• Our Products
• Planning for Planting Wildflowers, Ground Covers and Wildlife Mixes
• Guidelines for Preparing a Site and Planting
• Will your plants come back each year?
• Can I plant your flower seeds in another state besides oregon and have them do well?
• Planning and preparing for renovating a lawn
• Planting guide for erosion and ground covers
• Planting and preparing an area for pasture seed
• Planting cattails
• What can you tell me about your daylilies?
• Can you make custom seed mixes??
• Can we visit your farm
• Do you have a store we can come and buy from or visit?
• Where can i find more information about selling your seeds in my store?
• What trade shows do you attend?

Where can I buy seeds? Our flower seeds are available at several stores. Click Here to be taken to the web page that lists those stores.

Do any stores carry any other items besides flower seeds from Silver Falls Seed Company? Any other products you see available on our web site for ordering are only available off of our web site by purchasing directly from us.

Do you carry vegetable seeds? No, we do not carry any vegetable seeds in small packages. If you want a substantial amount of vegetable seeds we offer by request only in 1 pound or more through our wholesale company Oregon Wholesale Seed Co.

Before you start you should make out a plan well ahead of planting time so you have the correct amount of seed and supplies needed before you start. (1-2 months ahead)

Decide on the area you want to plant make sure it is an adequate, well draining area with no excessive weedy areas, gets lots of sun and has a good source of water.

You should pull a soil test to make sure the soil is suitable. Check with your local extension office and they can recommend the nearest soil lab to insure the best results for you. Samples need to be taken from several spots in the area from which you are planning on planting. The samples should be pulled from 6-8 inches deep to get proper results. Pull samples a few months ahead of planting time so that you are prepared in advance.

Measure the area you plan on planting so you know how much seed, fertilizer and other materials that you might need. (Length x Width = Square Feet)

Save your notes on this project for later use because it will help save time and make it easier for you for later use.

If you can work the area 4-6 months ahead of planting time and put in a cover crop of some type this will also help improve your soil and control some of the weeds.

Make sure that the soil is prepared correctly. If you plant your seeds too deep they won't grow. If you broadcast the seed onto an unprepared area you will decrease your chances of having an excellent stand of plants. Last of all; make sure you do not plant your seeds in an area with other highly competitive seeds. Other seeds will not give your plants a chance to establish.

Weed Control

Before planting in your location make sure there is not an abundant weed population taking over. If there is, you may want to move to a different spot to plant. Choose an area that has good drainage and is elevated. If you have to plant in a problem area, you can put approximately 1"-2" of sterile potting soil, fine sawdust or peat moss on the top of poor soil. If you do this, it will help give you a clean seed bed. Do not mix the potting soil, sawdust or peat moss with the poor soil .

If your location has a limited amount of weeds and is well drained, remove the weeds by hand or use a nonselective herbicide. You can then prepare the soil after you have removed as many of the weeds as you can.

If you prepare your soil properly, you should have minimal weeding. As time goes on while you are waiting for your plants to grow larger, try to keep the weeds pulled. There is no way to totally prevent all weeds so you should expect to have to pull some.

You must remember that there are many dormant weed seeds below the soil and if the soil is opened up greater than an inch, those seeds can come out of dormancy to sprout and grow in your garden. When weeds appear it is best to remove them before they seed themselves back. Unfortunately, this is the only way that even the farmers deal with them.

Tools Needed

• Lawn mower, or something to cut the tall vegetation
• Thatcher blade for your lawn mower if you choose
• Garden Rake
• Leaf Rake
• Tiller or small tine tiller to scratch the top 1" of soil
• Backpack sprayer and Measuring cup with oz. readings if you choose to use a herbicide
• Hoe for pulling weeds
• Spreader of some type for broadcasting seed and fertilizer

Your site needs to have good drainage. Do not choose sites where water pools up. You have better chances with having access to water. Have a soil test for pH levels if available. One place you may be able to have your soil tested is your local county extension office which may have a soil lab. A pH of 6-7 is preferred. Correct your pH if needed by using the proper additives that the soil lab will recommend. Normally they will recommend lime or gypsum to correct the pH. Lime is for low pH and gypsum for high. Both of these products are fairly inexpensive and will give you the most for your money. Without correcting the pH the plants will not grow as healthy and the nutrients will be tied up in the soils and not available to the plants. In some extreme cases they will not even grow.

The best way of preparing the area you are wanting to plant is to plant a cover crop of some type the fall or spring before you plant to help build your soils and control weeds. If you decide to use a cover crop check out our list of cover crops to see what would work the best for you. If you use one of these covers to protect your soils you can still use step 'b' here below. You will have to change your schedule to fit getting some growth and protection from your ground cover before you cover with plastic which is talked about in 'a' below.

Ways to control weeds

• One of the most effective ways of controlling weeds and having your area ready to plant flowers is to use clear plastic. You can cover the area you are going to plant months ahead of time and kill and control weeds before you start to plant. This will also make the soil pliable to prepare for planting. If you know when and where you are going to plant cover the area in the fall or spring before you plant and leave covered. It is really important to keep this area sealed to kill and suffocate the weeds that are growing near the surface. Use rocks, blocks or some piles of soil to hold the plastic in place. The plastic should be kept on 6-8 weeks before planting to insure good weed control. When you are ready to plant remove the plastic and roll up for later use if not to damaged. Unfortunately this does not work well in the northwest due to our cooler temperatures.
• The other way to control weeds is to keep them buried below the growing surface. One way of doing this is to use fine sawdust, peat moss, or sterile potting soil and applying to the top of the existing soils without mixing it. This will seal the weeds under the potting soil, peat moss or saw dust and help control a lot of weeds. For this method to work you will need to apply one of the three at a depth of at least 1-2 inches in order to get good control. This method is a little more expensive but does work with good results. Back to Top
• Another option you may decide you want to put a herbicide down on your flowerbed to eliminate any other plants that decide to compete with your flowers. This method of controlling weeds is less costly and less time consuming but must be done properly. Apply and wait until proper time as specified on herbicide label. You must remember to read the label and follow the safety and application instructions carefully if you decide to use. This will help you achieve what is called a 'stale seed bed'.
• Try using strait apple vinegar out of the bottle to control weeds.

More ground preparation tips

If needed go over the area with a mower and cut as low as possible. (You can also use a thatcher blade after removing the tall debris). Collect all the cut debris and remove it from the site. You can use the debris in a compost site if preferred.

Some tips if you are working the soil, be careful not to work it if it is too wet. You could damage the soil by doing this and it takes a very long time to recover. A general rule of thumb is to pick up a handful of dirt and squeeze it in your hand, making a fist. Hold your hand straight out and drop the dirt on a firm surface at your feet. If it remains in a ball and does not break up, the ground needs to dry more before working.

Get a leaf rake and rake the top of the soil very lightly. Try not to rake the top of the soil any deeper than one inch so you do not bring up any dormant weed seed in the soil. This is not as effective for controlling weeds.

Another planting option is to keep area to be planted moist for 10-14 days avoiding excess watering. After the two weeks use the clear plastic and cover the area for 2-3 weeks to kill the weeds that have sprouted and then remove. If For good results get clean potting soil, fine sawdust or peat moss and spread across area to be planted at approximately a minimum of 1" thick. Do not mix with the soil. Level and leave on the top surface so it can help keep some of the weeds in your soil from growing through and becoming a problem.

Planting

Broadcast your seed over your area as uniformly as you can until half of your seed is used. With the last half of your seed, plant the opposite direction or cross ways from what you previously planted. The rates we recommend for seeding areas are the minimum and performance can be increased by using higher rates. Plant different beds at different times so you can have high peak blooms at different times of the year if you have control over watering. Throughout the season, with the proper care, at 2-3 weeks apart, a lot of flowers will bloom until it freezes. Back to Top

After you have planted all your seed, lightly roll or rake the area to press the seed into the soil. Make sure the seed isn't covered any deeper than 1/16 of an inch into the soil. You will see some seeds sticking out of the soil, but that is ok. You can slightly touch the area with leaf rake, but do so very lightly. The seeds should be no deeper in the soil than length of the seed. It is always better to plant too shallow than too deep. If in doubt let the rain or watering set the seed in.

Sunlight

You need a lot of sunlight to be able to grow most varieties of flowers. You need at least eight hours of direct sunlight to get your flowers to grow. Some kinds of flowers can grow without much sunlight, but even they need at least five hours of sun. Flowers that need a lot of sun, when planted in a shady area will produce plants with hardly any blooms and will look small and unhealthy and usually just have foliage. There are some flowers that will tolerate more shade but the more sun they are given the better with the type of seeds we carry. Morning sun seems to be more important than afternoon sun.

Watering

In order to germinate, flower seeds require ample moisture to grow into a healthy seedling. The area you choose to plant your seeds in needs to be kept moist for 10-14 days, after you have planted, to allow the seedlings to properly grow. If you don't receive enough rain to keep you bed moist, other methods such as a garden hose may be used with a sprinkler of some type. Try not to over-water the area but at the same time do not allow it to dry out, (you can let the top look dry for a maximum of one or two days, but the area should look wet in mornings). If you water too much and have standing water the seedling can't get enough oxygen to grow roots and they will die. How much you need to water just depends on the climate and soil in your area. You do not want to see standing water for a long period of time.

When the seedlings begin to emerge from the ground and are 1 to 2 inches tall, you can start to reduce the amount of water you give them. Give the plants water only if they show signs of stress and look like they need the water.

If you are planting a large area of flowers and are unable to irrigate, plant in the fall or early spring months. In these time periods the rain is usually more abundant. If you live in an arid area that does not receive much rainfall in the first place, and you are unable to irrigate the area you want to plant, we suggest you try to find plants that might tolerate those type of growing conditions.

It is best only to water when the plants show very first signs of water stress. Usually 1" of water every 10 to 14 days if water is accessible for optimum growth. When blooming starts to slow down you can water a little more if you want to push the plants for more bloom. This will vary with some species according to your area. We usually water our flowers the same as our lawn. Remember these plants are fairly drought tolerant in most areas and will grow without a lot of pampering once they are established. It is best only to water when the plants show very first signs of water stress. You need to keep a balance between water and fertilizer to get the most color like any other plant. Most people who have access to water tend to over water. Over watering when blooming causes disease problems and weed problems.

Fertilizing

Fertilizer should not be used prior to planting because it can encourage weeds to grow and it could burn or kill the flowers. Too much water and fertilizers may give you a lot of foliage, but won't produce many blooms if you use it improperly. If you use fertilizer, only use it if your soil is depleted of nutrients or minerals or plants show signs of yellowing or stress. If you use fertilizer, use it sparingly to be safe. You will want to use 10-20-20 or something similar with a lower Nitrogen amount in a dry fertilizer type. You can wait until plants become established and use a foliar fertilizer, which works better with trace minerals and is a lot safer, but you have to use more often. They are usually safer for the plants and more balanced. Fertilizer should be applied during growth period but should be withheld during peak blooming, when peak blooming slows you can apply to keep blooms coming for a longer period. You need to keep a balance between water and fertilizer to get the optimum color. The foliar fertilizer is the easiest. A slow release would also work great in some applications where you have limited time and adequate water.

If you allow your plants to re-seed themselves, some will come back each year. Both perennial and native annual species will normally return depending on the growing conditions. If the species of plant is an exotic, or a certain type of domesticated species, the reseeding may not work as well or not at all. They should be replaced year after year if you want the same plants back. Some of the plants are perennials in some areas and will come back year after year. There are other plants that are Bi-annual and take two years to bloom and then die. For maximum color display and weed control, you are best to replant.

How to allow reseeding

After your flowers are through blooming let them stand for at least 2 weeks. After 2 weeks you may mow the area allowing 4-6 inches to stand. Be careful not to cut below 3 inches to the ground because it may damage some varieties of perennial types. You may take two cuttings to fully chop up all the stems and foliage. By mowing the seeds will disperse and competition with weeds and grass is gone for a while, and the young seed has time to germinate while getting adequate sunlight. This practice will give you a mulch cover during the dormant season, help build your soils and prevent weeds.

Storing Seed

Our company wants the best for you to succeed in storing your seed by giving you these tips to follow:

1. Store unused seed in a water-resistant container such as a zip-lock baggie, glass jar, or plastic container or a paper bag, which would absorb moisture in.
2. Use a packet of desiccant, silica gel or even processed rice to remove any moisture before the container is sealed. Another option to dry seeds is mentioned below.
3. If the seed is sealed properly, the seed should last for several years.

Try to make sure no moisture is in the seed before storing because moisture can lead to mold and ruin the seed. If you lay seed on a newspaper or paper towel to dry that can help. If you are trying to harvest your own seed from your flowers, use the newspaper and clean off as much chaff and leaf foliage as possible from the seeds. Remember, moisture and heat kills the viability of the seed.

Causes for poor survival results

1. Burying seed too deep in the soil
2. You are not giving your flowers enough water
3. Poor drainage
4. Unpredictable extreme weather conditions
5. Impatience
6. Not using enough seed in an area
7. Your flowers are not getting enough sunlight if in the shade
8. Having a bad site (Poor soils, have soil tested)
9. Having your flowers planted at the wrong time of year
10. Bringing dirt up deeper than the top soil

A lot flower seeds that are grown in the United States come from Oregon. Our flower seeds will grow in many areas - the seeds just need to be planting different months depending on where you live. Please refer to our map below for directions on when to plant. In most places plant after danger of frost is past. In warmer areas that don't freeze you may even be able to fall plant your flower seeds for winter blooms because some flowers like cooler weather better than hot humid temperature that the summer provides.

Zone 1 -- Western/ Northwest
Zone 2 -- Northern Zone
Zone 3--- Central Zone
Zone 4 --Southern Zone

If your lawn is already established and you want to replace it and do not need to level, we suggest the following:

1. Before you start you need to measure the area that you are planning on planting so you will know how much additives, fertilizer and seed you need. S ave your notes for this in a safe place for later use.
   (length x width = square feet)
2. It is best to get a soil test ahead of time so you know your soils' needs. This should be done one to two months ahead of time while you are planning your lawn. These tests take time to be completed which can give you time to gather the proper items that you will need for a successful planting. You can contact your local county extension office to find out where you can send these tests to be done. It is best to use the labs in your area for the best results. They need to be pulled from several locations in your lawn to be accurate. They should be pulled from the top 6-8" of soil to be correct.
3. With the following options we are giving you the best control we had was using one of these options in the fall and actually waiting until early spring to replant your lawn. You should do one of the following options below and then move on to steps 4 and 5. After that if you are waiting until spring to plant, start off with step 6. If your temperatures have been in the mid 50's to 60's for 7 to 10 days a few times and your area to be planted shows no signs of weeds move on to step 7 about top coating and you will be ready to plant.
   • Option One: This method should provide some excellent weed prevention when done properly on its own. Use peat moss, fine bark dust or potting soil at a depth of 2-4 inches over the top of your soil without mixing it in to the soil that is there. This will create a clean top layer to plant your seeds in and create a seal from your weedy top layer that you might have had. This option is more expensive but can work with good results. The fine saw dust is the least expensive of the three. Peat moss is more expensive and then potting soil is the most expensive.
   • Option Two: You could consider the use of a herbicide that will kill the weeds for you. This method can be very effective and can be done in less time and cost less but you must be very careful and follow the directions on the label very carefully. If you choose to use herbicide spray the lawn with herbicide at least 3 days after regular mowing for best results. If you used the herbicide method wait the recommended time on the herbicide label and mow as short as possible. Remove the debris, you can save it as compost if you prefer. Then repeat process again with thatcher blade on mower, removing any excess debris. Or you could use strait apple vinegar that will control a lot of weeds.
   • Option Three: One of the best ways to have effective weed control and the safest is to use sheets of clear plastic and cover the area you are working to kill and suffocate what is growing. This can be a little expensive and time consuming but will give you good control when done properly. The area needs to be covered completely for 6-8 weeks to kill some of those established harder to control grasses. After this time period has past remove the plastic and move to step 3 or on to step 6. Unfortunately, this does not work as well in the Northwest due to our cooler temperatures.
4. When working the soil, be careful not to over work it if it is too wet. You could damage the soil by doing this and it takes a very long time to recover. A general rule of thumb is to pick up a handful of dirt and squeeze it in your hand, making a fist. Hold your hand straight out and drop the dirt on a firm surface. If it remains in a ball and does not break up, the ground needs to dry more before working. Loosen top 1" of soil using a cutter or tiller. There is no reason to go deeper.
5. Rake and level removing heavier debris. You can use peat moss or sawdust on top of soil. (Make sure what you use is clean and does not have weed seeds in it.) Apply just enough to cover approx. 1/4". Level out with leaf rake. If lime or Gypson is needed this would be a good time to apply. If you can find a pellet or granular lime it is a lot easier to apply. Try to apply as even as possible. Use a fertilizer spreader to apply. It is best to apply these additives with a spreader of some kind for uniform coverage and to make a good planting medium.
6. If you have problems with weeds in your lawn this is a good time to get better control on them. If you have the patience after you thatch, level and add additives start watering area to be planted. You need to keep moist for approximately two weeks. Do not water too much, when soil shows moist in morning and drying in afternoon you need to water again. Do not water excessively allowing pooling, this will drown the new seedlings of grass. If you do not have water let the area to be planted sit idle for 2-3 weeks. This will give weeds close to the surface a chance to grow.
   • With 3rd option, after two weeks have passed you can repeat step 2 of covering with clear plastic again, this will control the new weeds that you have brought to the growing surface. The plastic will need to remain in place for another 2-4 weeks depending on how good of weed control you want. The longer time period the better. This should be done during the growing season to get effective control and needs to remain sealed to get good control. This method is hard to do because of the patience that are needed but you will be rewarded greatly which a beautiful clean lawn that will last longer.
   • If you decide not to use the plastic try to rake of the weeds lightly with a leaf rake or pull out with a hoe or by hand. Try not to disturb the soil any more than you have to as when you do you will increase your chances of having more weeds grow again.
7. If you use peat moss or sawdust you can apply them 1/2" deep over the area to be planted. This will help seal some of the weeds under the soil or sawdust applied if you have not done so previously. This will also aid in starting the new seed that you are going to plant and give them a fine growing medium for starting in. Level and smooth with a leaf rake and you are now ready to plant. Back to Top

Planting Grass

Now it is time to seed your lawn after choosing the lawn mix of your choice. Using a fertilizer spreader at the designed setting, seed your lawn one direction back and forth using 1/2 the seed you planned on using. Now seed your lawn opposite or crossways using the remaining 1/2 of the seed. If you have a little seed left over save it for touch ups later. Now you are ready to water and let you lawn grow unless you want to touch it up lightly with leaf rake or a roller to firm down. The seed needs to be very shallow, basically on top of the soil. Seeds should not be deeper than the length of the seed. If you see seed lying on top you are ok. Remember that the rates we recommend are minimum and performance can be increased by using higher rates.

Watering

You need to keep your soil moist for the next 2-3 weeks. Re-water when soil looks dry on top in mornings. Do not allow water to pool or you could have dead spots. It is best to water for short periods when establishing, keep moisture on the upper level of the soil where the seed is planted. After the seedlings emerge you can start to reduce your watering and let the soil start to dry a little more so the roots will grow deeper in the soil as the plants get established.

New Lawns

For new lawns you need to get the soil leveled, smoothed out, and formed up to your preference. Make sure that you have good topsoil on the top of poor clay or rocky subsoil on top will prevent success. We would recommend watering your area the same as if it were planted for 2-3 weeks to get the weeds in the soil growing. Do not water excessively to create pooling. After this time let it dry off on top and decide which method works best for you above under 'PLANNING AND PREPARING FOR RENOVATING A LAWN'. After you have done one of the methods above you can top coat using less than 1/2" peat moss or sawdust. Make sure this topcoat is clean of weed seeds. This will give you a good seed bed fairly free of weeds and is very easy to use.

Repairing spots in established lawns

If you have a damaged spot in your lawn that you need to reestablish here is a suggestion on what we have found a successful method for reestablishing grass.

1. Remove weeds or unwanted vegetation from area you need to patch
2. Scratch area that you are going to seed with a hoe or garden rake at a depth not exceeding much more than an inch so the roots can grow in the soil
3. Use potting soil, peat moss or fine sawdust and spread approximately 1 inch deep over the area to be repaired then rake and level. Do not mix with soil
4. Use one of the seed mixes and apply seed with our easy to use shaker container
5. Keep moist until established (best when done in the spring or fall)

Fertilizing your lawn

We use fertilizer at lower rates and apply a small amount each time to avoid fertilizer being washed away. We recommend waiting until your lawn is up and growing before you fertilize, (usually after the 1st or 2nd mowing). You need to follow the rates recommended on the fertilizer you use. What we have found for a growing an excellent lawn is to feed a little less and feed more often with fertilizer than to apply an excessive amount all at once, which could damage or kill your lawn. One of the easiest ways of avoiding problems and is a lot more safe is to use a slow release fertilizer. This will help your lawn stay greener for longer and is safer for the environment.

Lawns are like people in some ways - you eat more often than once a week and so does your lawn. The soil is like a kitchen, it can hold only so much food, and needs to be replenished during the growing season. When you mow your lawn, you take away nutrients. The more you mow, the more you take away and you need to replace.

Watering established

As your lawn becomes established it will need to be watered according to the weather. The warmer and dryer weather conditions, the more frequent between watering. Look around your lawn for dry looking spots. Some areas will dry out more often such as under trees or shallow soils. If you watch these dry areas they will guide you for how often you need to water. During the summer in the northwest a good rule of thumb is to fill a tuna fish can every week to ten days. What this means is put a tuna fish can under your sprinkler when you water and when it is almost full, that should be enough.

An established lawn likes a heavier soaking with drying in between to help prevent diseases. It is best to water at night or early mornings if you can. You will get the most out of your watering.

Lack of watering tends to make the grass look dry appearing and excess watering causes yellowing and tends to wash nutrients out of the soil. Excess watering will create more mowing and has a tendency to increase weed growth.

Mowing

The first time you mow it is best to let the grass become well established. You normally cut most of the grasses around 11/2" to 2" height. It is best to mow the lawn on a regular schedule according to growth. Normally you should cut 1/3 of the plant height. So when the grass is 3" cut back to 2". Letting grass grow to excessive heights and cutting them back short is hard on the plants and tends to shorten the life of the plants and causes unwanted stress, also poor color.

Cultural practices

1. Keep the blades sharp on the mower to keep from bruising the cut edge of the leaves. (This keeps from bruising cut edges).
2. Keep fertilized to keep "Dark Green", healthier and disease free. (Lack of nutrients can cause increased disease.) We recommend a smaller amount at a time.
3. Mowing at closer intervals let you mulch clippings back into lawn. This is a healthy practice as long as it is done frequently otherwise you should remove clippings and compost them.
4. Do not water excessively or it will cause washing out of nutrients, more frequent mowing and disease.
5. Water good soaking approximately 1" or tuna fish can at a time enhances deeper rooting and a more drought tolerant lawn.
6. Proper planting times are April, May and September through October in the Northwest.

Weeds

Weeds in an established lawn can sometimes be difficult to control, but once your lawn is established and cared for properly a lot of weeds will be controlled by the grass you planted smothering them out.

Broad leaves can be controlled with a weed and feed fertilizer at the recommended rates on the container or you can use a hoe to pull out the weeds if you choose not to use herbicides. Grass weeds are much harder to control than broad-leaves. The procedure we recommend for planting is a very good start to controlling a lot of these weeds by eliminating a lot of these weeds in the top growing area. However there are always some weeds in the ground that have hard seeds or are sometimes just dormant and escape controls. If you have problems with other grasses you can either spot spray or hoe out the unwanted plants.

Pests and disease

There are times when even the healthiest lawns are attacked by pests and diseases due to weather, soil and other conditions. If you have a particular problem send us an e-mail and we will try to help your recognize the problem.

We have found in recent years of field production, for example, that we have had a substantial increase in earthworm population in our soils. Because of the increase in worms, we now have a problem with moles, who have come into eat the worms, but have become a problem by making lots of holes all over our lawn. This is a sign of a healthy lawn but it does create a pesky pest that can be controlled. Slugs are another problem in the northwest; they have an appetite for grass. We have found over the years that our soils are healthier due to less chemicals being used and better crop rotations that help bring you better products

For over seeding a lawn for cool season grasses

When the temperature drops to cooler temperatures in the Southern areas it is the best time to over seed Bermuda grass lawns, in order to keep your lawn looking beautiful and green through the winter.

1. For best results mow your lawn as close as possible to the ground or use a vertical cut machine. Rake and remove the debris. The debris removed would make an excellent compost.
2. You can rent a thatcher or get a thatcher blade for your lawn mower. You need to loosen a thin layer of soil so the seeds can root in.
3. Now you are ready to overseed your lawn. You should apply seed using 2-3 times more than the recommended new lawn-seeding rate. Seeding 1/2 the seed one direction and back and forth and the remaining 1/2 the opposite direction from that. You can use a broadcast spreader or a fertilizer to insure a more uniform coverage.

This project should be done when your warm season grass slows in growth or it will smother out the seed you planted. This is normally done in October and November in most areas. In the northwest the end of March through May would be a good time to overseed your lawn to improve the quality of it.

Dethatching

Dethatching a lawn is needed when you have excess debris built up, which prevents your lawn from growing properly by not allowing nutrients to get through to the soil. In extreme cases your lawn will almost die out from the thick mats of dead roots, clippings and debris. You need to thatch and remove this debris. The best time to do this is fall or spring when plants are slowing in growth. This will also improve the health of your lawn.

Aerating

In some areas you tend to have high traffic. That will tend to compact soils not allowing water and nutrients to get to the roots. Old lawns with very little care that have been in a long time have more problems with this because the old root mass is built up throughout the lawn. If you are replacing a new lawn or OVER SEEDING it would help insure success of your new lawn to aerate before replanting. You can rent these machines if needed from rental places.

Debris

You need to make sure not to leave debris that covers the top blades of grass in your lawn. Whether it is leaves, needles grass clippings or other debris, if left lying thick enough will block light from reaching the plants and will damage or kill spots in your lawn.

Shade

If you have shady areas such as under trees you might need to get a different mix to seed those areas to achieve a successful lawn. Trees and lawns tend to fight for moisture and nutrients also. Depending on the size and type of tree, those areas might need a little extra care to stay in top shape.

A last word

In some areas like in the Northwest, to keep a top notch premium lawn you need to overseed or kill out and start over every 3-5 years depending on how well you maintain your lawn, some will last longer. In the southern climates they will need to be over seeded every year.

Timing on seeding lawns and controlling weeds is important. The growths of these two items are controlled by temperature. The debris such as clippings, leaves and roots from these projects work really well for composting for your garden or flower beds. When composted properly they can make an excellent amendment to your soil.

We realize there is a lot of work caring for your lawn, but it will give you satisfaction for a very low cost and a lot cheaper than spending extra money paying to exercise somewhere and a lot more rewarding doing something that really shows. Remember you are also helping the environment by producing oxygen, filtering the earth and staying home instead of driving a car that causes pollution. You are putting something back instead of taking something. Think about it!

COMMON FAILURES

1. Soil is not prepared properly
2. Inadequate moisture
3. Excessive moisture (Pooling)
4. Improper timing
5. Adverse weather
6. Impatience
7. Poor soils
8. Lawn Mixes

The lawn blends we have put together for you were designed to get you the optimum qualities for these grasses for turf. Some of your growing needs are different for different applications and growing areas. Our goal is to give you a blend of seeds that will cover your needs with good quality seed that is developed for turf. This is achieved through using different kinds of grass seed. We use these blends to achieve quality and adaptation for your area, not to get rid of poor quality seed. We hope what we have showed you will give you the information to help give you that perfect yard. Remember if you have questions just drop us a note.

Erosion controls

We have several types of seed and mixes to choose from that can help you maintain you soils and water control. The mixes we have in most cases should work for your type of application, but if you need something a little different give drop us an e-mail and let us know what we can do to help you.

If your project is small and you are not using large machinery, we recommend using our flower planting guide if you have areas you are trying to prepare for a flower bed or garden later. This will help you condition the soil and clean up the ground when you are planning on planting flowers, lawn or any other type of garden projects.

If you are using a ground cover in your garden just broadcast the seed across the top and till in one time. If you want it to be prepared nicer, till your garden with your tiller. After you have tilled broadcast your seed across the top, use a leaf rake if you are planting shallow seeds and to leave scattered shallow across the soil or a garden rake will work excellent for the seed's that need closer to that 1" depth.

Ground cover and cover crops

There is nothing better for your soils and controlling weeds than a temporary ground cover or cover crop. Sometimes, it is hard to decide what to plant or your soil in your flower beds and garden just need some protection while they are not producing a crop for you. This is one of the best ways of protecting and building your soils. Planting these types of crops is one of the best ways to help control weeds. There are many weed seeds in the soils and if they have aggressive competition they have a very difficult time of growing and reseeding themselves and causing more weeds.

These types of crops can be planted and mowed or chopped and incorporated in the soil before they set seed and will actually improve your soils naturally. The green manure that is turned into the soils and worked in adding valuable nutrients to the soil and will help reduce erosion. They can be planted in the fall after you have harvested your garden or sometimes early in the spring to give you a little added benefit.

If you have an orchard or vineyard they work great for ground cover in between the rows and help control erosion. Just get them established and mow them down before they seed off and they will give you great protection while adding nutrients back into the soil and help your crops. When broadcast seeding these plants you need to plant at 30-40 % above the recommended rate. You need to work these covers in 3-5 weeks before you plan on planting something else into where you had them. It is important to do this to so the residue to break down in the soils.

There are many variables to take into consideration when planting a pasture. Weather, man, plants and livestock are a few. The number of head of livestock, how much additional feed and what type of livestock also make a difference of how well your pasture is going to hold up. Keeping your pasture healthy is important because it directly affects the health of your animals. Not all plants are the same and depending on what type of livestock you are raising depends on what you need as far as a pasture goes. To run livestock and get the full value, protection and use of your land you need to plant a pasture with the suitable seed for your needs.

Tall Fescue is among one of the most durable pasture grasses. Fescue tends to tolerate the abuse of hooves and being grazed to the soil and still comes back. Although tall fescue is not the most palatable feed, it is the most durable and wear resistant.

Orchard grass is probably one of the most broadly used feeds for most livestock. This grass is very palatable with almost all livestock, but does not take abuse from heavy traffic and must be maintained properly to keep a stand.

Timothy is the Cadillac of grass hay as far as horse people and cattle ranchers are concerned. It makes premium hay, but in many regions, Timothy is very high maintenance for pasture and does not hold up to heavy traffic.

Clovers work good for a balanced pasture helping to keep grasses healthy and build soil. If you use clover, then you have to consider how to control broad leaf weeds. If you are not careful about weeds, you may end up spraying out the whole pasture.

Tetroploid Ryegrass works well in mixes for fast recovery and establishment of pastures and makes a very palatable feed.

We have put together a few mixes of grasses that are developed for livestock that we feel would do a good job of holding up to the foot traffic and grazing that the small land owner would find useful for their livestock.

We will try to supply you with the lowest cost and most successful ways that we know of to plant or reestablish a good working pasture for your animals.

Replanting pastures

When replanting a pasture, take a look at the condition of your present pasture and decide what your best approach is before tackling the job.

Test the soil to find out what is needed to keep your pasture healthy. You should do this a month or so before you start work on your pasture.

If you have a rough pasture with nothing but weeds, consider spraying and completely tearing out the ground. If the ground has not been worked in many years and has had heavy livestock grazing, it is best to work it to a depth of six to eight inches. Then chisel plow or subsoil to a deeper depth of at least twelve inches or more to loosen the soil and also to get oxygen in the soil. Add the needed additives to improve the soil while it is worked up, this allows them to be mixed in better.

When working the soil, be careful not to work it if it is too wet. You could damage the soil by doing this and it takes a very long time to recover. A general rule of thumb is to pick up a handful of dirt and squeeze it in your hand, making a fist. Hold your hand straight out and drop the dirt on a firm surface. If it remains in a ball and does not break up, the ground needs to dry more before working.

Once you have worked your soil, you need to harrow and roll to firm, level and smooth the ground. Once this procedure is complete, the soil should be firm enough that when walking across it you should not sink much more than 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch maximum. Allow the ground to sit for 2 to 3 weeks let any weeds sprout. After this period is past, you can spray the weeds with a selected herbicide at the rate recommended, or harrow with a pasture harrow to remove any weed sprouts on the top. (Spraying is the most effective for long term weed control).

Planting

After you have waited the proper amount of time recommended on the label of the herbicide, you are now ready to plant your pasture. If you are seeding by hand with a broadcast spreader or anything other than a drill, we recommend spreading half the seed one direction and the other half in the opposite direction. This insures a correct rate and uniform coverage.

Maintaining your Pasture

Keep the livestock off your new pasture until it is well established. It is best to mow at an 8-12 inch mowing height to keep weeds from seeding and let the plants become better established. For the first year, do not let animals graze the area short, abusing the grass or you will shorten the life of the pasture.

If your pasture has tall spots where the grass is starting to seed off, it is best to mow the tops off the plants, this keeps them healthy and growing. Do not to allow hard grazing down to the crowns of the plants. You are much better if you can section your pasture into smaller areas and rotate your animals around to different areas.

Watering

If you have water to irrigate you should water after removing the animals to different areas to keep from compacting you pasture. This will insure a steady supply of feed if you can rotate, using this system to different areas of your pasture.

Fertilizing

Your pasture should be fertilized in the spring at the recommend rate to get optimal growth. You can repeat during the growing season, if you water or have adequate rainfall when the pasture starts to slow in growth, you should fertilize in the fall with a balanced fertilizer. This will insure adequate root growth and keep the plants healthy through the winter.

Some fertilizers are almost straight nitrogen. These fertilizers will give you a tremendous amount of growth fast, but for some animals, like horses, it could make them sick. Balanced fertilizer for most applications work the best.

Mowing and other Improvements

Keeping your pasture in top shape requires proper care. You should keep it clipped at the bottom of the seed stem height. This will keep the plants growing better and also keep weeds down. If your animals have grazed down lower, then you should mow shorter to keep pasture a more uniform height when the growth slows.

Other maintenance you can do is to use a pasture harrow a couple times of year when the pasture is short. It is best to do this in the spring and fall to level and help spread out the animal manure evenly and keep pasture more level (rodent holes, ext.).

Overseeding Pastures

To replant your pasture with livestock present, you need to split your pasture in half. This way you will have a place to keep them.

For overseeding, we recommend using a pasture harrow. Go over it several times at different angles to loosen and level a small amount of soil, this allows the seed to establish itself.

Seeding the same way discussed in the planting section for pasture we recommend on 2 to 3 times the normal seeding rate when overseeding a pasture to insure a good stand.

To make sure your pasture will hold up, you need to monitor how your livestock are using it. You can only have so many animals in a given area. The better you take care of that area the more livestock you can maintain to a certain level. Sectioning off your pasture into smaller areas will most definitely increase the quality and the life of your pasture if you will take the extra time to rotate your livestock in them. Remember a healthy pasture is a healthy animal and if taken care of properly will give you many years of use.

Pasture Mixes

We have several pasture blends that we feel will give you a range of variety that should accomplish the quality feed and pasture your livestock need's. We like to give you these blends rather than one kind of seed because this will give you the best qualities of each of these kinds of plants once they are established. You have to remember that some plants have higher feed values while others are more durable to traffic. There are even some types of plants that well actually produce nutrients that other plants can use. Some of these are just more suited for one type of livestock than for others.

Recommended seeding rates

Seeding rate on a worked up new pasture should be planted at 15-30 Lbs. per acre. The higher the seed rate the better stand you will get for grazing. (200'*200'= 40,000 Square feet approximately one acre) For over seeding an established pasture after harrowing, working or drilling you should plant a minimum of 60-100 Lbs. to the acre. The poorer you ground is prepared the higher rate of seed you need to use.

where do we get our cattails? Our cattails are dug as they are ordered from our farm.

will i get cattails the first year? You most likely will not get an actual cattail the first year, the plant will need to grow and mature after being moved and establish itself before producing a cattail.

where do i plant my cattails and how do i care for them? Plant your cattails in an area that will always remain moist and muddy such as in a ditch or around the edge of a pond. Dig a hole in the mud and surround the roots and most of the plant you receive in mud and let it take care of itself.

We no longer carry daylilies as of October 2006.

Yes, we can make a custom seed mix for you but please look at our existing mixes to make sure that there isn't one that works for you. You may also just look into the option of buying the separate items of the mix yourself and mixing them. Please contact for more information on custom mixing if you are interested by email or phone. The mix needs to be at least 5 pounds on flowers or natives and at least 250 pounds for grasses or grains for us to make up a custom mix.

Any and all 'tours' are by appointment only. Triangle Farms is not setup to give tours on a regular basis. During the summer we have harvest going on and lots of equipment is moving down the roads around our farm and most of our employees are busy with working that we don't have much spare time or people to give tours. During the winter when our operation is slower we may be able to give a tour of our seed processing facility upon request. Our flower fields are usually blooming July and August and are planted in different locations every year because of crop rotations. You are welcome to drive by our fields on your own on the east side of Silverton and up by Silver Falls State Park but please do not go in the fields. We are raising these fields for seed production and if the flowers are picked or trampled there is no seed. We do not mind if you take photos of our fields or stop to look but please stay out. We are hoping some day in the future to offer an open house during the summer of our flower fields butwe are not setup for that at this time. At this time we have fields in bloom posted on our farm website at www.trianglefarmseeds.com if you would like to view pictures of what is in bloom.

Silver Falls Seed Company is setup for mail order and to sell to retail stores and does not have a store location to sell out of. Our small packets, quarter pound shakers of mixes and 10 gram packets of our mixes are the only products we have already made up. All other products are packaged as they are ordered. Pasture Mixes, Lawn Mixes and large orders of any other mixes need to be made up as they are ordered so please let us know ahead of time that you want these products to allow us time to make them up because it may be hard to get them sent out the same day as they are ordered. Expect 3-7 business days after ordering that the seed is shipped. On inventory items we try to take care of orders as fast as we can and try hard to get them sent out within the first 2 days they are ordered but mixes may take longer.

Please see our retailers info page.

This next year we are planning on attending the following shows and if they have a website we have made a link to it.

FARWEST SHOW - PORTLAND, OR (AT THE OREGON CONVENTION CENTER)

Shows we have gone to in the past we are currently not scheduled to go to yet:

NW FLOWER and GARDEN SHOW - SEATTLE, WA
PORTLAND YARD GARDEN and PATIO SHOW - PORTLAND, OR (AT THE OREGON CONVENTION CENTER)