Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Sunday - October 24, 2010
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Compost and Mulch, Seeds and Seeding, Wildflowers
Title: Wildflower seeds affected by mulch in Austin
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I have a small wildflower garden in my central Austin yard. In early summer, I had some extra mulch and put it in this garden. Now I'm thinking that was a mistake. The bed has re-seeded itself for several years now. Will the mulch interfere with re-seeding?ANSWER:
It can, if the seeds are being caught in the mulch and unable to contact soil. Also, if the mulch is left on when the seeds are germinating, which is pretty soon for Central Texas, they would not be getting the sunlight they need for germination. You need to examine the beds where you let the plants re-seed and see if the mulch has decomposed enough that it is really blended into the soil. That is one of the advantages of organic mulches, they will more or less compost in place, amending the soil and contributing to good drainage. If not, we would definitely recommend at least lessening the thickness of the mulch around your wildflowers. And lift it off gently, by hand, because some of those seedlings may have already appeared. You could also try harvesting seed from some of your plants and then placing those seeds in a fertile location where they can get sun and contact with the soil. We have three How-To Articles that we would like for you to read; you can probably pick up some of the answer to your question from each:
More Compost and Mulch Questions
Erosion control in Santaquin UT
August 11, 2009 - I have a hill in my backyard; it is about 40 ft tall and about 80 ft wide. It is probably a 1.5 to 1 slope ratio. I am going to be landscaping my back yard and have top soil put on the hill as well. S...
view the full question and answer
Problems with Eastern hemlock in Greenville SC
July 02, 2009 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
I have a beautiful, young, 5 and a half foot tall Eastern Hemlock. I purchased and planted it two years ago in the fall. It has been doing very well all this spring. And ne...
view the full question and answer
Death of mature Eve's necklace in Fredericksburg, TX
July 12, 2010 - A friend mentioned his mature Eve's necklace had died this year. The next day I walked past my own mature Eve's necklace(about 5 years old)and it was dead! What could have happened? Thanks.
view the full question and answer
Pine bark on non-native St. Augustine grass in Kingwood TX
May 12, 2010 - I had two large Pine trees cut down. In the process of cutting the trees down there is a lot of pine bark from the tree on my St Augustine grass. Will this affect the growth of my grass?
view the full question and answer
Sunny and shady lawns from Austin
April 28, 2012 - My front yard has a large bed surrounded by a mix of St. Augustine and Bermuda grass. Last summers heat killed off about 90% of the St. Augustine, which we would like to replace anyway to conserve re...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |