SEED ORDERS OVER $100 SHIP FREE!

Conquer the Clay Seed Mix

$21.00 - $739.00

500 sq ft
$21.00
1000 sq ft
$31.00
1/8 acre
$103.00
1/4 acre
$185.00
1/2 acre
$370.00
1 Acre
$739.00

for Medium to Medium-Dry Soils
This Conquer the Clay seed mix is a tough-as-nails, clay-busting native planting that is designed to beautify difficult, dense plots. Compacted, dumpy clay soils have been historic havens for these colorful trailblazers.  Even if the precious topsoil has been worn or torn away, such harsh conditions are no match for these intrepid native plants that have evolved resilient roots to plow through the depths, unearthing scant resources and turning that energy into bursting blooms. 

Once established, the root systems of these plants can exceed 6 feet deep! Even some of the more demure-looking species are strong enough to tap into the well of nutrients that lies 5-7 feet beneath the layers of clay. It's these tough tappers that allow flowers to bloom up to 10 feet above the surface, towering over what was once bare.

Both beautiful and bountiful, pollinators of all shapes and sizes flock to these plants for food and habitat. Birds will perch in taller plants, hunting for insects and feasting on seeds in the fall, while bumblebees go about their business among the many bee-friendly blooms. Butterflies and other insects may flit from flower to flower while raise the next generation of pollinators among these plants, keeping your clumpy clay site alive and buzzing.

Although some of the native plants in this seed mix have ranges that extend beyond zones 3-7,  the majority will do best in this zone range.  For more detailed information please see the RANGE MAP for each species.  View the complete species list, including % by weight, under COMPONENTS.

For seed mixes of 1/8 acre or less, we include a temporary cover crop at no additional charge.  ReGreen is a sterile, short-lived perennial wheat hybrid that can be planted spring or fall.

Add a Seed Mix Enhancement for that extra splash of color!

Establishing a native plant community from seed can take 3 years or more - learn more.

All mixes are subject to change without notice depending on availability of species.

Conquer the Clay Seed Mix

by Prairie Moon® Nursery

12.94 lbs per acre | 139 Seeds per sq/ft

(FILTER PLANTS IN THIS SEED MIX)

WILDFLOWERS

Botanical Name (Common Name)

% by wt.

Agastache foeniculum (Anise Hyssop)

0.48

Arnoglossum atriplicifolium (Pale Indian Plantain)

0.48

Asclepias syriaca (Common Milkweed)

0.97

Astragalus canadensis (Canada Milk Vetch)

0.77

Baptisia alba (White Wild Indigo)

0.97

Chamaecrista fasciculata (Partridge Pea)

15.46

Dalea candida (White Prairie Clover)

2.13

Dalea purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover)

3.09

Echinacea pallida (Pale Purple Coneflower)

0.77

Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)

1.93

Gaura biennis (Biennial Gaura)

1.93

Heliopsis helianthoides (Early Sunflower)

1.55

Lespedeza capitata (Round-headed Bush Clover)

2.42

Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot)

1.45

Napaea dioica (Glade Mallow)

0.48

Oligoneuron rigidum (Stiff Goldenrod)

0.97

Penstemon digitalis (Foxglove Beardtongue)

1.45

Pycnanthemum virginianum (Mountain Mint)

0.48

Ratibida pinnata (Yellow Coneflower)

0.97

Rudbeckia hirta (Black-eyed Susan)

3.87

Rudbeckia subtomentosa (Sweet Black-eyed Susan)

0.48

Rudbeckia triloba (Brown-eyed Susan)

1.45

Senna hebecarpa (Wild Senna)

1.45

Silphium laciniatum (Compass Plant)

0.97

Silphium terebinthinaceum (Prairie Dock)

0.97

Symphyotrichum laeve (Smooth Blue Aster)

0.97

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (New England Aster)

0.48

Tradescantia ohiensis (Ohio Spiderwort)

1.16

Verbena hastata (Blue Vervain)

1.45

Verbena stricta (Hoary Vervain)

0.97

Total of WILDFLOWERS:

55.95%

TREES, SHRUBS & VINES

Botanical Name (Common Name)

% by wt.

Amorpha canescens (Lead Plant)

0.48

Total of SHRUBS:

0.48%

GRASSES, SEDGES & RUSHES

Botanical Name (Common Name)

% by wt.

Andropogon gerardii (Big Bluestem)

7.73

Bouteloua curtipendula (Side-oats Grama)

7.73

Elymus canadensis (Canada Wild Rye)

10.52

Elymus virginicus (Virginia Wild Rye)

7.73

Panicum virgatum (Switch Grass)

1.16

Sorghastrum nutans (Indian Grass)

9.28

Sphenopholis obtusata (Prairie Wedgegrass)

1.93

Totals of GRASSES, SEDGES & RUSHES:

46.56 %

(FILTER PLANTS IN THIS SEED MIX)

Last updated 11/20/24

4 Questions asked on Conquer the Clay Seed Mix

Can I substitute the tall grasses for shorter ones such as little bluestem and prairie dropseed for example?
Hi Tracey, Good question! Any substitutions would make it a custom mix. If your order will be for $200 or more, we offer free custom mix design. You can learn more here.
Are there any seed mixes designed to work in hardiness zone 3 or 4?
Thanks for asking Lorna! Our pre-designed native seed mixes are designed to perform well from the Midwest to the Northeast, primarily in zones 4-6. However, there is flexibility, and planted with the right sun exposure and soil moisture, our mixes, including Tallgrass Exposed Clay Subsoil, can do well in zones 3-7.
Do I need to do anything to prepare the seeds before planting?
Hi Anna. If the site is prepared and the weed seed bank is as exhausted as much as possible, the seed in the Tallgrass Exposed Clay Subsoil mix is ready to be sown. Late-fall to early-spring is the planting window, with late-fall being preferred.
I'm planning to sow my native seed mix this fall (about 1,500 sq ft) and was wondering what the advantage of using the regreen cover crop is? Is it just to protect the seed as it overwinters and discourage erosion? Would it be ok to sow my native seed without it? What are the disadvantages of not using it?
Hi Ruth. Sowing a cover crop with your native seed mix can keep out weeds, stabilize erosion-prone sites, and also serves as a nice marker of your seeded area.

The Re-Green will come in first next spring so the absence of it in a particular area might show where there was extreme run off or sparse seeding.

Cover crops will grow fast so should be mowed down next spring, along with everything else that grows in year 1.

For a very large site, adding a cover crop might not be practical, or if your site is flat and well-prepared (you are certain weeds and weed seeds have been dealt with prior to seeding), then you can absolutely skip the cover crop package in the mix.

Native plant communities provide the inspiration for our seed-mix designs. All our mixes feature high seeding rates and a diverse balance of native species, which, when mature, will provide blossoms throughout the year. No matter what you want from a seed mix, you will need to make sure it fits the soil-moisture holding capacity and sun conditions of your site.

E stablishment of the diverse native-plant communities represented in our seed mixes can take three to five years. The most critical process before planting is preparing the site by removing unwanted species and working to deplete the soil’s weed seed bank. Find detailed site prep, planting and care instructions for our seed mixes through the following links:

ESTABLISHING A NATIVE SEED MIX - 3 YEAR PLAN

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR HAND SOWING A NATIVE SEED MIX

*PLEASE NOTE: we are a mail order nursery and have no retail facilities, but you may pick up your order if prior arrangements are made. Pick up orders are subject to **MN Sales Tax.

US Shipping & Handling Charges

SEED $100.00 and under: $5.00
Retail SEED orders over $100.00 ship free!

Custom seed mixes or discounted seed sales over $100, add 5% of the total seed cost
(for orders over $1,000 a package signature may be required)

BARE ROOT and POTTED PLANTS $50.00 and under: $9.00
over $50.00: 18% of the total plant cost. (For orders over $1,000 a package signature may be required.)

TOOLS and BOOKS have the shipping fee included in the cost of the product (within the contiguous US).

**We are required to collect state sales tax in certain states. Your state's eligibility and % will be calculated at checkout. MN State Sales Tax of 7.375% is applied for orders picked up at our MN location. Shipping & handling charges are also subject to the sales tax.

Shipping Season

SEED, TOOLS and BOOKS are sent year-round. Most orders ship within 1-3 business days.

BARE ROOT PLANTS are shipped during optimal transplanting time: Spring (April-May) and Fall (Oct). Some ephemeral species are also available for summer shipping. Since our plants are field-grown, Nature sets the schedule each year as to when our season will begin and end. We fill all orders, on a first-come, first-serve basis, to the best of our ability depending on weather conditions beyond our control.

POTTED PLANTS (Trays of 32/38/50 plugs and 3-packs) typically begin shipping early May and go into June; shipping time is heavily dependent on all the species in your order being well-rooted. If winter-spring greenhouse growing conditions are favorable and all species are well-rooted at once, then we ship by order date (first come, first serve). We are a Midwest greenhouse, and due to the challenges of getting all the species in the Mix & Match and Pre-Designed Garden Kits transit-ready at the same time, we typically can't ship before early May. Earlier shipment requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

*We are unable to ship PLANTS (bare root or potted) outside the contiguous US or to CALIFORNIA due to regulations.

Delivery

We ship using USPS, UPS and Spee Dee. UPS and Spee Dee are often used for expediting plant orders; they will not deliver to Post Office Box numbers, so please also include your street address if ordering plants. We send tracking numbers to your email address so please include it when you order.

FOR MORE DETAILED SHIPPING INFORMATION, INCLUDING CANADA SHIPPING RATES (SEED ONLY), PLEASE SEE 'SHIPPING' AT THE FOOTER OF THIS WEBSITE.

Details

Lbs/Acre
12.94
Seeds/Sq.Ft.
139
Sun Exposure
Full
Soil Moisture
Medium, Medium-Dry
Advantages
Pollinator Favorite: butterflies, moths, bees, wasps, beetles
USDA Zones
3-7
Catalog Code
TEC