https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/create-and-maintain-wildlife-plots/
Create and maintain wildlife plots
The guidance on this page is for SFI pilot participants only. Please visit GOV.UK for the official Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme guidance.
Find out how land managers can help pollinators, farmland birds and other wildlife thrive by sowing plots that provide food and cover.
If you’re completing this action as part of the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot, how you do it is up to you.
The advice on this page can help you get better environmental and business benefits, but you do not have to follow it to get paid.
About wildlife plots
Wildlife plots are a sown mix of flowering and seed-bearing plants. They provide:
- food for pollinating insects like bees, butterflies and hoverflies
- a year-round source of seed and insect food for farmland birds
- shelter and nesting sites for insects, birds, mammals and other wildlife
- a place for annual arable wildflowers to grow, flower and set seed
As well as providing resources for wildlife, plots will:
- protect neighbouring crops, by providing habitat for predators of crop pests
- improve pollination of nearby food crops, by increasing the number of pollinating insects
Choose the right location
To maximise benefits for wildlife, sow plots as blocks or strips:
- between 0.5 and 1 hectare (ha) in size
- at least 15 metres wide
The best locations are:
- sunny
- low in soil fertility, as grasses and weeds can dominate fertile areas
- open with few trees, as farmland birds feel safer in open areas
- next to or within cropped areas to benefit predatory insects that feed on crop pests
Consider using wildlife plots:
- as habitat corridors or stepping stones to link isolated or fragmented habitats
- to buffer sensitive habitats or features like watercourses, hedgerows, ponds or historic earthworks
- across slopes to reduce soil erosion and surface runoff
Avoid sites that:
- have persistent weed problems, as weeds will compete with the flowers
- are remote or difficult for you to access and manage
- are shady, or next to woodland, as this can lead to poor establishment of flowering plants
- are known to have existing arable wildflowers – these areas should continue to be cultivated for arable plants
How to sow wildlife plots
Choose your seed mix
Choose a mix containing at least:
- 20 flower species, to provide food for pollinators and other insects
- 5 seed-producing crops, to provide food over winter for birds and small mammals
- 2 species that provide winter cover for wildlife
You should only need to re-sow a wildlife plot every 5 to 10 years.
Use native seed where possible.
Do not include rare arable plants like cornflower or corn marigold if they’re already present on your farm. This can cause cross-pollination of sown seed with wild populations.
On historic features, do not grow plants whose roots could damage the features. These include deep rooted legumes like sainfoin and lucerne. Register and request an SFI Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (SFI HEFER) to learn more about historic features on your land.
You must use organic seed if you farm organically or are converting to organic farming, unless you have approval from your organic certification body to use non-organic seed.
Example seed mix
| Flower species for pollen and nectar | Percent of total mix |
|---|---|
| Bird’s-foot trefoil | 1.5% |
| Chicory | 1.25% |
| Common knapweed | 1% |
| Common mallow | 0.5% |
| Common poppy | 1.5% |
| Common St John’s wort | 0.25% |
| Goat’s beard | 0.25% |
| Greater mullein | 0.25% |
| Lucerne | 1.25% |
| Musk mallow | 1% |
| Oxeye daisy | 0.5% |
| Red campion | 0.5% |
| Red clover | 1% |
| Sainfoin | 5% |
| Sweet clover | 1% |
| Sweet fennel | 5% |
| Teasel | 0.25% |
| Viper’s bugloss | 0.25% |
| White campion | 1% |
| Wild carrot | 1% |
| Wild marjoram | 0.25% |
| Yarrow | 0.5% |
| Sub-total | 25% |
| Crop species for seed and cover | Percent of total mix |
|---|---|
| Kale | 10% |
| Fodder radish | 5% |
| Mustard | 10% |
| Perennial rye | 10% |
| Triticale | 40% |
| Sub-total | 75% |
You can adapt the example seed mix. Your seed supplier can advise you on a mix and seed rate to suit your land and conditions. Get advice on shade-tolerant flower species if you need to sow in a shady location.
Create your seedbed
Create a well-consolidated, firm, fine, level and weed-free seedbed before you sow, to improve germination. This is the most effective weed and slug control method.
You can roll seedbeds before sowing if they’re uneven after secondary cultivations.
When to sow
Choose a time and conditions that suit most of the seeds within your mix. Sow spring plots between mid April and early June. Sow autumn plots between late August and early October.
Sow the seed
Mix the seed well immediately before sowing to help achieve an even spread of species.
Shallow drill or broadcast (scatter) the seed. You must drill the seed if it has been treated with insecticide.
Sow on a 30 to 50cm row spacing. This provides a balance between winter seed yield, cover for wildlife to forage and nest, and space for flowering plants to grow.
Do not sow rows wider than 30cm on land where there’s a risk of soil erosion or runoff from:
- sloping land
- sandy soil
- gravelly soil
Sow in either 1 or 2 passes. Sowing in 2 passes means you can sow different seeds at a different depth and time. You could:
- drill the larger seeds, like cereals, at a greater depth earlier in spring
- shallow drill or broadcast the small seeds a few weeks later
If you drill in one pass then sow at a depth of 1cm so that smaller seeds are not sown too deep.
Roll after sowing to retain moisture, ensure good seed-to-soil contact and reduce slug damage. Do not roll waterlogged soils or where there’s a risk of capping (rainwater causing the surface to form an impenetrable cap).
How to manage wildlife plots
Years 1 and 2
Leave plots undisturbed after sowing and for the following year, as they start to provide foraging and nesting habitats for wildlife.
Year 3 onwards
Cut up to half of the plot each year to create a mix of:
- taller vegetation that has been unmanaged for at least a year
- shorter cut areas that are growing back
- bare ground
This will create a varied habitat for as many species as possible to feed, nest and find shelter.
Lightly cultivate the cut area between autumn and early spring to encourage shed seeds to germinate.
Alternate the half that you cut each year.
How to cut
Cut each plot as either:
- a solid half
- strips across the plot that add up to a half
Strip mowing provides the greatest benefit for wildlife by increasing structural diversity.
Make sure your cutting path does not force wildlife into a central area where it cannot escape the final pass of your machinery.
Remove high volumes of cut vegetation where possible to:
- reduce the risk of smothering flower species
- remove nutrients, which stops weeds and grasses from taking over
You can leave small amounts of finely-chopped cuttings if it’s impractical to remove them. Spread cuttings as thinly as possible. A heavy-duty flail will chop up the vegetation and allow it to rot quicker.
Birds, nests and eggs are protected by law. You must check plots before cutting. If you see signs of nesting birds, delay cutting until birds fledge.
Grazing
Do not graze wildlife plots as livestock will eat and kill flowering plants.
Fertiliser
Only apply fertiliser:
- if advised by a Fertiliser Advisers Certification and Training Scheme (FACTS) qualified adviser
- after carrying out recent (less than 5 years) soil analysis of the plot area
Excess nutrients can feed aggressive weeds that can outcompete your sown plants.
Weed control
Your plots do not need to be completely weed-free. Weeds like black bindweed, fat hen, knotgrass and thistles provide pollen, nectar and seeds for wildlife.
You can control weeds that threaten establishment of your plots, or are smothering sown plants, by:
- spot treatment with a broad-spectrum herbicide using a knapsack sprayer, hand-lance or weed wiper
- application of a narrow spectrum graminicide to control grass weeds
- cutting the affected area
- hand removal
Pest control
Do not use insecticides on wildlife plots as they will kill the pollinators and beneficial insects.
Be careful when you apply insecticide or herbicide to neighbouring crops. You can protect wildlife plots from spray drift with a buffer like:
- harvested or unharvested low input cereal
- a grass margin
If you need to control slugs, use ferric phosphate pellets if possible. These reduce the risk of water pollution and are less toxic to other wildlife. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
What successful wildlife plots look like
You’ll see:
- a range of plants flowering from early spring to late autumn
- a variety of pollinating insects like bees, butterflies, hoverflies and moths
- lots of seed heads containing ripe seeds in the autumn and winter
- farmland birds like grey partridge and yellowhammer foraging for insects and seeds
- areas of tall, short, dense and open vegetation and some bare ground
What to do with failed wildlife plots
If establishment of the plot is poor, re-sow 50% of the failed area during the next sowing period.
For small areas it may be enough to broadcast or shallow drill into the existing plot. You might need to cultivate lightly first to create some bare ground. If a plot has failed on a larger scale, you might need to start again.
Speak to your seed supplier or agronomist if you’re not sure what to do.
