Pollinator planting establishment and bee visitation are influenced by seeding rate and post-seeding management

Perennial wildflower plantings are commonly used to support pollinators and other beneficial insects, but their establishment can be costly, and few studies have directly compared the effectiveness of different management strategies for wildflower establishment. To determine the relative importance of pre-seeding weed control, seed density, and post-seeding management on seed mix establishment, we developed a multifactorial field experiment in a grass-dominated weed community. Pre-seeding management treatments (mowing, herbicide, or soybean cover crops) did not affect the stem density of sown plants, or the percent of ground covered by sown plants. However, the percent of ground covered by weeds was significantly influenced by pre-seeding treatments, with infrequent mowing resulting in significantly less weedy ground cover than the herbicide or soybean pre-seeding treatments. Plots with a higher seeding rate had a significantly greater density of sown wildflower species and a higher percent cover of these species after 3 years. Plots that received no post-seeding management had higher stem density, a greater percent ground cover of sown forbs, and higher species richness compared to those that were intensively managed (mow or mow + herbicide). The total number of bee visits (honey bees, bumble bees, and other wild bees) increased with higher forb species richness, higher ground cover of sown forbs, and higher sown species richness. Doubling the density of seeds resulted in a 24.3% increase in the number of wild bees observed. When establishing wildflower habitat for pollinators, investment in ground preparation and seeding density has the greatest impact on sown species establishment.