Yellow Rattle mix
Yellow Rattle
Yellow Rattle seed
Yellow Rattle - Goren Farm Seeds
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Yellow rattle seed 2023 harvest

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Yellow Rattle seed

Rhinanthus Minor, Free shipping on this item.

This is a pretty, yellow flower, quite uncommon and an essential part of any meadow on fertile soil. Its main purpose in the meadow is to reduce the vigour of the grass and it is therefore not favoured by modern farming practice. Yellow Rattle is one of the few truly annual plants in a meadow. As a result, it needs careful management to ensure that it can propagate itself. The plant is a sought-after species for conservationists when trying to promote biodiversity in meadows.

  Yellow Rattle allows other wildflowers to germinate and compete for light by suppressing the grass. It does this by being semi-parasitic on the grass roots, thereby reducing the nutrient the grass can use. It is a favourite of the bumblebee and butterfly and food plant of the rivulet moth. Other common names - Cock's Comb, Hay Rattle, Shackle Bags

 Habitat

Usually this will be seen in the meadows from Early March in the south and April in the northern counties and Scotland. Its preferred habitat is neutral/acidic grassland, mowed late every year. It is found from Sweden to France and its flowering period is between May and July. The seed is easily sowed into existing grassland and is ideal for improving diversity for habitat creation.
 

Growing tips

  This can be sown into short meadow grasses and rolled or trod  in up to end of January in a situation where it will get cold and then get direct sun 2 months later. bear in mind aspect, elevation and shading.  If the grass grows very fast then removing this before germination is essential but may indicate that the fertility is too high. 

  What grasses to avoid. cockfoot, timothy, rye grasses,. and deeper rooted drought tolerant grasses are not affected by yellow rattle and can out compete it. 

  It can be difficult to grow but when the conditions are right it will spread rapidly. The seed germinates on the surface of the soil between February or April. At this time of year, the seed will have been resting for 6 months and would have stratified due to chilling between 5 to 10  degrees Celsius. Leaving the seeds refrigerated for 6 weeks is also effective but will have to be sowed into shor grass and rolled in well.  This species will spread rapidly if conditions are right so maybe trying a few strips or sow thinly across the area.

 Emergence

With the right conditions and a few warm days, the seeds germinate and depending on your latitude and local weather conditions it throws up a small two leafed shoot that look a bit like jagged edged stinging nettles. The energy in the seed is soon used up and if the grass is too long it won't be able to take any energy from the sun and will soon perish. This is that main reason why this seed is difficult to grow If established successful its roots will parasitize on to a grass, or clover, nearby in April/ May. Without Grass the yellow rattle will struggle to thrive and eventually perish. This fine balance between having grass but not too long is critical for the survival of Yellow Rattle.

By late May the plant should be beginning to flower, this is orange/red at the base as it opens turning to yellow in full bloom. The leaves are small as it is now taking part of its nutrients from the Grass and Clovers. Flowing continues for 4 weeks and by Early July the seed pods have ripened to Golden colour and can be heard rattling in the breeze. If sufficient yellow rattle the grass would hardly grow and by the end of June be relatively short and easy to Cut. 

No of seeds/g: 300

 Sowing rate:

Seeds should be sown at a rate between 0.1g and 1g per square metre between August and December.

 See the growing guide for detailed information of growing this seed.


Why buy from us?
This is an annual and needs to germinate every year. The seeds actually germinate readily but may not have the ideal growing conditions and so may perish. They also have a short shelf-life, so viability reduces with age. For the best chance of success, you need fresh seed. Our seed is guaranteed to be this season's seed, harvested from our own meadows. As we harvest them ourselves, we can ensure origin, provenance, purity, minimum handling and age. We supply only the larger grade seed, as the smaller seed may not have developed enough to be viable and are often confused with buttercup seeds. Also, we don't believe in drying the seed too much to mimic the natural process. We supply comprehensive growing and maintenance instructions for you to get the best results from your Yellow Rattle seed. Seeds will be posted 2ed class - generally up to 200g will be able to fit through a regular post box - or sent by courier for larger quantities (2kg+). May contain <1% grass seed.