet of very acid soil. A soil test is your best bet for accurate application. Till in the lime as early as possible. A moderate dose of a high potassium and phosphorus fertilizer such as 6-24-24 is good to till in along with the lime.
We’ve also has excellent results from strip rows set 6 foot apart and allowing grass sod to remain between them. The grass strips are maintained by mowing and the herb rows are mulched or cultivated to control weeds. The advantages to strips are: All weather access by foot or vehicle, insects have something to eat besides your herbs, and erosion control - important in our creek bottom planting. It looks unusual and interesting as well. Your “wild” plants stand alone in a green grassy environment. During drought, soaker hose irrigation is easy and saves water. We till 1 1/2 tiller widths wide and then maintain by taking the tiller blade set off of one side of our rear tine tiller. Then we go up one side and down the other, of each row. This won’t work with front tine tillers. A heavy mulch around the plants can be used instead of cultivating.


source:
http://www.grainsnaturally.com/index.htm

Starting the plants - We found that starting seedlings in plug flats gets things off to the fastest and most organized start. Direct seeding works well for many domestic vegetables, but herbs have unusual and often erratic germination habits. Seeds are also often very small and hard to handle. We start almost all of our earlier home grown vegetables in flats as well. It extends your tilling time which gives the new plants a big advantage over sprouting weeds. It also will stretch your seed supply to its maximum potential. Plug flats are available at department stores and garden supply shops as well as from larger mail order seed companies. With reasonable care, they can be reused many times. The size is a standardized 11 X 22 inches, but the number of cells vary. 72 to 128 cells per flat is a good balance between quantity and soil volume. Use a good grade of light weight potting soil to fill the plugs. Pack it well so that it pops out easily when you transplant. Unless instructed otherwise, pack the cells about 3/4 full, place 1 to 4 seeds in each cell and then cover with soil about twice as thick as the seed size. Then firm down the soil. A piece of 3/4 inch dowel rod works well for tamping and packing. Plant 1 to 2 seeds per cell for larger seed like purple cone flower, and put in a few for tiny seeds like mints and lobelia. Once the seeds are up and growing, thin to one per cell. With care you may be able to transfer extras into dud cells and pretty well fill out the flats.
An easy way to handle small seed is to use static electricity to pick them up. Place the seed in a paper plate. Rub a small plastic object against some cloth like your shirt sleeve or pants leg to charge it. Touch it to the number of seeds desired and they will stick to it. Tap it on the side of the cell to release the seeds. Our favorite “seed pick up” is the removable cap off of cheap plastic ink pens.
Once planted, water gently with a sprinkler watering can, or better yet, set the flat in a pan of water and let it soak from the bottom up. Check daily and keep moist but not soggy. Protect from heavy rains which will dislodge seeds and small plants.
Since these are genuine wild plants, it is best to plant them early and keep the flats outdoors in the chill of late winter and early spring. They will come up at their proper normal time as conditions dictate. Many herb and wildflower seeds actually need to be cold and moist for a number of weeks to germinate properly. This is called cold stratifying and will be specified for the given plant. If you feel nervous about leaving the baby plants in the frosty nights, its ok to bring them in once they have germinated and are growing. Be sure that they spend the days out in full sun so that they don’t get weak and spindly from lack of light. Young plants in flats usually benefit from a weekly application of water soluble fertilizer such as “miracle grow” or similar. Follow package directions.

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Re: Wildflower and Herb Growing Guide
Post by admin on Nov 4, 2004, 11:29pm

Mice are very fond of seeds as food and will locate and dig them up. You may want to cover your planting with metal screen to protect them. Mice can chew through plastic screening and wood, so metal is best. Plastic or glass directly on top of the flats can cause more harm than good by trapping too much heat and humidity, leading to sprouting too early and diseases.
Planting your garden - Hopefully you have started your plants in plug flats so this step will be easy and enjoyable. Your plants should be grown in the flats only until their roots develop enough to hold the soil balls together so that you can handle them easily. This is generally about when they put out their first pair or two of permanent leaves. Leaving plants in the plugs too long can cause them to become root bound which can stunt the plants - sometimes permanently. Their bed should be tilled and ready in advance. Laying out their placement is really up to the art of the gardener. Certain general considerations may be helpful. Each plant will need a reasonable amount of space. Figure about one square foot unless noted. Not all of the plants grow to the same height so putting the taller ones behind the shorter will both help light availability and make a more organized garden that both people and butterflies can enjoy better.
Skip watering for 1 day before planting and push the plugs out from underneath with the back of a pen or blunt rod. Plant at the same depth as the plug soil surface. Water immediately and every day or two until a good rain settles them in. Preferably transplant on a cloudy day or in the evening to reduce the initial shock. If the plugs pop out intact, there will be little shock if you keep watered until the roots spread out.
Mulch around the plants as soon as they are big enough not to get buried. Use grass clippings, straw, sawdust, peat, tree bark or similar. Perennials will be back year after year so the proper application of a thick mulch will both benefit them for moisture and from competition, and save you a great deal of work trying to keep grass and weeds out. Plan on adding extra new mulch every spring after they come out. Mulch breaks down to beneficial compost but needs the surface renewed to block weeds. The mulch (or regular cultivating) is very important to a successful garden. If weeds and crab grass take over, it’s almost a certainty that your plants will do poorly and not flower the first year - if ever. Even if they do, you won’t be able to enjoy them in the weedy mess. It’s all a bit of work but a thick mulch is really worth the effort. It’s much easier than hoeing after every rain! You’ll still get an occasional weed but it will be easy to spot and easy to pull.


source:
http://www.heritageaspen.org/ranching.html

Maintaining your Herb and Wildflower Garden - If planted as suggested, your garden should be rather low maintenance. Your main concerns should be water and fertilizer. A 12-12-12 fertilizer or composted manure can be applied sparingly as required. Most are wild plants and need only modest help, if any. Watch for problem signs - stalled growth with good soil moisture and foliage turning pale yellowish green. NEVER apply fertilizer during dry periods, unless you are committed to substantial irrigation. Drought concentrates salts and chemicals to toxic levels. (fertilizer burn). Water should only be applied if the plants show signs of stress such as wilting or dropping yellowed leaves. Some plants can actually be harmed by excess watering. If you do irrigate, be sure to thoroughly soak at long intervals. A single irrigation a week, equal to 1/2 to 1 inch of rain, is far better than a quick squirt with the hose every evening. This is particularly important when plants are young and developing. Light frequent watering encourage shallow root development which will leave the plant even more vulnerable to drought. Plus many diseases thrive better on shallow rooted plants and constant surface moisture.
Wild plants, as most of these are, are fairly resistant to fatal damage from insects and disease. Usually, if allowed to run its course, these problems will not typically wipe out a planting once it is well established. Even if tops are eaten or die back, the roots will usually survive and send up new growth.
Sometimes a particular species will fall victim to local circumstances that cannot be controlled in a practical manner. A good ‘safety’ strategy is to divide up your planting of each species into two or more locations. That way if deer, ground hogs, bugs or disease get into one stand, the other may be missed. At least you’ll have some warning to try and save the lucky stand. Remember if this is also a butterfly garden - any insecticide is going to be a risk or death to the very namesake. If you have to control the aphids on the butterfly weed, use a no residual pyrethrum spray - at night. Better yet, try planting companion repellent plants such as pennyroyal, mountain mint and tansy. They also have some medicinal uses themselves, plus they add their own unique color and character to your garden. Mountain mint and pennyroyal repel chiggers and many rodents (mice, rabbits, squirrels, etc.) as well as most insects. Even ground hogs, skunks and deer are usually discouraged by these two strong scented mints. Tansy leaves are both insect repellent and insecticide.


Source:
http://www.plantations.cornell.edu/education/AABGA_meeting.cfm


Copyright Walnut Creek Enterprises 1996-2004
All illustrations are the property of their listed source.

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WCE Info Products
Post by admin on Nov 20, 2004, 1:00am

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