October's Q&A from ADAS. 

Question
I’m preparing the ground for my ELS Pollen and Nectar mix and I’ve looked through various seed catalogues at different mixes, some with grasses and some without. I have quite fertile soils, what mix will be best for me?

Answer
On fertile soils it is advisable not to include grasses as they tend to grow more vigorously than pollen and nectar plants. Once grasses dominates the sward you are required to re-drill.

After establishing a pollen and nectar mix, grasses will naturally appear anyway, and where fertility is high, they can swamp the sward after a few years.

On fertile sites, although the cost of the seed is higher, it is worth paying more for a seed mixture that does not contain grasses as it is likely to persist for longer, so delaying the need to re-drill.

However, including grasses in the seed mixture may help to suppress competition on sites where the seed bank of annual weeds is high. Choose a mixture containing a small element of fine-leaved grasses. Never include aggressive species such as cocksfoot or timothy.

To give a pollen and nectar mix the best chance of establishing well, sow in early autumn, or if you have to sow in spring, wait until soil temperatures have risen (end of April/May). Spraying with glyphosate prior to sowing will help reduce grass competition as well as hard-to-control weeds, like thistles and docks.

Although the rules do not require the removal of cuttings when the pollen and nectar mixture is mown, doing so will help it to last longer.