if i buy some yellow rattle now

[parsleythelion]

can i grow it this spring if i stratify it in the fridge?

[tufftie]

you should be able to but there are other tricks too. I've gone completely blank - can you describe the seed to me...is it a hard shiny coating or....?

[parsleythelion]

umm, i had some in my hand a couple of months ago but since then i've seen so many seeds i forget it's defining characteristics. i don't think it's shiny nor hard though; rather large and flat i think.

[tufftie]

Ahh - okay i'll try and find out what it's like - makes a difference in the way you treat it! Wont be tonight though, sorry.

[Hobjob]

Isn't yellow rattle semi-parasitic and relies on a grass and
fungi to survive?

I seem to remember being told it was the devil to grow.

[parsleythelion]

yes, that's the fella. i read today that if bought now it can be placed in a fridge for six weeks with silversand and stratified that way. occasionally you take it out for a while to mirror the natural process it encounters over winter.

really i should've gotten some in autumn and sown it then... well actually i did but i dont think i scarified sufficiently and anyway i need more of the stuff to weaken grass and aid wildflowers competition against grasses.

failing all that i could try and get some plugs, but i do like to be there at the beginning by growing my own and, of course, it's cheaper.

[JennyS]

failing all that i could try and get some plugs, but i do like to be there at the beginning by growing my own and, of course, it's cheaper.

Just a thought, but could you get some plugs anyway, they would come on faster than the seed, and then you've got their seeds for sowing or leaving do themselves for next year.......

[Jez]

Hay Rattle Is a semi parasitic annual flower which obtains its nutrients from grasses in the sward! The seeds require a cold snap to start germination so putting seed in some tissue and seal it in a freezer bag and keep
at around 3-5 degrees c for around 6 weeks ready to be sown mid to late April.
Ideally when sowing the seed you will be best off using individual seed trays, which will make the job of transplanting the individual plugs to the desired location! I wouldn't advice direct sowing to the desired spot due to a couple of reasons. 1. There is you will have trouble between distinguishing the Hay Rattle
seedlings and unwanted weeds. 2. The grass sward could be to thick for the seed to get to the soil underneath, resulting in a loss of seed!

Hope that helps some?!

All the best with it-Jez.

[Jez]

Sorry about missing words etc in the post above. Things on WAB went weird on me! Hope you get the gist of the post?!

[parsleythelion]

thanks, that's clarified a few things. i can't find yellow/hay rattle plugs for sale at naturescape, landlife though and tgs wildflowers has stopped trading.