How not to make a growbag mini-meadow
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 27 сен 2024
- I have had great success with making wildflower patches in grow bags, suitable for balconies, roof terraces, courtyard gardens etc. Here I show you one not entirely successful attempt. The thumbnail is what I was aiming for, but on a smaller scale.
Great review of the product and a good example of how easy it is to get this sort of thing wrong. I think the 'layman' can so easily be mislead by a product like this, you try it once, get nothing and then often assume it's more hassle than it's worth. Thanks for posting the failure instead of just binning off the video!!
I'm glad it isn't just me. I brought the same product in fact 2 different seed packs, with the same results when 1st changing my lawn to wildlife friendly. 2nd year i brought plug plants instead, and although this worked for me as my garden isn't large 4x5 metres i had far better results and most are self seeding now. Anyone starting out i'd advise buying a few plug plants just to avoid a lawn of long grass and no flowers when 1st starting out. Most decent garden centres have wild plug plants nowadays in spring. After a while you'll get new plants popping up naturally.
PS Thanks for all the time and effort you put into your talks and videos.
Thanks Tim, it is sad to think how many people might have given up after a similar experience. Glad your meadow is thriving now!
The same think happened to me a few years ago, very frustrating! I eventually had success with wildflower only mix from emorsgate seeds. I regularly carry a little pot of seeds in my pocket and sprinkle some on any bare patches of soil I find.
I did something similar starting in February/March though, using propagators inside of mini greenhouses and coldframes, I germinated two packets of seeds. After 2 months when planting all the seedlings I noticed some weird plants amongst the bunch. Anyway I planted Frilly Red Mustard in my garden, also there was a bunch of lettuce planted straight into my lawn. I thought I planted cucumber, but that turned out to be some type of white Musk mallow. Overwhelmingly though, the plants I germinated are wildflowers. I was delighted to have annual Echium vulgare after listening to your books and your mentioning of Viper's Bugloss as being the best plant for bumblebees.
Hahaha! They really have no clue do they? 😂 That was funny! But also a bit frustrating and sad...
Great video!
I am doing research this summer with my professor in St.Paul, Minnesota, researching black & gold bumblebees! She is having us read your book "A Sting in the Tale" to better understand our research questions & build off of your experiments (specifically the ones talked about in chapters 5-6). I have learned a lot from you so far-- I think that you are super cool and inspiring, so I am happy to have run across your RUclips page so I can continue to learn from you.
Many thanks for the lovely message :)
I wonder what Thompson and Morgan have to say? Thank you for sharing
Great showing warts and all. What a very strange mix. I did try clay seed balls this year in pots from Lidl supermarket. I must say they’re very good I used four of six and they’ve worked really well.
I sowed a mix of annual and perennial meadow flowers in a pot on my balcony this spring (in a mix of peat free compost and horticultural grit). This year so far it's been blooming really nicely with for example corn flowers and poppies, and I can see that leaves have sproted to for example common yarrow and other things I can't recongise from leaves only. I'm looking forward to see them bloom, hopefully next year! I have had both bumblebees and hoverflies visit the pot so far and it also looks very pretty!
Sounds great!
I think it failed because you used nutrient rich compost. I once bought a bag of compost for bulbs it was gritty and had very little nutrients. That sort of compost will have a lower nutrient content so the grass can't outcompete the flowers as easily.
Cornflower mixes are usually filled with plants that actually do quite well in a relatively high nutrient environment. It's kind of why they exist as a product, so people can scarify a lawn or turn over some earth and get a quick flush of lovely annual colour. So like dave says, it's a bit weird to have grass seed in that box as it will dominate and shade out the wildflowers!
i appresiate that you also include your failures (if you can call them that) and not just your success. I think we all learn allot from these kind of videos
Hello friend” truly natures we can see around were the blessings to us from GOD who made it for us.
The grass seed is possibly lighter and has settled at the top ? Either way, it's worth doing. If at first you don't succeed ....
Brilliant!
😂 🦋 🌺
Maybe I missed it, but why does the compost need to be peat-free? Also, I just bought two of your books and can't wait to dive into them. Thanks for all you do to promote gardening for nature!
If one of the books is The Garden Jungle it will explain at length why you shouldn't use peat.
@@davegoulson6831. I don’t have the book! please tell: why not use peat & why use vermiculite? ☀️💦🌱🌼
Best laid plans of mice and men….don’t always come to fruition eh Dave. Still, no fault of yours, and I’m sure you will have thought of a much more productive way for next year, and whatever it is, I’ll very much look forward to seeing it. 🤞 for then.
Dave, I haven't saw many bees this year so far. I've planted all bee plants and I'm worried. I did see tortoise shell butterflies on my orivete head and sweet William but little bees.
I live in Northern Ireland. Do you know why?
I have had few butterflies this year, I hope it is not a wider trend, but of course the overall long term trend is not good.
Just a thought, maybe the wildflowers found the compost a little too fertile. We all know that grass seed will germinate on the moon!! Grass being the thug it is, not surprised by the results.
Your thumbnail looks corrupted. It appeared to me as a green and pink mess.
Hopefully now fixed, a glitch in video upload!
Green alkanet is also great for bees, it looks like tall forget me nots with hairy stems and leaves. I always used to pull it out as a”weed” and now realise how wrong I was….my patch is buzzing with hairy footed flower bees, bumbles, carders and honey bees!
Comedy all round... and humour is always welcome in todays world..... Seen a few of your TV appearances where your brought in as an expert in recent months .... it seems the world is now hardwired to just destruct the natural world with little care for humanities future with food and water sourcing still a massive issue across parts of the globe.
How do I go about planting around my field edge with bee loving flowers? There is alot of twitch grass to compete with and I don't want any weeds like thistle, dandelion or rhizome rooted invasive plants.
The way you watered it probably have washed away some of the tiny poppy seeds...
Any thought to drainage holes cut on bag bottom before cutting through top of bag? Jess of Roots and Refuge discovered this misstep when growing veggies. Had great success. Looks like wildflower seed company had a huge misstep!
This bag is perforated on the underside, I guess not all are. The grass certainly seems very healthy!
HAHAHA couldn't stop laughing. Great title.
I'm glad it amused you :)