Planting seed and digging up data

Conservation Greenkeeper at Woodhall Spa Golf Club, Stephen Thompson explains how to plant and prepare your wildflower seed and meadows. 

Stephen also touches on the importance of recording data and how undertaking something so simple can have lasting benefits for the club, its members and the wider public.

Sowing seed

“You want to start looking at areas in the winter period, maybe in October and November. Have a look at areas that you could easily turn into a wildflower meadow; areas out of play or between two fairways are ideal. You can choose areas that golfers might not see, but you equally want some inWild areas that golfers will see.” 

“At my previous club, we chose an area that was near to water and in between two fairways; it was a piece of ground that didn’t have much grass cover and it was the perfect opportunity to turn it into something colourful.”

“In October, we started by scarifying the area which was down to 60% bare soil and then applied the seed mix in autumn. The following months were very wet which gave the perfect conditions for the seed to prosper and, when summer arrived, it was full of colour and insects. We had a survey done which showed five species of bumblebee and numerous other insects.”

There are several methods for sowing wildflower seed; Stephen highlighted another previous example: “Instead of scarifying, we selected an area behind one of the greens and removed the turf. We used a machine to break up the soil and rotovate it, then sowed the wildflower seed at the end of March… it then came up well in the summer.”

“For wildflower areas, the less fertile the better, as it reduces competition from unwanted weeds and grasses. If it is a thick grass area full of weeds, you might add a Yellowratlle seed into a mix; it is a parasitic flower so that will attack the roots of the thicker grass that you don’t want. Mixes that are more suitable for clay-based soil are also available and others which are better for sand-based soil - it is advisable to contact a seed supplier when purchasing mixes for more clarification on which type is best.”

Stephen continued “It is important to have patience when preparing a wildflower project. It takes a while for the seed to grow and how long it will take to have an impact will depend on where you plant. In theory, you could be looking at four weeks before the preparation stage even starts. If you are considering a highly weed populated area, I would recommend using some kind of weed killer first and then leave it for a few weeks.  You might then need another application to fully remove all weeds to avoid ruining the wildflower meadow.”

The misunderstanding about golf courses

Stephen touched on the misconception about golf courses and how greenkeepers can use the extra space: “Many people assume that golf courses are just expanses of grass. Golfers don’t play in every corner of the course, and we all have out of play areas where weeds, nettles and trees are growing. Those are the areas that you can add a bit of colour in the form of wildflowers, providing a natural habitat to insects, bees and butterflies.”

“Golf courses are areas full of a whole range of different habitats. If you can provide food at the bottom level with wildflowers and grasses, you then attract insects for pollination, the insects will then attract birds and bats, and other birds will then eat the smaller birds.”

“Data collection can be important when it comes to evidence. A lot of people will complain about golf courses not being good for the environment due to machine and chemical use. Whilst we do use those things, I have evidence in my data book and spreadsheets that prove golf courses are important for wildlife.”

The golfer perspective

With golfers often wanting to just play golf, Stephen was surprised by the reaction of the players when discussing previous wildflower projects: “The comments were overwhelmingly positive; many players noted how colourful the meadows were and appreciated the added visual interest during their game.”

“It is particularly nice to add something different for visitors coming from other clubs; a field of colour amongst all the green areas is something that a lot of golfers might not see.”

“Some members might question why you are turning an area into a wildflower meadow, and I would use collected data to show them evidence of what you are doing and why you are doing it. Show them the increase in population and the importance of pollination and wildlife; communication is the key.”

Why is data collection important?

“Since I started here, I have been keeping a track of the birds, butterflies, dragonflies, moths, bats and other mammals. We are outside all of the time, which means you see a lot of things. Year on year, you can see improvements in population of species or decline of certain species and, if you have a decline, you want to know why. The data helps you to track what is going on and then analyse what might need doing from a conservation perspective.”

“I would recommend undertaking a data survey to determine how many insects you are spotting around the course and then you can introduce the wildflower meadows and carry out another survey to evaluate the improvement in population.”

“Winter is a perfect time to gather data and send it off to the relevant wildlife and conservation trusts such as The Butterfly Conservation or Cambridgeshire Moths. The records can help them to keep a track of what is happening with the specific species and contribute to tracking local wildlife populations.”

It is a numbers game when collecting data, Stephen concluded: “When I started at Woodhall, I found a previous list of moths recording from the early to mid-2000s which was at 235 species. I have been here for 18 months and it has already increased to 404 species. In those 18 months, I have recorded 60 species of birds, 16 species of butterfly, 14 species of dragon fly and numerous others - by getting out regularly you will find more species.”