Native grass and forbs require a specially designed drill for successful establishment.  The SWCD assists in planning, seed mix selection and purchase as well as operation of our native grass drill for your seeding needs. 

Contact our office at (320) 598-7071 to learn more about site preparation, management and long-term stand success.

​

 

 

 

Fall Seeding: 

-Seeding in the fall is ideal for native forb species, mostly because of the cold! Lots of native forb species need a long period of cold and moist conditions in the soil before they can germinate.
-While the typical conditions to grow are air, water, and sunlight, only air is needed in the fall. These seeds sit dormant where we seeded them, needing no water or sunlight until spring. the spring sun and what remains of winter's snow, take care of the other two.
-We seed it all with our 15 ft. Great Plains Native Grass drill. This uses disc openers and a press wheel at the back to open up the soil at a maximum depth of a 1/4 inch, and press it into the soil ready for spring. There are 24 of those units on our drill, giving us our distinct "stripes" when we seed. Drilling seed into the soil is ideal because of better seed to soil contact, and the lack of predation of the seeds from birds and other animals. Particularyin the fall, when most birds have migrated, and wildlife is winding down for winter.
-What happens if it snows? While it can be difficult to manage seeding in deep snow, seeding in snow is possible. Usually seed is broadcasted in late winter to allow the top layer of snow to melt and refreeze, locking in that seed until it drops to the soil when the snowpack has fully melted. We seed with our drill in the snow because it is practically the same as fall seeding, with just a little bit of snow between the seed and the soil. Usually, our disc openers are enough to penetrate the snow to the soil, and if not, the stripes we create fall over with the wind or residual melt, protecting our seed in the snow column until spring.

Spring Seeding:

- The "normal" way to seed, the spring offers lots of benefits for planting native grasses and forbs. Namely the weather! While the spring can also be troublesome, spring sunshine and rain increase chances of immidiate estblishment drastically.  The increased sunlight, water, and warmer temperatures help these plants to have the best chance to put down roots.

-Native cool season grasses get a boost here, because they are planted at the right place and time they want to be in! These are your Porcupine grasses, Panic grasses, Bottlebrush grass, and Canada wild ryegrass. 

-Oftentimes, a spring seeding requires immidiate management. We do not have the luxury of waiting all winter. After preperation of the seedbed (tilling/discing), and seeding is complete, an immidiate mow or ideally a round of glysophate is needed to eliminate volunteer plants, and give that seed a chance to grow.