Tip of the Week
Propagation tips - wildflowers

The best time to plant wildflowers in our East Texas region is October to December.

Here is a trick for spreading wildflower seeds and helping them germinate. Make mud balls.

All you need is about four parts clay and one part peat moss plus your seed.

Mix this together with enough water to make the mixture hold together like dough.

Take out a teaspoon full more or less at a time and roll into marble sized balls.

Let these balls dry thoroughly as quickly as possible to prevent the seeds from premature germination. Prepare your wildflower

meadow area by removing weeds and scratching up the top of the soil to help water penetration when the rains come.

Throw out your seed balls in a random spread and wait for the fall rains to come and soften them. The balls help to keep the birds and bugs from lunching on your seeds.

The clay helps hold moisture necessary to aid germination.

With a little cooperation from Mother Nature, your wild flowers will sprout and grow slowly in the fall and then when the weather warms next spring, they will put on a show for you.

Joyce Gay Smith County Master

Gardener Texas Cooperative

Extension