Meadow and Grassland Restoration

Hand-picking seeds

Small quantities of regional seeds can also be obtained by hand-picking seeds of selected species at their ideal maturity. However, this requires knowledge of plants and also suitable locations where the desired species can be found. The collected seeds must be dried at home to prevent them from becoming moldy, and cleaned of unwanted plant material. If we are not sowing them immediately, the seeds must also be stored appropriately, preferably at a constant, rather low temperature, in a dry and dark place. Some species are also adapted to the so-called frost stratification of seeds, in which case they germinate better. Therefore, it is a good idea to place the seeds in the freezer for a few days.

• Advantages
• obtaining relatively clean seed
• seeds are in good condition because they are obtained at the ideal maturity time
• Disadvantages
• very time-consuming
• small volume of obtained seed

Brush harvesters

A possible way to obtain a larger amount of seeds  more effectively is to use a brush harvester. There are several types of these machines – manual, hand-guided, towed, or tractor-driven. In this case, it is essential whether the species-rich meadow is easily accessible and not on a large slope or partially covered with small bushes. All of these machines use a brush to comb the seeds from the vegetation. However, by driving the machine over the meadow when the seeds are ripe, we also obtain unwanted parts of the plants in addition to the seeds. The material obtained in this way is only roughly cleaned, because any further manipulation can mean losses of the smallest seeds. This mixture cannot be sown with commonly available seeding machines, but you can use, for example, a centrifugal spreader for road salt, etc. The brushed material can be sown immediately or stored at lower, constant temperatures, in a dry and dark place.

• Advantages
• effective seed collection
• arger volumes of seed can be obtained
• Disadvantages
• higher purchase price of the brushing machine
• seed is not clean, contains unnecessary plant material
• not suitable for all types of habitats (for example wetland meadows)

Growing species for seed in mother beds

Seeds of desirable species can also be obtained by growing in mother beds. This way, we harvest more seeds at once at good maturity. The seeds need to be dried, separated from unwanted plant material and stored at lower temperatures, in a dry and dark place. However, it should be noted that cultivation is often quite demanding, especially in terms of maintaining the beds, and not all species always thrive in culture. These stands are often weaker than wild populations.

• Advantages
• obtaining relatively pure seeds
• larger amounts of seeds at once
• Disadvantages
• very time-consuming
• demanding maintenance of the beds