Plant Material Application
Using a diverse, species rich seed mix of regionally appropriate species will help to ensure a successful restoration project by providing ground cover throughout the year, habitat complexity, and resistance against opportunistic invasive species [1]. Remember to use a seed mix that is diverse in its functional groups (forbs, grasses & shrubs/trees), phenology (winter & summer active species), and flower type (color and size) [2].
General Resources
![man spreading seeds](/ecorestore/images/broadcast-seeding.jpg)
Broadcast seeding
An appropriate method in situations where large areas need seeding and the soil is too rocky, the site unprepared, or the terrain too steep/uneven to use drill seed or hydroseed equipment.
![seed drilling machine](/ecorestore/images/seed-drilling.jpg)
Drill seeding
A way of placing seeds within small furrows in the soil surface at a relatively uniform rate. Many species demonstrate greater emergence when drill seeded compared to other seeding approaches.
![freshly hydroseeded land](/ecorestore/images/hydroseeding.jpg)
Hydroseeding
Less intensive than hand seeding, this approach involves spraying a mixture of seed, mulch, and fertilizer in a water-based slurry to the soil surface, can also be used to prepare a seedbed.
![seedballs](/ecorestore/images/seed-balls-canva-1-13-23.jpg)
Seedballs
Structures typically made of clay, compost, water and seed that can ameliorate conditions that contribute to failure in arid land restoration.
![plant plug](/ecorestore/images/plant-plug.jpg)
Planting plugs
In many cases, direct planting of established plants is a more effective approach than seeding. This can be the case if you are restoring a very small area, using plants that are known to have poor germination success, or using plants that have extremely slow establishment rates.
![provo river wetlands](/ecorestore/images/provo-river-wetlands-canva-1-13-23.jpg)
Passive restoration
Restoration does not necessitate the addition of new plant materials. Passive restoration includes the cessation of an environmental stress.
References
[1] Abella SR, Gunn JL, Daniels ML, Springer JD, Nyoka SE. Using a diverse seed mix to establish native plants on a Sonoran Desert burn. Native Plants Journal. 2009 [accessed 2022 Dec 23];10(1):21–31. https://dist.lib.usu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.43309754&site=eds-live
[2] Whisenant SG. Repairing damaged wildlands: a process-oriented, landscape-scale approach. Cambridge (UK): Cambridge University Press; 1999. (Biological conservation, restoration, and sustainability).