Field Guide · Sow & Plant
Combining Seed & Plugs For seed & plantings
Many restoration and meadow projects use both: a native seed mix to cover the ground, and plugs to anchor key species, fill wet pockets and give the planting a head start. Planned together, the two methods cover each other’s weaknesses.
Why combine them
Seed is the most economical way to establish diversity across a large area, but some species are slow or unreliable from seed, and a new seeding can take several seasons to look like much. Plugs establish quickly and show where the planting is headed, but planting a whole site in plugs is costly. Combining them lets the seed do the broad coverage while plugs go where they matter most.
Choosing what to plug
- Species that are slow or difficult from seed, or whose seed is scarce or costly.
- Anchor and accent species you want visible early, along edges, entrances and sightlines.
- Wet-zone species such as sedges, rushes and wetland wildflowers, planted only in the moist areas.
- Erosion-prone spots such as swale bottoms and slope toes, where rooted plants hold soil faster than seedlings.
Leave out of the seed mix any species you’re planting as plugs, or reduce its share, so you aren’t paying for it twice.
Timing
There are two common sequences. On a fall or dormant seeding, sow the mix first and plant plugs into it the following spring, once the ground can be worked. On a spring project, plant the plugs first, then sow and press the seed around them the same day or soon after. Either way, prepare the whole site at once; Preparing the Site covers the methods.
Layout and spacing
Plugs read best in groups rather than scattered singly. Plant drifts or clusters of the same species, with plants about 12 to 18 inches apart within each group, and leave open ground between groups for the seed to fill. Match each group to its spot: wet-zone plugs in low areas, taller species toward the back, and showier species where people will see them. Assess, Plan & Design covers reading the site.
Mark the plugsFlag each group or row when you plant. First-year mowing and weeding are much easier when you can find the plugs among the seedlings.
First-year care
Water the plugs in and keep their root zone moist for the first few weeks, as you would any plug planting; Watering & Aftercare has the details. Manage the seeded area as usual, mowing to 6–8 inches whenever growth reaches 12–18 inches, but string-trim around the plug groups rather than mowing over them, and hand-weed close to the plugs where needed. Establishment & Management covers the seeded side year by year.
Plan both in one placeOur Project Builder works out seed mixes, individual species and plugs together, with plant counts and full flats for each area.
Here are the terms you’ll come across in our guides, on our seed labels, in our availability lists and on our species pages, for both seed and plants.
Balled and burlapped (B&B) describes a tree or shrub dug from the field with its root ball wrapped in burlap. We grow in containers and don’t sell B&B stock.
Bare root describes a dormant plant sold with no soil around its roots. We don’t sell bare-root stock.
Bulk weight is the total weight of seed material in the bag, including inert matter and non-viable seed. Compare it with Pure Live Seed.
Bulking agent is an inert carrier, such as sand, clay kitty litter, rice hulls, sawdust or vermiculite, that’s mixed with small seed so it spreads evenly.
Cell is one pocket of a flat. A flat’s cell count (for example, a 50-cell flat) is how many plants it holds.
Container sizes (#1, #2, #5, #7) are nursery trade sizes for potted plants, roughly 1, 2, 5 and 7 gallons. Larger containers mean larger, older plants. Pot dimensions and typical heights are listed in Plant Sizes & Spacing.
Cool-season grass is a grass that grows mainly in spring and fall and slows down in summer heat.
Cultipacker is a ridged roller used to firm a seedbed and press seed into the surface.
Deep plug is a plug grown in a deeper cell, 4″ deep × 2″ in diameter, for deep-rooted or taprooted wildflowers such as Butterflyweed and Common Milkweed. Sold by the flat of 50.
Dibble is a pointed hand tool for opening planting holes for plugs and tubelings.
Dormant seed is viable seed that won’t germinate until a requirement, such as a cold period or a softened seed coat, has been met.
Dormant (frost) seeding means sowing in winter, roughly December to March, so that freeze–thaw cycles work the seed into the soil.
Ecotype (local ecotype) describes a population of a species that is adapted to the climate and soils of a particular region. Most of our plants and seed come from seed we collect ourselves, so they are local-ecotype.
Flat is a tray of plugs or tubelings, about 11″ × 22″. We sell plugs and tubelings by the full flat.
Forb is a broadleaf, non-woody flowering plant, as opposed to a grass or grass-like plant.
Frost heave is when freezing and thawing soil pushes young plants, especially small plugs, up out of the ground. Mulch helps prevent it.
Germination rate is the share of seed that sprouts during a standard seed test.
Graminoid covers grasses and grass-like plants such as sedges and rushes.
Hemiparasite is a plant that photosynthesizes but also draws water and nutrients from the roots of a host plant.
Inert matter is the chaff, stems, soil and other non-seed material in a seed lot.
Inter-seeding means sowing native seed into existing desirable vegetation to increase its diversity.
No-till drill is a seed drill that cuts through residue and places seed without the soil being tilled first.
Nurse crop is a fast, short-lived grass sown with a native mix to give quick cover. See Cover & Nurse Crops.
On center (O.C.) is plant spacing measured from the center of one plant to the center of the next, as in “18 inches on center.”
Plug is a young plant grown in a small cell with an established root ball. Our plugs are grown in cells 2″ deep × 2″ in diameter and sold by the flat of 50, kept trimmed to about 6–8″.
Pure Live Seed (PLS) is the share of a seed lot that is pure, viable seed of the labeled species, calculated as purity × total viability. See PLS & Seeding Rates.
Purity is the share of a seed lot, by weight, that is seed of the labeled species.
Rhizobia are soil bacteria that live in nodules on legume roots and fix nitrogen.
Root flare is where a tree’s trunk widens into its roots. It should sit at or just above the soil surface after planting. See Planting Containers, Shrubs & Trees.
Salinity tolerance rates how much salt a species can take, from road de-icing salt to tidal flooding. See Salt Tolerance.
Scarification means nicking or abrading a hard seed coat so that water can get in.
Seeding rate is the amount of seed sown per unit of area, written as PLS pounds per acre or PLS seeds per square foot.
Solarization means killing vegetation by trapping the sun’s heat under clear plastic.
Stratification means exposing seed to cold, moist (and sometimes warm, moist) conditions to break its dormancy. See the germination guide.
Total viability is germination plus dormant seed, meaning all the seed in a lot that is alive.
Tree shelter is a translucent plastic sleeve set over a young tree or shrub to protect it from browsing. See Choosing Tree Shelters.
Tree Tube is one of our plant sizes: a young taprooted tree, such as Paw-Paw or a hickory, grown in its own tube 10″ deep × 2.25″ in diameter and sold in clusters of 32. Plants are about 4–6″. It’s a plant, not a protective shelter.
Tubeling is a young plant grown in a deep, narrow cell, used mostly for trees and shrubs. Our 32-cell tubelings are 4″ deep × 2.25″ in diameter and our 72-cell tubelings 4″ × 1.5″.
Warm-season grass is a grass that grows mainly in summer heat and greens up late in spring.
Wetland indicator status rates how likely a species is to occur in wetlands. See Wetland Indicator Status.