Ten cm (4 in) deep synthetic seedbeds created from co-composted municipal waste (CCMW), an industrial co-product (Iron-Rich material, IRM), CCMW:IRM (1:1, by vol), and surface tilled (2.5 cm; 1 in) soil were compared for establishment and growth of seven wildflower species. The IRM seedbed resulted in increased seedling emergence compared to other seedbeds. Percentage and rate of seedling emergence were similar in soil and CCMW:IRM seedbeds, but seedling shoot dry weight was greater in CCMW:IRM. By 400 days after planting, both IRM and CCMW:IRM seedbeds supported similar wildflower populations (200% and 490% greater than soil and CCMW seedbeds, respectively), but the population density of the wildflower species was more uniform in CCMW:IRM. Shoot dry weights per meter2 (10.8 ft2) at 400 days after planting were similar in all seedbeds.

seedling emergence, synthetic topsoil, waste utilization
Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.), Bachelor's button (Centaurea cyanus L.), Ox-eye daisy(Chrysanthemum leucanthemum L.), Queen Anne's lace (Daucus carota L. var. sativa DC), Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea Moench), Black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta L.), Sweet william catchfly (Silene armeria L.)
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Author notes

The authors gratefully acknowledge partial funding for this research from E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company Inc., Wilmington, DE. Iron-Rich is a trade mark of E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company, Inc.

2Professor, associate professor, associate professor and former undergraduate student, resp.

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1994