CAB19: Pollen and nectar flower mix
What you must do to get paid for this CSHT action and advice on how to do it.
This action is part of Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT). You must read the CSHT guidance before you apply.
Duration
5 years
How much you’ll be paid
£739 per hectare (ha) per year
Action’s aim
This action’s aim is that there’s an established pollen and nectar flower mix which:
- is growing in blocks or strips
- produces areas of flowering plants from late spring and during the summer months
The purpose of this is to:
- provide food for beneficial pollinators such as bumble bees, solitary bees, butterflies and hoverflies
- encourage natural crop pest predators as part of an integrated pest management approach if located close to cropped areas
Where you can do this action
You can do this action on eligible land that’s located below the moorland line.
Eligible land
You can do this action on land that’s:
- an eligible land type
- registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
- declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover
| Eligible land type | Eligible land cover | Compatible land use code |
|---|---|---|
| Arable land used to grow crops | Arable land | Land use codes for arable crops or leguminous and nitrogen-fixing crops |
| Temporary grassland | Arable land | TG01 |
| Arable land lying fallow | Arable land | FA01 |
| Permanent crops | Permanent crops | Land use codes for permanent crops |
Available area you can enter into this action
Total or part of the available area in the land parcel.
Rotational or static action
This action can be rotational or static. This means you can either:
- move the action every year
- keep it at the same location
Limited area action
This action has a 25% limit on the amount of land that can be entered into a CSHT agreement. The limit will apply to the area of land with limited area actions in CSHT and SFI agreements added together. For example, if you have 10% of land in an SFI limited area action, you can only have 15% of land in a CSHT limited area action.
Read section 3.4: ‘Actions with a limited area’ in the CSHT applicant’s guide for more information.
What to do
Your Natural England adviser will assess your land. They’ll work with you to adapt and agree the activities you must do to achieve this action’s aim. All mandatory activities will be set out in your agreement document.
To get paid for this action, you must:
- establish by sowing in blocks or strips with an agreed flower seed mix, cutting regularly for the first year after sowing
- manage the plots by rotationally cutting or grazing an agreed area of the plot annually to deliver the action’s aims
You must not:
- cut or graze it with livestock in a way that means this action’s aim cannot reasonably be expected to be achieved
- use it for regular vehicular access, turning or storage (for example, storing bales or machinery)
- apply any fertilisers and manures
- apply pesticides - you may be able to use herbicides to spot-treat or weed-wipe for the control of injurious weeds, invasive non-native plant species, nettles or other plants if this has been agreed with your Natural England adviser
In the final year of this action’s duration, you must do this action until the agreement end date or this action’s end date, whichever is earlier.
When to do it
You must do this action each year of its duration.
Evidence to keep
You must keep evidence to show what you have done to complete this action. If it’s not clear that you have done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) may ask for this evidence.
You must supply the evidence if they ask for it, including:
- field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices, including details of the seed mix used
- photographs
- records of stock grazing on the parcel (if you manage the plot with grazing livestock)
Other actions or options you can do on the same area as this action
You can do the following actions or options on the same area in a land parcel as this action.
Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they’re done at a different time of year to this action.
| Scheme | Action or option code |
|---|---|
| SFI 2024 actions | CSAM1, AGF1, AGF2, OFC3, OFC4, OFC5, OFM4, OFM5, OFM6, PRF2, CIPM1, CNUM1 |
| SFI 2023 actions | SAM1, IPM1, NUM1 |
| CSHT actions | CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CWS1, CWS3, CSP21, CSP20, CAGF1, CAGF3, CAGF2, CAGF4 |
| CS options | OR3, OR4, OR5, OT3, OT4, OT5 |
| ES options | N/A |
You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:
- CSHT actions: CWT3, CHRW4
- SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2, WBD10
- SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
- CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)
Consents, permissions and licensing requirements
To apply for this action, you’ll need:
- Scheduled Monument Consent from Historic England for any work on scheduled monuments
- consent from Natural England for any activity on land designated as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI)
You may need to:
- agree an implementation plan or feasibility study with your Natural England adviser
- get advice from your Natural England adviser if you have other historic or archaeological features on your agreement land
- get a wildlife licence from Natural England if your activities affect a protected species or their habitat
All historic and archaeological features (including scheduled monuments) are identified in your Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (HEFER).
If you’re a tenant, it’s your responsibility to check whether your tenancy agreement allows you to complete what’s required in the actions you choose. You may need your landlord’s consent.
Capital grants to support this action
If you need to complete an implementation plan or a feasibility study before you apply, you can apply for capital grants plans funding.
You can also apply for capital items to help you achieve the action’s aims. Your Natural England adviser will discuss eligible capital items with you.
Advice to help you do this action
The following optional advice may help you to do this action. Your agreement document will set out all the activities you must do.
Choosing the right location
Plant pollen and nectar flower mix plots where they:
- receive plenty of sunlight
- will have low soil fertility - grasses and weeds can dominate fertile areas
- have a low weed burden – wild grasses can smother less competitive flower species whilst broad-leaved weeds such as bristly oxtongue, docks, nettle, ragwort and thistles are hard to control once they are established
- are close to complementary food and shelter habitats such as bumblebird mix, cultivated areas for arable plants, hedgerows, scrub and winter bird food
- are rectangular-shaped, making it easier to establish and manage
- have easy access – avoid remote plots that can make it harder to carry out management at the right time
Avoid areas of fields known to support scarce and declining arable plants such as corn spurrey, pheasant’s eye and shepherd’s needle which require annual cultivations to thrive.
Plot size, shape and distribution
Sow several pollen and nectar flower mix plots of different sizes (ideally between 0.5 and 2 ha) evenly across your farm. This will help create a network of interconnected habitats for beneficial insects and other wildlife to move between.
Establishing a pollen and nectar mix
Establishing a mix of legumes and native wildflowers in plots within arable fields can provide:
- pollen and nectar for declining pollinators such as bumblebees, butterflies and moths from late spring into autumn
- nesting sites for beneficial invertebrates, farmland birds and mammals such as brown hares
- year-round shelter beneficial invertebrates, farmland birds and mammals such as brown hares
- a buffer for landscape features such as hedgerows and veteran trees from damaging operations such as deep cultivations and fertilizer or spray drift
Pollinators benefit from sown flower-rich mixtures when there are fewer wildflowers available in:
- early spring prior to the breeding season
- from late July onwards
Pollen and nectar can provide food and shelter for crop pest predators, such as ground beetles, hoverflies, lacewings, rove beetles and spiders.
The general increase in insects attracted to these mixtures also provides food for birds and valuable foraging habitat for small mammals.
What to sow
You will have agreed all seed mixes with your Natural England adviser.
To provide more foraging for pollinators, you could plant:
- a more than 10 flower species
- species with different flowering times from early spring (such as red campion) through to late summer or autumn (such as musk mallow)
- species with different flower colours, scents, sizes and shapes to meet the foraging needs of different species – bumblebees can feed on a range of flowering plants including clover, knapweed and musk mallow, whilst smaller solitary bees and wasps prefer to feed on smaller flowers such as wild carrot and yarrow
The table below shows an example seed mix you can sow on a range of soil types at 15kg per ha. On heavier, more fertile soils the seed rate can be increased to 20kg per ha.
| Flower species | Inclusion rate (%) |
|---|---|
| Alsike clover | 10 |
| Bird’s foot trefoil | 10 |
| Black medick | 5 |
| Common vetch | 40 |
| Early flowering red clover | 10 |
| Late flowering red clover | 10 |
| Lucerne | 5 |
| Sweet clover | 5 |
| Common knapweed | 1.5 |
| Musk mallow | 1 |
| Oxeye daisy | 1 |
| Wild carrot | 1 |
| Yarrow | 0.5 |
| Total | 100 |
On light, free-draining chalky (alkaline) soils, you can replace common vetch with sainfoin.
Sowing the seed mix
Sow seeds between spring and early autumn when soils are warm and contain some moisture to help them germinate.
If you sow in the autumn, do this before frosts and prolonged wet weather.
Preparing the seedbed
Sow the seed mix into a seedbed that’s:
- firm
- fine
- level (not cloddy)
- weed-free
- warm
- contain some moisture at the time of sowing
If this is not possible, delay sowing and use the extra preparation time to improve the seedbed (such as reducing cloddiness and controlling weeds).
Legume species such as red clover (and many other flowering plants) germinate best when sown into soils with a minimum soil temp of 8 to 10 degrees celsius.
Try to avoid:
- over-cultivating the soil in spring before sowing, as this can increase moisture loss
- creating ’fluffy’ overworked seedbeds on lighter soils which can result in variable germination due to seed being sown too deep or water impacting the soil (or both)
- creating ‘cloddy’, uneven seedbeds on heavier soils which can also result in small seeds being sown too deep
If the seedbed is too cloddy or uneven, consider rolling to level it before sowing.
Drilling and broadcasting
You can drill, broadcast or use a combination of both depending on:
- available equipment
- experience
- seed mix
- seed-bed quality
- weather
- plot size
- pest pressure
Clover-based pollen and nectar seed mixes containing lots of small seeds will germinate best when broadcast or shallow-drilled onto a level seedbed. Avoid drilling them into a level seedbed or onto a cloddy seedbed.
Nectar seed mixes contain small seeds such as alsike clover, bird’s-foot trefoil and red clover.
Larger seeds can still germinate if sown too shallow. Smaller seeds may not germinate if they are sown deeper than 1 cm.
When drilling, raise the coulters just out of the ground so seeds are ‘dribbled’ onto the soil.
If you wish to sow larger seeds deeper, sow them separately and sow the remaining seeds in a second pass at a shallower depth.
Using seed bulking agents
It can be difficult sow small amounts of very small seeds in large modern drills. You can add an inert carrier or bulking agent that’s dense enough to flow through a drill consistently and mix well. This can help with seed flow and achieve a more even seed distribution.
Example carriers include barley meal, poultry chick crumb and wood-based cat litter.
Mix seeds before sowing
Mix up mixed-sized seeds in case they have settled so you get an even distribution of seed mix.
To prevent uneven seed distribution:
- weigh out the seed required for each strip or block at the sowing location
- mix the seed before adding to the seed hopper
- add seed to the drill just before you sow
- sowing half the seed in one direction, then sow the rest at a 90-degree angle to the first pass
- drill until the seed hopper is empty and repeat the process at each sowing site
Rolling seedbeds
Roll seedbeds after sowing to:
- maximise seed-to-soil contact
- conserve seedbed moisture
- reduce slug damage
Avoid rolling:
- when soils are waterlogged
- where there is a risk of capping on lighter soils after sowing
Managing newly sown pollen and nectar
Monitor how well seeds have germinated. For:
- autumn sown mixes, check from February or March onwards
- spring and summer sown mixes, check from 4 weeks after sowing
If seeds have not established well, you may need to re-sow all or part of the plot.
During the first spring, summer or autumn after sowing, you can cut regularly to encourage sown grasses to tiller and flowers to bush-out. This will also help control weeds.
Cut at the maximum operating height that can effectively remove the top growth of weeds. Avoid:
- dislodging the roots of seedlings
- harming wildlife
If your mix includes early flowering annuals (such as black medick, common vetch, crimson clover or phacelia), cut either:
- early, before the annual flower species have produced flower buds
- later, after the annual flower species have finished flowering
Managing established pollen and nectar flower mix
Rotational cutting
You can produce a continuous supply of flowering plants from late spring into late summer or early autumn by:
- cutting half of the block or strip early each year between mid-May and mid-June – this will help extend the flowering season on the early cut half
- alternate which half of the area you cut in successive years
- cut the whole area from mid-September and end March after flowering has finished
This applies to established plots typically from the second spring or summer after sowing.
Remove the cut vegetation (where possible) to help reduce the risk of it smothering the flower species and increasing weeds. If it’s impractical to do this, you can finely chop them to spread them as thinly as possible.
To provide over-wintering habitat for invertebrates and other wildlife, you can leave a proportion of the area uncut over winter. Try leaving a different area uncut each year.
Leaving areas uncut between April and September can improve the breeding success of wild pollinators, such as bumblebees, butterflies and moths.
Where you have left areas uncut over the winter, cut them in the spring (usually before 15 March) before the flowers have started to grow. This can help suppress early growth of wild grasses and weeds. This can enable the sown flower species to flower earlier in the spring and for longer.
Cutting and wildlife
If you’re cutting the block or strip:
- check it for signs of nesting birds before you cut it – birds, nests and eggs are protected by law so if you see signs of nesting birds, delay cutting until the birds fledge
- work from one side of the plot to the other (or work from the centre out) to minimise harm to wildlife – avoid cutting from both sides inwards in a circular fashion as this will confine wildlife to the path of your cutting equipment
- remove dense cuttings (where possible) to reduce the risk of nutrient enrichment (which can feed weeds such as cleavers and nettles) and smothering the flower species – if it’s impractical to do this, you can finely chop the vegetation using a mulching or heavy-duty flail so it breaks down faster
If you want to manage your plots by grazing, you must agree this with your Natural England adviser.
Weed management
You do not need to keep pollen and nectar plots completely weed free. Low levels of weeds such as chickweed, docks and thistles can enhance the foraging value of plots by:
- attracting insects (which in turn provide food for farmland birds)
- providing additional pollen and nectar for different pollinators during spring and summer
You can usually reduce weeds by:
- using herbicide before preparing the seedbed
- cutting frequently during the first spring or summer after sowing
Once plots are established, hard to control weeds such as bristly oxtongue, common ragwort, docks, nettles and thistles, may require additional control over time.
Weed control options include:
- localised topping to prevent the return of weed seeds to the soil and or weaken established weeds (such as creeping thistle)
- hand removal of hard to control weeds such as ragwort before they complete flowering can be a very effective way of preventing weed seeds being returned to the seedbank.
- spot application of herbicide using targeted spray equipment such as a hand-lance, knapsack or weed wiper
When to re-sow pollen and nectar plots
Pollen and nectar plots typically need re-sowing every 5 years. Shorter-lived legumes such as alsike clover and red cover can start to decline significantly from year 3 or 4 onwards.
When re-sowing, you can replace the existing plot by cultivating a seedbed and sowing a new seed mix.
This approach is best for tired plots:
- with a low percentage cover of desirable flower species
- that have become dominated by wild grasses or broad-leaved weeds such as bristly oxtongue, docks, nettle and thistles
Alternatively, when re-sowing, you can retain the existing sward and broadcast or direct drill a grass-free flower mix into the existing sward. This approach is best on plots with a low weed burden where there’s still moderate coverage of flower species
To minimise short-term declines in pollinators during re-establishment of tired plots, phase the re-sowing of your pollen and nectar over 2 or more years. This means you re-sow a maximum of 50% in a single year.
Getting extra funding
With approval from Natural England, you can sometimes use the CSP9: Support for threatened species supplement with this action to cover additional costs. These are costs you may incur when establishing or managing areas of pollen and nectar flower mix for priority species.