EM7 – Meadow Mixture for Sandy Soils

Composition

Sandy soils can vary considerably in pH, humus content, fertility and structure but are usually infertile, well drained and prone to drought. EM7 contains wild flowers and grasses that are deep rooting and tolerant of drought.

Wild Flowers

%	Latin name	Common name
0.5	Achillea millefolium	Yarrow
2	Centaurea nigra	Common Knapweed
1	Daucus carota	Wild Carrot
1	Echium vulgare	Viper's Bugloss
2	Galium verum	Lady's Bedstraw
1.5	Leucanthemum vulgare	Oxeye Daisy
0.3	Linaria vulgaris	Common Toadflax
1.5	Lotus corniculatus	Birdsfoot Trefoil
0.5	Malva moschata	Musk Mallow
0.5	Plantago lanceolata	Ribwort Plantain
1.2	Plantago media	Hoary Plantain
0.5	Primula veris	Cowslip
1.5	Prunella vulgaris	Selfheal
1.5	Ranunculus acris	Meadow Buttercup
1	Ranunculus bulbosus	Bulbous Buttercup
1.5	Rumex acetosa	Common Sorrel
2	Silene vulgaris	Bladder Campion
20

Grasses

%	Latin name	Common name
10	Agrostis capillaris	Common Bent
2	Anthoxanthum odoratum	Sweet Vernal-grass (w)
24	Cynosurus cristatus	Crested Dogstail
10	Festuca filiformis	Fine-leaved Sheep's-fescue (w)
15	Festuca ovina	Sheep's Fescue
15	Festuca rubra ssp. juncea	Slender-creeping Red-fescue
4	Phleum bertolonii	Smaller Cat's-tail
80

Sowing Rates

kg/ha	kg/acre	g/m2	Order Mixture
40	16	4	Order this mixture

Growing guide

Ground preparation

Endeavour to select ground that is not highly fertile and does not have a problem with perennial weeds. Good preparation is essential to success so aim to control weeds and produce a good quality seed bed before sowing. Sandy soils are usually infertile, well drained and easy to work.

To prepare a seed bed first remove weeds using repeated cultivation or a herbicide. Then plough or dig to bury the surface vegetation, harrow or rake to produce a medium tilth, and roll, or tread, to produce a firm surface.

(more on preparation)

Sowing

Seed is best sown in the autumn or spring but can be sown at other times of the year if there is sufficient warmth and moisture.  Sandy soils are prone to drought so are often best seeded in the autumn or winter to give sown species a chance to establish and root before the dry summer months arrive.

The seed must be surface sown and can be applied by machine or broadcast by hand. To get an even distribution and avoid running out divide the seed into two or more parts and sow in overlapping sections. Do not incorporate or cover the seed, but firm in with a roll, or by treading, to give good soil/seed contact.

(more on sowing)

Aftercare

First year management
Most of the sown meadow species are perennial and will be slow to germinate and grow and will not usually flower in the first growing season. There will often be a flush of annual weeds from the soil in the first growing season. This weed growth is easily controlled by topping or mowing.

Avoid cutting in the spring and early summer if the mixture is autumn sown and contains Yellow Rattle, or if the mixture has been sown with a nurse of cornfield annuals. These sown annuals should be allowed to flower, then in mid-summer cut and remove the vegetation. It is important to cut back the annuals before they die back, set seed and collapse: this cut will reveal the developing meadow mixture and give it the space it needs to develop.

Management once established
In the second and subsequent years EM7 sowings can be managed in a number of ways which, in association with soil fertility, will determine the character of the grassland.

Poor unimproved sandy soils do not produce much growth and in this situation will only require one or two cuts at the end of the season, or light grazing, to maintain diversity and interest.

On richer soils that are not prone to drought best results are usually obtained by traditional meadow management based around a main summer hay cut in combination with autumn and possibly spring mowing or grazing.

Meadow grassland is not cut or grazed from spring through to late July/August to give the sown species an opportunity to flower.  After flowering in July or August take a 'hay cut': cut back with a scythe, petrol strimmer or tractor mower to c50mm. Leave the 'hay' to dry and shed seed for 1-7 days then remove from site.

Mow or graze the re-growth through to late autumn/winter to c 50mm and again in spring if needed.

(more on grassland management)

 

EM7 is a complete mix composed of 20% native wild flowers and 80% slow growing grasses (by weight). The flower and grass components are also available to order separately as EM7F for the flower component and EG7 for the grass component.