Benefits of seed coating are well documented, and it saves you $$$
Benefits of seed coating are well documented, and it saves you $$$
Beat the Wind: Mother nature has created brilliant and intriguing methods of disbursing seed. Many wildflowers have plumes or hairs that catch wind and spread them, sometimes miles away. This is a great attribute for the survival of a species. It’s not so great if you want your flower seeds to stay in place! Seed coating flattens the plumes and hairs and helps seed stay in place. Additionally, the coating makes the seed heavier so it resists movement and “sets” more firmly in the soil surface. These characteristics all enhance germination and result in more plants per square foot – and healthier plants, too!
See where you’ve sown: Raw (raw = not coated) wildflower seeds are earth tone colors. Some wildflower seeds are the same size as a grain of sand, making them even more difficult to see. When they are spread on the ground they are nearly invisible. A consequence of that is that wildflower mixes are frequently either over-seeded (too much seed) or under-seeded (not enough seed) or are sown in mosaics and patches. Our wildflower mixes are coated with bright colors that contrast with the ground so you can see exactly where you’ve spread seed and can adjust density to your liking. The result is an even stand of wildflowers, and you don’t waste seed!
Deter Birds and Rodents: Seeds are the primary food source for most birds and rodents. They can carry away a considerable percentage of your seeds, leaving you a thinned-out, weak stand of flowers. Coating can deter birds and rodents from eating your seeds in two ways; the seed is camouflaged under the seed coating and it no longer looks like a seed, and it resembles a dirt clod.
Better Germination and Establishment: Seed coating improves the viability, vigor and longevity of seedlings and plants. Because coating sets the seed firmly in the soil, roots achieve faster and more stable contact with the earth. This allows the plants to rapidly draw nutrients from outside the seed. Coating absorbs and holds moisture, reducing the chance they dry out during emergence. When plants start strong, they stay strong, and the longevity and quality of your flowers are improved once the plants are grown.
SAVE MONEY!: Sometimes less is more, and when you coat seed less is definitely more. Because of the attributes mentioned above you get higher stand density (more plants per square feet) with less seed because more seeds germinate and emerge into healthy plants. With coated alfalfa, for example, most farmers achieve the same stand density with 10-12 pounds of coated seed that they achieve with 18-20 pounds of raw seed. In our trials, we achieved 50% more stand density with coated wildflower seeds than with raw seed. This means that you can cover the same area with half as much seed, saving you considerable money!