MG5 Blakehill Airfield Wiltshire | BWS22

Name: MG5 Blakehill Airfield Wiltshire | BWS22 - Bright Seeds
SKU: WF/COMBINED/22
Availability: OutOfStock

Harvested MG5 Blakehill Airfield Wiltshire (BWS22)

This mixture, harvested from Blakehill Airfield located in Swindon, Wiltshire provides a higher grass (49%) content than our typical MG5 Lowland Meadow harvested mix. The former military airfield, now managed by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust as a wildlife-rich hay meadow and pasture. This 235Ha is the UK’s largest restoration of an ancient wildflower meadow with 37 species identified within the sample. Bright seeds have established a strong working relationship with the team managing this nature reserve to provide a rotational harvesting program across the site.

Characterised by the the team managing the meadows as typical of a MG5 Lowland Meadow classification.

1KG

Out of stock. Please contact office: 01722 744494

inc VAT

Weight

Clear

Date of harvest: July 2024

SKU: WF/COMBINED/22 Category: Native Wildflower Seed Harvesting

Establishment History: 1997 – Grassland Restoration
Origin: Swindon, Wiltshire
Priority Habitat: Good quality semi-improved grassland (non-priority)
NVC Code: MG5 Lowland Meadow
Soil Type: Wet slightly acidic base rich loam and clay

Specification for 2024 harvested stock

Flora

Meadow Buttercup	16.3%
Common Knapweed	5.1%
Fairy Flax	4.3%
Oxeye Daisy	3.8%
Lesser Stitchwort	2.2%
Rush	2.1%
Sedge	0.8%
Ribwort Plantain	0.7%
Black Medic	0.6%
Smooth Hawksbeard	0.5%
Common Sorrel	0.3%
Self Heal	0.3%
Birdsfoot trefoil	0.2%
White Clover	0.2%
Red Clover	0.1%
Lesser Trefoil	0.1%
Pepper Saxifrage	0.1%
Hairy Vetch	0.02%
Meadow Vetchling	0.01%

Grass

Crested Dogstail	18.2%
Yorkshire Fog	10.6%
Meadow Barley	5.0%
Fine Fescue	4.5%
Bentgrass	3.2%
Perennial Ryegrass	2.8%
Meadow Fescue	1.5%
Tufted Hairgrass	0.9%
Meadow Grass	0.9%
Sweet Vernal Grass	0.6%
Timothy	0.4%
Meadow Brome	0.3%
Meadow Foxtail	0.2%
Sterile Brome	0.1%
Couch Grass	0.04%
Soft Brome	0.03%

Inert Matter (chaff, immature seeds, plant material) 12.9%

Recommended Sow Rate:

3-5g/m²

500g to cover <100m²

1Kg to cover <200m²

Sowing Method:

1. Cultivate the area

2. Spray off weeds which flush or alternatively a light cultivation will reduce vigour of weeds

*Repeat as required to create weed free bed*

3. Mix seed well in a bag before sowing, dry sand can be added to aid drilling

4. Ideally broadcast seed or drill at shallow depth

5. Roll to improve seed-to-soil contact

Once you have sown the mixture, it is very important to manage the growth for the first year. This includes cutting and weeding if possible. If sowing in the autumn, cut the sward when the grass gets established and keep it down to help the flower seeds to germinate. If sowing in the spring, again keep the grass low for the first growing season.

When to sow:

While sowing can occur at either timing, generally speaking, the preferred sowing window is the Autumn as this mirrors nature more accurately. Most perennial wildflowers require vernalisation, a prolonged period of cold, to break dormancy and achieve germination. The winter months after Autumn sowing aids this process. In addition, there is a lower weed burden.

Spring sowing success is reliant on the weather, a cold spring will slow growth and therefore reduce resilience against weeds. However, if warm with moderate rainfall, similar results can be seen as to autumn sowing.

Key to remember:

When sowing wildflowers, the key thing to remember is the cleaner the seed bed the better the success. Wildflowers are often less vigorous than weed species and will struggle to compete against them.

When it comes to fertility, typically speaking wildflower prefer low fertility areas as there is less competition from weeds. However, this does not mean you cannot sow on higher fertility areas, simply more management may be required to control growth and weed ingress.