Appendix 4B: Sample Seed Mixes
Table of Contents
2025 Cleanout Mix, 10 Acres
Group I—Grasses and Grass-Like Plants
| Species Name | Scientific Name | Bags | PLS lbs./bag | Seeds/Square Foot | Habitat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big bluestem | Andropogon gerardii | 1 | 20 | 7.35 | Mesic |
| Indiangrass | Sorghastrum nutans | 1 | 15 | 6.61 | Mesic to dry |
| Little bluestem | Schizachyrium scoparium | 1 | 20 | 11.02 | Mesic |
| Rough dropseed | Sporobolus compositus | 1 | 5 | 5.14 | Dry |
| Sideoats grama | Bouteloua curtipendula | 1 | 20 | 4.41 | Dry |
| Switchgrass | Panicum virgatum | 1 | 7.5 | 3.86 | Mesic |
| Virginia wildrye | Elymus virginicus | 1 | 20 | 2.57 | Dry |
| Bottlebrush sedge* | Carex hystericina | 1 | 0.22 | 0.24 | Mesic |
| Total grass and grass-like plant seeds per square foot | 41.2 | ||||
*These are in the forb bags.
PLS = pure live seed
1 Black Bag, Blue Tie
Group II—Forbs
| Species Name | Scientific Name | Bags | PLS lbs./bag | PLS oz./bag | Seeds/Square Foot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black-eyed Susan | Rudbeckia hirta | 1 | 0.438 | 7 | 1.48 |
| Canada milkvetch | Astragalus canadensis | 1 | 1.25 | 20 | 0.69 |
| Foxglove beardtongue | Penstermon digitalis | 1 | 0.5 | 8 | 2.39 (small seed) |
| Golden Alexanders | Zizia aurea | 1 | 1.875 | 30 | 0.76 |
| Gray-headed coneflower | Ratibida pinnata | 1 | 1.25 | 20 | 1.38 |
| Ironweed | Vernonia fasciculata | 1 | 0.5625 | 9 | 0.41 |
| Marsh muhly | Muhlenbergia racemosa | 1 | 0.156 | 2.5 | 0.60 |
| Ox-eye sunflower | Heliopsis helianthoides | 1 | 0.625 | 10 | 0.14 |
| Pale purple coneflower | Echinacea pallida | 1 | 1.25 | 20 | 0.22 |
| Partridge pea | Chamaecrista fasciculata | 1 | 1.25 | 20 | 0.12 |
| Purple prairie clover | Dalea purpurea | 1 | 2.675 | 42.8 | 1.67 |
| Showy goldenrod | Solidago speciosa | 1 | 0.25 | 4 | 0.69 |
| Showy tick trefoil | Desmodium canadense | 1 | 0.625 | 10 | 0.13 |
| Sky blue aster | Symphyotrichum oolentangiense | 1 | 0.25 | 4 | 0.73 |
| Smooth blue aster | Symphyotrichum laeve | 1 | 0.25 | 4 | 0.73 |
| Stiff goldenrod | Oligoneuron rigidum | 1 | 0.4375 | 7 | 0.66 |
| White prairie clover | Dalea candida | 1 | 2.675 | 42.8 | 2.16 |
| Wild bergamot | Monarda fistulosa | 1 | 0.4375 | 7 | 1.12 |
| Total forb seeds per square foot | 16.08 | ||||
PLS = pure live seed
2025 Diversity Mix, 10 Acres
Group I—Grasses and Grass-Like Plants
| Species Name | Scientific Name | Bags | PLS lbs./bag | Seeds/Square Foot | Habitat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big bluestem | Andropogon gerardii | 1 | 20 | 7.35 | Mesic |
| Indiangrass | Sorghastrum nutans | 1 | 15 | 6.61 | Mesic to dry |
| Little bluestem | Schizachyrium scoparium | 1 | 20 | 11.02 | Mesic |
| Rough dropseed | Sporobolus compositus | 1 | 5 | 5.14 | Dry |
| Sideoats grama | Bouteloua curtipendula | 1 | 20 | 4.41 | Dry |
| Switchgrass | Panicum virgatum | 1 | 7.5 | 3.86 | Mesic |
| Virginia wildrye | Elymus virginicus | 1 | 20 | 2.57 | Dry |
| Bottlebrush sedge* | Carex hystericina | 1 | 0.22 | 0.24 | Mesic |
| Field oval sedge* | Carex molesta | 1 | 0.22 | 0.20 | Mesic |
| Total grass and grass-like plant seeds per square foot | 41.4 | ||||
*These are in the forb bags.
PLS = pure live seed
1 Black Bag, Grey Tie
Group II—Forbs
| Species Name | Scientific Name | Bags | PLS lbs./bag | PLS oz./bag | Seeds/Square Foot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black-eyed Susan | Rudbeckia hirta | 1 | 0.438 | 7 | 1.48 |
| Canada milkvetch | Astragalus canadensis | 1 | 1.25 | 20 | 0.69 |
| Compass plant | Silphium laciniatum | 1 | 0.4375 | 7 | 0.01 |
| Foxglove beardtongue | Penstemon digitalis | 1 | 0.5 | 8 | 2.39 (small seed) |
| Golden Alexanders | Zizia aurea | 1 | 1.875 | 30 | 0.76 |
| Gray-headed coneflower | Ratibida pinnata | 1 | 1.25 | 20 | 1.38 |
| Great blue lobelia | Lobelia siphilitica | 1 | 0.25 | 4 | 4.59 |
| Hoary vervain | Verbena stricta | 1 | 0.625 | 10 | 0.57 |
| Illinois tick trefoil | Desmodium illinoense | 1 | 0.156 | 2.5 | 0.02 |
| Ironweed | Vernonia fasciculata | 1 | 0.5625 | 9 | 0.41 |
| Large-flowered beardtongue | Penstemon grandiflorus | 1 | 0.5 | 8 | 0.24 |
| Marsh muhly | Muhlenbergia racemosa | 1 | 0.156 | 2.5 | 0.60 |
| Mountain mint | Pycnanthemum virginianum | 1 | 0.281 | 4.5 | 2.27 |
| Obedient plant | Physostegia virginiana | 1 | 0.4375 | 7 | 0.24 |
| Ox-eye sunflower | Heliopsis helianthoides | 1 | 0.625 | 10 | 0.14 |
| Pale purple coneflower | Echinacea pallida | 1 | 1.25 | 20 | 0.22 |
| Partridge pea | Chamaecrista fasciculata | 1 | 1.25 | 20 | 0.12 |
| Prairie blazing star | Liatris pycnostachya | 1 | 0.344 | 5.5 | 0.14 |
| Purple prairie clover | Dalea purpurea | 1 | 2.675 | 42.8 | 1.67 |
| Rattlesnake master | Eryngium yuccifolium | 1 | 0.625 | 10 | 0.17 |
| Rosinweed | Silphium integrifolium | 1 | 0.375 | 6 | 0.02 |
| Roundheaded bushclover | Lespedeza capitata | 1 | 0.3125 | 5 | 0.11 |
| Showy goldenrod | Solidago speciosa | 1 | 0.25 | 4 | 0.69 |
| Showy tick trefoil | Desmodium canadense | 1 | 0.625 | 10 | 0.13 |
| Sky blue aster | Symphyotrichum oolentangiense | 1 | 0.25 | 4 | 0.73 |
| Smooth blue aster | Symphyotrichum laeve | 1 | 0.25 | 4 | 0.73 |
| Spotted Joe pye weed | Eutrochium maculatum | 1 | 0.25 | 4 | 0.73 |
| Stiff goldenrod | Oligoneuron rigidum | 1 | 0.4375 | 7 | 0.66 |
| Thimbleweed | Anemone cylindrica | 1 | 0.085 | 1.36 | 0.12 |
| White prairie clover | Dalea candida | 1 | 2.675 | 42.8 | 2.16 |
| Wild bergamot | Monarda fistulosa | 1 | 0.4375 | 7 | 1.12 |
| Wild quinine | Parthenium integrifolium | 1 | 0.1875 | 3 | 0.07 |
| Total forb seeds per square foot | 25.38 | ||||
PLS = pure live seed
Wet Species
| Species Name | Scientific Name | Bags | PLS lbs./bag | PLS oz./bag | Seeds/Square Foot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue vervain | Verbena hastata | 1 | 0.75 | 12 | 2.56 |
| Fox sedge | Carex vulpinoidea | 1 | 1 | 16 | 3.67 (small seed) |
| Sneezeweed | Helenium autumnale | 1 | 0.438 | 7 | 2.25 (small seed) |
| Swamp milkweed | Asclepias incarnata | 1 | 0.438 | 7 | 0.08 |
| Total wet species seeds per square foot | 8.56 | ||||
PLS = pure live seed
Note: The last species will grow best in a wetter habitat, a location with more soil moisture such as the ditch bottom. The 3 species labeled as having small seeds won’t grow if they get buried. One way to plant them would be to mix the seed in a bucket of sand and scatter it by hand on the soil surface towards the bottom of the ditch.
