North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Alexander Brands <abb7@Lehigh.EDU>]

> Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2013 23:39:53 -0500 (EST)
> From: Steven Covacci <filtertitle@aol.com>
> Subject: [nafex] Planting multiple wildflower seeds (same species) in
        a        single hole?
> To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

> Hi,
> I've been making 5" holes in the woodchip mulch around my property  
> so that there will be a population of native >wildflowers to sustain  
> local Pollinators. What will happen if, after planting multiple  
> wildflower seeds (same >species) in a single 5" potting soil filled  
> hole, I allow 3 or 4 of those that germinate to continue to live -  
> >not transplanting the extras (beyond one)?  Will the plants choke  
> each other until they all die?  Will they fuse >and form a single  
> clump?  Will they persist, but not be as vigorous after a few years?
> If they will survive, I actually prefer to leave them like this  
> because I'm really only planting this installment >so that I can  
> collect seed from these (future) parent plants that will be as  
> genetically diverse as possible; >this seed came from a good  
> collection of plants and the more plants that I have, the more  
> genetic diversity will >be provided for the next generation.  So, I  
> don't really mind if they look like a mess, etc. - I just want them  
> >to live while the mulch breaks down - in the future, I will just be  
> able to freely cast the seed around the then >more broken-down  
> mulch, not needing to make back-filled soil holes as I now do - then  
> the plants can be well->separated apart.
> Thanks,

I think that, in almost every case, they will be fine.  Each  
individual plant will not be as big as they could be, but they will  
still grow, flower, and set seed.  Lot's of wildflowers reliably self  
seed in the garden, and they usually start as crowded clumps of  
seedlings.  Some perennials benefit from being divided every few  
years, and in those cases, they may prefer to be divided sooner if  
there are several individual in a clump.

Alex

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