Choosing the right flowering seed mix

Although a range of flowering plant seeds may be included in all flowering seed mixes, selecting a mix at random won’t necessarily give you the results you want for your crops.

Back to Using flowering seed mixes to improve farmland biodiversity

There are many options available but selecting a general seed mix at random is not always cost-effective.

There are several reasons for this:

‘Generalist’ seed mixes do not necessarily contain plant species suited to agricultural settings.
‘Generalist’ seed mixes often contain seeds of flowering plant species that may be used by pests of certain Small plot studies have shown that inclusion of such flowers can increase the number of pests in your crops.
Most nectar and pollen mixes have been designed specifically with bees and butterflies in mind. That means they don’t necessarily cater for pest natural enemies, such as parasitoid wasps and hoverflies. Similarly, seed mixes designed for pest enemies are not always beneficial for pollinators.

It’s essential to choose your seed mix carefully to encourage multiple insect groups without attracting too many pest insects.

Table 1. Agri-environment scheme options (2015) where the seed mixes used could theoretically return multiple benefits to pollinators and pest natural enemies

Option	Payment is not EFA	Payment if EFA	Brief description
Nectar flower mix (AB1) Mid and higher	£511/ha	£107/ha	At least four nectar-rich plants and at least two perennials Use wide margins and big blocks between 0.25 ha and 0.5 ha Sow at 12 kg per ha
Flower-rich margins and plots (AB8) Mid and higher	£539/ha	£209/ha	The seed mix should contain both grasses and perennial flowering plants Wide margins and big blocks specified Sow at 20 kg per ha
Legume and herb-rich swards (GS4) Mid and higher (with other conditions met)	£309/ha	N/A	Minimum 10% cover of red clover and an additional 10% cover of other legumes, herbs and wildflowers At least five species of grass, three species of legume (including bird’s-foot trefoil) and five species of herb or wildflower Can be rotated

Information obtained from gov.uk/countryside-stewardship-grants

Useful links

Why sow flowering seed mixes?

Find out about flowering seed mixes and margin management

Can flowering seed mixes fit with an integrated approach?

Topics:

Crops & Grassland Horticulture Field Vegetables Soft Fruit Hardy Nursery Stock Tree Fruit

Sectors:

Horticulture

Tags:

flowering seed mix yield