Bluebonnet
Bluebonnet
1: Q: How to start bluebonnet seeds?
A: The ideal location for planting seeds or plants is sunny. They will
not perform well in an area which receives less than 8 to 10 hours of
direct sunlight. Bluebonnets will thrive in any type of soil that is
well drained. In sticky soil, try building raised beds, 6 inches or
more, and amending the soil with 3 or 4 inches of organic matter. Keep
the soil slightly moist. Once established they become tough,
drought-tolerant natives. The seed must be lightly covered or raked into
the soil before it germinates. Plant in August.
2: Q: When do bluebonnets bloom? Client planning to schedule a bus tour.
A: Peak bloom is in late March and early April; depends on the spring
weather.
3: Q. Last year I used the bluebonnet transplants. They bloomed
beautifully! It is the first time that I have ever succeeded. I let the
plants with seeds dry and shatter. Now I have bluebonnet plants
sprouting in that location. What should I do to preserve these plants
through the summer?
A. Fear not! Nature preserves her species. That is why most of the
bluebonnet seed did not sprout and will lay dormant until this fall when
it is safe to sprout. Unfortunately, those seeds which were "fooled" by
excessive moisture this spring and sprouted will not produce a plant
which can survive the heat of the summer. There are still plenty of seed
remaining to insure a bluebonnet population next fall and beautiful
bloom next spring.
4: Q. Please give instructions on how to plant bluebonnets in a bermuda
grass lawn. Since my lawn doesn't look to good after the drought, I
thought I would plant it to bluebonnets.
A. You must have a bermuda grass or zoysia lawn growing in an area which
receives 8-10 hours of direct sun daily -- St. Augustine lawns DO NOT
qualify. St. Augustine lawns do not go dormant soon enough in the fall
and they begin to regrow too soon in the spring. The overseeding
procedure involves: Aerate the bermuda turf area no later than
Thanksgiving with a soil plug-removing (rather than poking type) aerator
available at rental stores. This is a good cultural practice for
compacted bermuda lawns anyway. Immediately after plugging the lawn
area, sow the scarified bluebonnet seed at the rate of one pound (17,000
seed) per 1000 square feet and rake the area with a lawn broom to evenly
distribute the seed and to make sure some seed fall into the holes
punched by the plugging machine. Not all seed has to be in the plugged
holes since the turf grass surface will be "roughed" enough from the
aerifing process to provide enough soil-seed contact to enable seed
germination. After sowing the scarified seed, thoroughly water the area.
Watering during the winter SHOULD ONLY OCCUR if monthly rainfall is not
received. Fall fertilization can be applied as usual. Competing grassy
winter weeds can be controlled by spraying the planting with
fusilade-containing herbicides such as Ortho Grass-B-Gon. This herbicide
can be sprayed onto bluebonnets and will kill surrounding grass AND NOT
DAMAGE THE BLUEBONNETS which are not grass. If, however, other broadleaf
bluebonnet-like weeds such as henbit or clover begins to over-shadow the
state flower, you may have to intervene with a bit of weed pulling
exercise -- there is no herbicide which will kill other broadleaf weeds
and not kill broad-leaved bluebonnets. Remember, YOU MUST REMOVE (shred
and mow) the large bluebonnet plants IMMEDIATELY after they bloom next
April or you can and will damage the bermuda grass turf. You MUST
realize that this is a new and sophisticated technique of beautifying a
dull, brown bermuda grass lawn -- NOT a technique of insuring a
bluebonnet planting for eternity by allowing plants to remain dying and
ugly until seed are mature in June. Overseeding will occur every fall so
that designs and colors can be altered and bermuda grass turf will not
be damaged (summer green-up of grass will be delayed). This will also
alleviate the necessity of neighborhood petitions to force you to clean
up your "weed" infested lawn!