Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Guerrilla Gardening has become very popular for a group of plant-loving Long Beach residents. These nighttime excursions are taken to enhance vacant lots with flowers and plants to help beautify the area. Although it technically is considered illegal, it does display a true sense of community spirit and has been entertaining to watch the plants grow and beautify these neglected areas. Yet, some guerrilla gardening thru the use of seed bombs can inadvertently do long term harm to our delicate eco-system here in Long Beach.
Our native plants provide food and shelter for our native wildlife. So introducing non-native plants and flowers that can invade or take over our native plants, although temporarily beautiful, may have lasting effects. The answer is to use California Native Seed Balls…and now is the perfect time of year to do this.
Seed bombs are made to be thrown into an area where you want to grow something, but can’t plant it or tend to it in a traditional manner. These tiny balls, about the size of a large marble can be just left where they fall. The clay coating prevents the seeds from being eaten or blown away. When it rains, the clay coat dissolves and the seeds will begin to sprout. The organic material in the ball provides nourishment and a safe environment for the seedling until it can latch onto the ground and grow.
Before you make your seed bombs, be sure to research if the flower seeds you want to use are true California Natives. There are many websites out there that will provide a comprehensive list, but for your convenience look at the California Native Plant Society website. This link provides a list of the most suitable plants for our coastal area. Using the “annuals” from this list for your seed bombs will give you the best results.
The benefits go beyond the native plants; their flowers will attract beneficial insects such as bees and butterflies along with native birds to the area.
What you will need:
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- CA Native seeds of your choice or a CA Native mix
- Dried organic compost
- Finely ground dry red clay (found at art supplies or on websites like Amazon.com)
- Mix One part seeds to three parts compost.
- Combine five parts dry clay to the mixture
Add water a little bit at a time, just until the mix becomes dough-like. Try to prevent it from becoming soggy.
Roll the “dough” into tightly packed balls about the size of large marbles or the small bouncy-balls we played with when we were kids.
Let dry either indoors or in the shade on an old cookie sheet for a few days until they are hard. Now your seed bombs are ready to be used. For best results- throw or place 10 balls per square yard, more if the area is really neglected and bare.