Monarch Butterfly Wildflower Mix

Planting rate:

     12-24 lbs./acre

     1/2 or less, use 8 oz./1000 square feet

Site Preparation: Provide a good seed bed for wildflowers as they generally compete poorly with established weeds and grasses. The ground should be rototilled or scarified to provide good seed to soil contact and should be as free as possible of weed and grass competition. No preplant fertilizer is recommended. Roundup may be used to reduce competition 7 days before planting. 

Timing: Spring planting before anticipated rainfall is best. Summer plantings can also be successful with adequate irrigation or rainfall. Late summer seedings should allow at least 8 weeks before the first expected frost. Dormant seedings in late fall and winter can also be successful and the seed will normally germinate during spring as the soil warms. 

Planting: See planting rate on package. Seeding can be accomplished with a drill (plant to a depth of 1/8” to 1/4” and firm well) or with a drop spreader, cyclone spreader or by hand. Spread seed as evenly as possible and rake very lightly. Weed free straw or peat moss 1/8” depth can be used as a mulch. 

Establishment: Best results are obtained if the soil is kept moist for a month after planting. Some seedlings will normally appear in two weeks and others will take up to four weeks. An average soil temperature required to germinate wildflowers is 650 F. 

Management: No fertilizer is recommended unless the soil is of very low fertility. Fertilizer generally encourages weeds and grasses at the expense of wildflowers. Irrigation may be helpful during drought periods and will usually increase the amount of flowering and the length of blooming. After flowering is completed in late summer or fall, one mowing is desirable. Flowering: The earliest blooms may appear 6 to 8 weeks after seeding. Others will appear later throughout the spring and summer. Some perennials will not flower until the second year