Managing those wild flower areas ..

Well-maintained wild flower areas look an absolute picture in season, but keeping them looking like that long term needs careful management. Competition from invasive grasses can reduce the effectiveness of the planting as well as needing to get as much seed return at the end of the season as possible to maximise regrowth and so have thicker plant populations in future. As we head into August and the seed heads mature, this is the time of year where we need to look at mulching this year’s growth and getting as much seed shed as possible. Mowing off those areas with the AMAZONE Groundkeeper or Profihopper with the mulch flap inserted will achieve maximum shredding and mulching leaving the residues on the ground for a week or two to ensure maximum seed return; running on the area then, and with the subsequent clearing up operation, should ensure good seed/soil contact. Generally the leaner the soils, the better the wild flower population and so it pays then to collect the residues to reduce the organic matter left behind which will feed the soil and promote grass regrowth in competition of the flowering plants. Inserting a scarifying knife into the SmartCut rotor will enable the bottom to be thinned out without scalping off those plants we want to thrive.