Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor): A Key Player in Restoring Wildflower Meadows

20th August 2024

Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor) is a true hero in the quest to restore and create wildflower meadows. This semi-parasitic annual attaches itself to neighbouring grasses through its root system, reducing the vigour of the grass. Where Yellow Rattle is present, you will notice that the grass is shorter and less dense. (It can reduce hay yields by up to 50 percent which is why farmers did not like it!) This reduction in grass density allows more sunlight to reach the ground and reduces competition for wildflowers.
yellow rattle

How to Grow Yellow Rattle

Establishing Yellow Rattle can be a bit tricky, but we have found the following tips can help:

1. Obtaining Seed

– Yellow Rattle seeds are short-lived, so they must be sown as fresh as possible, ideally harvested in the most recent summer.

– If you know of a local area with Yellow Rattle, consider asking for permission to collect some seeds. Seeds can be gathered by picking the stems on a dry day and shaking them into a paper bag. We have found sweeping with a butterfly net also very effective. We typically collect seeds between June and August.

– Alternatively, you can purchase seeds from a reputable supplier such as Habitat Aid.

2. Sowing Seed

– Sow the seeds between harvest time and the end of December. They need cold temperatures to trigger germination.

– To prepare the area, cut the grass as short as possible and remove the clippings. Ideally rake or harrow the soil surface to expose some bare soil (around 50%) before sowing the seeds.

– Scatter the seeds by hand at a rate of 0.5g to 1g per square meter. After sowing, tread the seeds in, but do not cover them with soil. We usually sow in select patches to monitor their establishment.

3. Ongoing Management

– Seedlings will start to appear from late February to early March. If you plan a spring cut, be careful not to mow them, as cutting them before they set seed will wipe them out! The plants typically grow from around 10 cm to a maximum of 50 cm.

– Do the main cut once the Yellow Rattle has shed its seeds, usually between early July and August.

– It’s important to cut or graze your meadow area at least once more between late summer and March. This ensures that the Yellow Rattle has space to thrive in spring without being crowded out by grass. These additional cuts also benefit other wildflowers, preventing them from being outcompeted by grass.

We hope these tips help you get this handy species established! If you are wanting to add seeds to your wildflower area we have worked with Habitat Aid to establish a lovely British Wildflower Seed Mix containing 21 species of wildflowers and 9 grasses for sowing in spring or autumn .
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