{"id":20313,"date":"2022-07-27T08:09:52","date_gmt":"2022-07-27T12:09:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/?p=20313"},"modified":"2022-07-27T08:12:14","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T12:12:14","slug":"native-wildflowers-for-septic-leach-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/07\/27\/native-wildflowers-for-septic-leach-field\/","title":{"rendered":"What are some native wildflowers to plant over a septic leach field?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Question:<\/h3>\n<p><strong>I would like to plant a native wildflower meadow over my mounded septic leach field as well as in the areas surrounding it. I would also like to plant milkweed to support monarchs. I\u2019m trying to find information about if this is safe with the septic or what types of plants I should use. I understand everything should be shallow rooted. A neighbor told me by law it should only be grass? Is there any information you can point me to?<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Answer:<\/h3>\n<div><em>Rebecca Long, Sustainable Agriculture and Horticulture Professional<\/em><\/div>\n<p>There are definitely more pollinator friendly options for your leach field than just grass but because your septic leach field is engineered to serve a specific purpose, you&#8217;ll want to keep a few things in mind:<\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>Do not add additional soil and avoid rototilling.<\/li>\n<li>Plant species that are drought tolerant and do not need irrigation<\/li>\n<li>Stick to shallow rooted species and avoid woody perennials whose roots can clog the system<\/li>\n<li>No crops or herbs for human consumption<\/li>\n<li>Avoid using mulch or allowing the buildup of a large amount of organic matter that could prevent evaporation (an important function of the leach field)<\/li>\n<li>Wear gloves when working in the leach field area<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>More information in our bulletin:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/publications\/2442e\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/publications\/2442e\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1658942308835000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0dc-v-xePJWxQ3RVCpBPFu\">Vegetable Gardens and Septic Fields Don&#8217;t Match.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>A mix of native grasses, groundcovers and small perennial flowers is ideal.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/extension.umn.edu\/landscape-design\/planting-and-maintaining-bee-lawn#flowers-for-bee-lawns-2939361\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/extension.umn.edu\/landscape-design\/planting-and-maintaining-bee-lawn%23flowers-for-bee-lawns-2939361&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1658942308835000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0OIxD20fnLDuUzmKSTyiEO\">This article on planting and maintaining a &#8220;bee lawn&#8221;<\/a>\u00a0is good for inspiration but keep in mind it&#8217;s for Minnesota so not all species may be regionally appropriate.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/wildseedproject.net\/comprehensive-plant-list\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/wildseedproject.net\/comprehensive-plant-list\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1658942308835000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2fFxSnVu6I_CEIpaMSwRxU\">Wild Seed Project&#8217;s Comprehensive Plant List\u00a0<\/a>includes a number of ground covers.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/extension.unh.edu\/blog\/2019\/12\/it-okay-plant-garden-over-leach-field\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/extension.unh.edu\/blog\/2019\/12\/it-okay-plant-garden-over-leach-field&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1658942308835000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0P730tD3PnkNrDaPzOjMX4\">This UNH article\u00a0<\/a>also includes a list of plants, many of which would be appropriate for Maine as well. While I&#8217;m not aware of any laws related to leach field plantings, contacting your local Code Enforcement Officer is always the best bet. Happy planting!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Question: I would like to plant a native wildflower meadow over my mounded septic leach field as well as in the areas surrounding it. I would also like to plant milkweed to support monarchs. I\u2019m trying to find information about if this is safe with the septic or what types of plants I should use. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[199],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ask"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What are some native wildflowers to plant over a septic leach field? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/07\/27\/native-wildflowers-for-septic-leach-field\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What are some native wildflowers to plant over a septic leach field? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Question: I would like to plant a native wildflower meadow over my mounded septic leach field as well as in the areas surrounding it. 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