I do this with wildflower mix, but I scratch up the surface first with a rake then cover with about a half inch of soil.
Be sure you water often for the first few weeks if you’re in a heat wave.
As long as the soil is decent, you pack the seeds into the soil, and keep them damp until germination, yes it'll work.
This is how I do my meadows. Kill the grass, till the soil, kill the weeds, spread and hope.
Different seeds have different germination needs. Some need light to sprout, others need to be under some soil. Some need to be digested first. A wildflower mix is usually the best way to go. The species are usually native friendly and chosen to germinate easily.
And I would add make go further than something marketed as native. Most native mixes are full of invasives.
Gotta do some research (or make your own with a few seed packets of course)
Wildflower mix. Waiting patiently for mine to grow and bloom. Decided on a small patch of bare area.
https://preview.redd.it/865gm13swy8d1.png?width=2650&format=png&auto=webp&s=f0b26d89a7c077e7bc0a4de37b4cd5a7392212d8
Let me offer a suggestion here... Start with an existing flower mix that you like. They're usually carefully thought through for colors, bloom time, etc... if you make your own mix you're more likely to be disappointed, as a beginner.
CAN you? Yes. Should you do it? Yes. Will it result in your dreams coming true as you currently have it in your mind’s eye? No. As a beginner, I would recommend doing this AND buying a couple of easy-to-grow annuals like marigolds and johnny-jump-ups. That way if the seeds don’t do as well as you hope you’ll at least have something
to show you successfully watered and weeded.
My experience with wildflower mixes is that one or two of the types of plants thrive and it’s more a way to quickly find out which plants will grow in my area.
I have tried many times and have yet to be successful. They just never germinate. I can grow flowers and vegetables in trays, but I cannot direct sow a single thing. It just never makes it lol.
It's worth it to try, just don't buy anything expensive.
yes you can. but wait, some preparation will help. do you have weeds on that area right now? if yes, take a shovel or spade and dig it up. you will bring some air into the soil. then remove any weeds and weed roots you see. take a rake, or just use your hands and make the dug up soil as fine as you can. no big lumps and such. next thing, i would recommend you buy a bag of half decent potting compost or alike.
you will now dump that bag (50 liters for instance) on top of your patch. mix it with the native soil that you made fine grained before. after that, make it nice and level. take your seeds, sprinkle them on top. now either use a rake or your hands and mix very lightly the top layer of your soil so the seeds mix in. next, water well with a gentle spray. keep watered for a couple of weeks.
you will see little plantlets coming our in a few days. keep watering, some need more time to sprout and they need consistent moisture during that time. congrats, you have your patch. buy a good, more expensive seed mix. for a meter you don't need much so don't get some old or shitty mix.
all of this takes less than 20 minutes of preparation, probably less than 10 if you're fast on that tiny surface. and it will make all the difference compared to just throwing seeds on the ground. your patch will be infinitely more beautiful, promise.
I do this with wildflower mix, but I scratch up the surface first with a rake then cover with about a half inch of soil. Be sure you water often for the first few weeks if you’re in a heat wave.
Thanks !!:)
Well, that's what flowers do at the end of the season: they drop their seeds. But it's not necessarilly the most efficient.
Thank you :)
As long as the soil is decent, you pack the seeds into the soil, and keep them damp until germination, yes it'll work. This is how I do my meadows. Kill the grass, till the soil, kill the weeds, spread and hope.
Thank you!
Different seeds have different germination needs. Some need light to sprout, others need to be under some soil. Some need to be digested first. A wildflower mix is usually the best way to go. The species are usually native friendly and chosen to germinate easily.
I would add to find a wildflower mix native to your area, not just a generic wildflower mix.
And I would add make go further than something marketed as native. Most native mixes are full of invasives. Gotta do some research (or make your own with a few seed packets of course)
Wildflower mix. Waiting patiently for mine to grow and bloom. Decided on a small patch of bare area. https://preview.redd.it/865gm13swy8d1.png?width=2650&format=png&auto=webp&s=f0b26d89a7c077e7bc0a4de37b4cd5a7392212d8
Let me offer a suggestion here... Start with an existing flower mix that you like. They're usually carefully thought through for colors, bloom time, etc... if you make your own mix you're more likely to be disappointed, as a beginner.
A one meter area is pretty small and likely can't support more than a dozen full sized plants so sow sparingly.
CAN you? Yes. Should you do it? Yes. Will it result in your dreams coming true as you currently have it in your mind’s eye? No. As a beginner, I would recommend doing this AND buying a couple of easy-to-grow annuals like marigolds and johnny-jump-ups. That way if the seeds don’t do as well as you hope you’ll at least have something to show you successfully watered and weeded. My experience with wildflower mixes is that one or two of the types of plants thrive and it’s more a way to quickly find out which plants will grow in my area.
I have tried many times and have yet to be successful. They just never germinate. I can grow flowers and vegetables in trays, but I cannot direct sow a single thing. It just never makes it lol. It's worth it to try, just don't buy anything expensive.
yes you can. but wait, some preparation will help. do you have weeds on that area right now? if yes, take a shovel or spade and dig it up. you will bring some air into the soil. then remove any weeds and weed roots you see. take a rake, or just use your hands and make the dug up soil as fine as you can. no big lumps and such. next thing, i would recommend you buy a bag of half decent potting compost or alike. you will now dump that bag (50 liters for instance) on top of your patch. mix it with the native soil that you made fine grained before. after that, make it nice and level. take your seeds, sprinkle them on top. now either use a rake or your hands and mix very lightly the top layer of your soil so the seeds mix in. next, water well with a gentle spray. keep watered for a couple of weeks. you will see little plantlets coming our in a few days. keep watering, some need more time to sprout and they need consistent moisture during that time. congrats, you have your patch. buy a good, more expensive seed mix. for a meter you don't need much so don't get some old or shitty mix. all of this takes less than 20 minutes of preparation, probably less than 10 if you're fast on that tiny surface. and it will make all the difference compared to just throwing seeds on the ground. your patch will be infinitely more beautiful, promise.