Let’s chat about the birds, bees, moths and wasps for
a bit. These critters represent a small portion of the group known as
pollinators, which provide essential services to our environment and support
the production of more than 66% of the world’s crop species. Pollinator driven
fruit and seed production provide nutrition for birds and mammals. In other
words, we are very pollinator-dependent and without them there is a potential
for decreased food variety and increased world food prices.
Over the past 80 years, bee populations have declined
by an astonishing 50% for reasons such as habitat loss, disease, and enhanced
pesticide usage. Pollinator conservation practices, such as pollinator meadows,
could be implemented to help protect these declining bee populations.
Pollinator meadows include native wildflower mixes and shrubs that aim to provide
flowering plants for food, shelter, and water sources throughout the entire
growing season. Unfortunately, pollinator meadows do not grow overnight. A lot
of time and consideration pertaining to site selection, preparation, plant
selection, planting techniques, and ongoing maintenance must be completed.
These sites should be sheltered from pesticide applications, maintenance
equipment friendly, supplied with adequate sunlight, limited in weed populations,
provided with sufficient water as well as acceptable soil drainage for the
selected plant mix requirements. Site preparation is the most important step in
the whole process and should begin in the spring before the late fall planting.
This step primarily includes the removal of perennial weeds and the reduction
of surface debris. For high weed pressure situations, weeds may need mowed down
and non-selective, short lasting herbicides may need sprayed.
The cheapest planting technique for establishing the
meadow would be through broadcast seeding instead of transplanted plug plants.
Plug plants will require consistent drip irrigation, which adds to the overall
expense. Planting is recommended between October and December. Depending on the
plot size, fertilizer spreaders up to full-sized seeders can be used for
planting. Seed mix vendors and recommendations for soil type, moisture content,
and affordability can be found through The Xerces Society for Invertebrate
Conservation. Ongoing maintenance practices, such as mowing, string trimming,
hand weeding, and spot-spraying with non-selective herbicides, should be
applied. Limited irrigation will also reduce weed competition within your newly
established pollinator meadow.
For further information regarding pollinator
conservation practices, please consult The Xerces Society for Invertebrate
Conservation’s Pollinator Meadow Upper Midwest Installation Guide &
Checklist (http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/InstallGuideJobSheet_UpperMidwest_CnsrvCvr.pdf) or contact the Howard County
Extension Services office.
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