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Septic Field Mix for Sand & Gravel Backfill

Native prairie plants are recommended for planting over mounds and drain fields. Nutrients in the wastewater are taken up by the plants, instead of entering the groundwater. Studies have shown that the roots of prairie plants do not clog septic …

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Availability: In stock

Only %1 left

SKU

50008

Quantity Price Ea.

1/4 Lb $99.00

1/2 Lb $198.00

1-2 Lb $295.00

3-4 Lb $225.00

5-9 Lb $199.00

10+ Lb $175.50

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Cultural Details
Soil Type	Gravel, Sand
Soil Moisture	Dry
Sun Exposure	Full Sun
Height	1' - 5'
Seeding Rate	10 Lbs per Acre or 1/4 Lb per 1000 Sq Ft.

Description

Native prairie plants for dry soils are recommended for planting over septic mounds and drain fields (soil absorbtion fields), and will not clog septic system pipes. The roots will absorb additional nutrients in the wastewater and prevent them from entering the groundwater. This seed mix contains at least 15 wildflowers and 2 or more grasses. If your septic systems has received a layer of topsoil over the sand and gravel backfill, you may use our Short Prairie for Medium Soils Mix, instead.

When planting over a drainfield it is important to avoid wetland, or high moisture species, which will seek additonal moisture and are more likely to invade pores pipes.

COMPONENTS

Forbs (Wildflowers)
Asclepias tuberosa - Butterfly Weed
Aster azureus - Sky Blue Aster
Aster laevis - Smooth Aster
Aster ptarmicoides - White Aster
Astragalus canadensis - Canada Milk Vetch
Coreopsis lanceolata - Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Dalea purpurea - Purple Prairie Clover
Echinacea pallida - Pale Purple Coneflower
Lupinus perennis - Lupine
Monarda punctata - Dotted Mint
Penstemon grandiflorus - Beardtongue
Rudbeckia hirta - Black Eyed Susan
Ruellia humilis - Wild Petunia
Solidago rigida - Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa - Showy Goldenrod
Tradescantia ohiensis - Ohio Spiderwort
Verbena stricta - Hoary Vervain

Grasses
Bouteloua curtipendula - Sideoats Grama
Schizachyrium scoparium - Little Bluestem
Sporobolus heterolepis - Prairie Dropseed

Establishment Notes

Important. Native seed mixes take three years to fully mature. In the first year, seedlings will expend their energy developing roots, and the plants may grow only an inch or two. During the first two years your site will require mowing to control weed growth. After two or three season the natives will begin to reign. The process requires patience, but even more important is to discourage the growth of weeds during the establishment – the first three to four years. Read our Seed Mix Establishment Guide to learn more about growing a prairie from seed.

Pure Live Seed Notes

All of our seed is sold on a Pure Live Seed (PLS) basis. A PLS pound is the weight of seed required to equal one pound of 100% pure, germinable seed. This is calculated based upon each seed lot's purity and germination tests. Our seed is tested by an independent seed lab for purity and germination, using industry standard testing procedures. We track the ecotype origin of our seed inventory and provide this information at customer request.

Shipping

SEED SHIPPING

Shipping rates for seeds
Seed orders are shipped year-round, and are shipped within a week of your order.

GENERAL SHIPPING INFORMATION

We are not able to combine a new order with a previous order, for shipping.
Plants and Seeds are shipped separately and have different shipping rates.
We are not able to arrange orders for pick-up at the Nursery. All orders are shipped.

RESTRICTIONS

Plants and Seeds are shipped within the contiguous United States, only.
Due to agricultural restrictions we no longer ship to the following states: Idaho, Utah, Oregon

Questions (3)

Product Questions

Does this seed mix require stratification?

If you are seeding a prairie seed mix in the fall, pre-treatment (stratification) is not needed, as the seeds will be exposed to cold, damp conditions in the soil over winter. 1. Prairie grass seeds do not require moist stratification. The grass seeds that you receive from us have been dry statified (stored in cool dry storage). Only dry stratification is needed to improve the germination of prairie grasses. 2. Most prairie flowers (forbs) will benefit from moist stratification. Some species will exhibit little-to-no germination without mosit stratification, while others will germinate at lower percentages. Many forbs germinate well with only dry stratification (Purple Coneflower, Yellow Coneflower, Purple Prairie Clover, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Bergamot, Black Eyed Susan, and Brown Eyed Susan). However, moist stratification can be applied to all prairie seeds, whether or not they require it. 3. As a rule of thumb, if you are seeding a prairie in the spring, it is best to moist stratify the forbs for at least 30 days, for the best germination.

Seed stratification, explained.

Do the seeds that need stratification come already having gone through this process? If not, how are the different seed varieties separated so this can be done?

Our native seeds are Dry Stratified, which means that they are stored in cold temperatures over winter, without the presence of moisture. This process helps increase germination rates in most prairie grasses, and for some of the wildflowers. None of our seed is Moist Stratified prior to being shipped – a process in which the seed is mixed with a larger volume of dampened inert material such as fresh clean sawdust, builder’s sand, or similar substance, and placed in a refrigerator inside a Ziploc bag. Most prairie flowers and native sedges and rushes will show significant increases in germination after 30 days of moist, cold treatment. Some genera, such as Baptisia, Iris, and the grass genus Spartina, require 90 days or longer to show improvements in germination. Seed mixes sold in quantities of ten pounds or more are packaged individually by each species. If the quantity sold is less than ten pounds, we pack the seed in three separate bags: wildflowers, “fluffy” grasses, and hard round grasses such as Prairie Dropseed and Switchgrass. If you plan to broadcast your seed mix in the fall, all seed species will acheive moist stratification naturally, over the winter. You will not need to pretreat the seed for a fall seeding. If you plan to broadcast a seed mix in the spring, the seed (germination rates) will benefit from being moist stratified prior to seeding. If combined, the different wildflower species in your seed mix package can be moist stratified together. The median number of days to moist stratify should be sufficient.

I need further information on seeding my septic mound. I have been shallow tilling semi-monthly to eliminate weed seeds. What medium should I use to prepare the wild seeds for distribution in late fall.

A carrier medium can be sawdust, peat moss or coarse-grade vermiculite. Sand can also be used as a carrier but it can become too heavy. Use approximately 2 bushels or 2.5 cubic feet of carrier per 1,000 square feet of area. You may want to read page 5 of our Establishment Guide for our information about the planting process and seed broadcasting (also found here, on our website). If more detailed or site-specific information is needed contact Customer Service.

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