How Yellow Rattle Works And How To Grow It

In this video I show how yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor) weakens grasses and also how to establish yellow rattle in a meadow. Yellow rattle is a parasitic plant which gathers some of its nutrients and sugars from grasses and vetches. This weakens the grasses and allows other wild flowers to establish better.
Video showing yellow rattle supressing grasses: • Yellow Rattle In Action
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:32 Example of yellow rattle in action
05:35 How to sow yellow rattle
06:58 How to care for yellow rattle
08:43 Conclusion
Thanks for watching
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[@dotnelsie]

Brilliant in-depth information. Thank you.

[@hl807]

Before taking a strimmer or mower to long grass or meadow flowers, please check that there are no mice, hedgehogs or frogs living in there. Strimmer injuries can be fatal to wildlife.

[@rebeccaslater1398]

Very informative , Thankyou, great video too.

[@Gardeningat58N]

Thanks, I'm glad you found it informative :)

[@robineggels1563]

Thanks for this. I've been thinking of turning a section of my garden over to wild flower and was wondering on how long this may take and how to tackle it. I'm thinking a 2-4 year project.

[@Gardeningat58N]

You can do it in one year if you have no grass and use annual flower seeds in spring. If you use perennial flowers and have grasses you will have a few flowers in the first year from one or two perennial species that can flower in thier first year, then a small flowering in the second year,then more flowers with each year after that. The yellow rattle can do it's job and be established in as little as one year if you use lots of seed.

[@exynth1a215]

Where do you get all your plant info? Is there a website you frequent? It's quite in depth

[@KOKO-uu7yd]

Edit: I've found it can be highly invasive.
Original: I've a chunk I'm encouraging to go wild/native. I never would have thought of this for managing the grasses there. THANKS!!!! I'm gonna have to try this (assuming I can find yellow rattle to plant...)
Edit: in looking for seed, I came accross info warning how very invasive it can be! I'm not sure now.... seems like that's a pretty huge counterpoint.

[@Gardeningat58N]

It depends on where you live, its native to the UK and Europe and so is safe to use without risk of it spreading elsewhere here. It might be different in other parts of the world though. It is easy enough to control if you cut it before it sets seed as its an annual and only survives winter as seeds. If the area you want to go wild is close to an area which you can't mow then it could escape, the seeds are fairly large though and don't normally spread more than a few meters each year. Although when you cut the meadow the clippings could contains seeds.

[@garys-half-baked-offgrid-dream]

I love my yellow rattle, hate a lawn. I spread the seeds as much.
Is it true it is native to Scotland and nearly eradicated by farmers?
Love your videos great inspiration and education for down in East Ayrshire.
Cheers

[@bluebowser3347]

Farmers have eradicated a lot of natural grassland habitat. Not just yellow rattle, but a lot of species that can only be found in unimproved grasslands have been destroyed by farmers. Farmers want to improve the quality of their land by adding nutrients to the soil, but this negatively impacts the ecosystem. The nutrients are great for crops and grazing livestock, but not good ecologically.

[@garys-half-baked-offgrid-dream]

@@bluebowser3347 So ultimate Veganism isn't guilt free after all lol, I will have to see if someone has taken the time to compile a list on Google for us ignorant thickies. That and I can never remember names but yellow rattle was easy lol. Last year my meadow was alive with bees and insects the best year yet, I can't name them or what seeds I scattered 🤣🤣🤣

[@JonSteitzer]

I feel like a dunce for not realizing this sooner... is 58 north your latitude?