MN State Seed Mixes

The Minnesota DOT, BWSR, and some divisions of the DNR have revised and consolidated their seed mixes into one list of State Seed Mixes that meet commonly encountered erosion control and restoration needs. Standards for the mixes have also been combined, with both BWSR and Mn/DOT requiring that mixes be sold as pure live seed (PLS), Source Identified (Yellow Tag) when available, and specific labeling requirements. Requirements for local origin seed will vary depending on the project goals and seed availability.

CATEGORY	NUMBER	NAME	REPLACES
Cover Crop	21-111	Oats Cover Crop	MNDOT 110, BWSR UT1
	21-112	Winter Wheat Cover Crop	MNDOT 100
	21-113	Soil Building Cover Crop	MNDOT 130
Mid-Term Stabilization	22-111	Two-year Stabilization	MNDOT 150
	22-112	Five-year Stabilization	MNDOT 190
Non-Native Grassland	25-121	Sandy General Roadside	MNDOT 240
	25-131	Low Maintenance Turf	MNDOT 260
	25-141	Mesic General Roadside	MNDOT 250
	25-142	Agricultural Roadside	MNDOT 280
	25-151	High Maintenance Turf	MNDOT 270
Mid-term Stabilization Native	32-241	Native Construction	BWSR U12, BWSR U11
Stormwater Facilities	33-261	Stormwater South and West	MNDOT 310 & 328
	33-262	Dry Swale / Pond	BWSR W4
	33-361	Stormwater Northeast	BWSR W7, MNDOT 310 & 328
Wetland	34-171	Wetland Rehabilitation	BWSR WT3
	34-181	Emergent Wetland	BWSR W1
	34-261	Riparian South & West	BWSR R1
	34-262	Wet Prairie	BWSR W3, MNDOT 325
	34-271	Wet Meadow South & West	BWSR W2
	34-361	Riparian Northeast	BWSR R1
	34-371	Wet Meadow Northeast	BWSR W2N
Native Grassland	35-221	Dry Prairie General	MNDOT 330
	35-241	Mesic Prairie General	MNDOT 350
	35-421	Dry Prairie Northwest	BWSR U2
	35-441	Mesic Prairie Northwest	BWSR U1
	35-521	Dry Prairie Southwest	BWSR U4
	35-541	Mesic Prairie Southwest	BWSR U3
	35-621	Dry Prairie Southeast	BWSR U6
	35-641	Mesic Prairie Southeast	BWSR U5
Woodland	36-211	Woodland Edge South & West	BWSR U7
	36-311	Woodland Edge Northeast	BWSR U13, BWSR U14
	36-411	Woodland Edge Northwest
	36-711	Woodland Edge Central

Seed mix numbers provide information about the use and content of the mix. This numbering system can be used to guide the user in choosing the right mix for a given project.

The following table shows how mixes are numbered according to native/nonnative species, function, intended planting area, required hydrology, and version. This numbering system can be used to guide the user in choosing the right mix for a given project.

NATIVE/ NON-NATIVE		FUNCTION		PLANTING AREA		HYDROLOGY		VERSION
10,000	Hybrid	1,000	Cover Crop	100	statewide	10	general	1-9
20,000	Introduced	2,000	Mid-Term Stabilization	200	South 1/2 & West 1/3	20	dry	1-9
30,000	Native	3,000	Stormwater Facilities	300	NE & North Central	30	dry mesic	1-9
40,000	Custom	4,000	Wetland	400	NW*	40	mesic	1-9
		5,000	Grassland	500	SW*	50	wet mesic	1-9
		6,000	Woodland	600	SE*	60	seasonally flooded	1-9
				700	Central**	70	saturated	1-9
						80	emergent	1-9
						90	submergent	1-9

*Use a mix for Planting Area 200 if no regional mix is available for Planting Areas 400-600.

**Use a mix for Planting Area 200 or 300 if no regional mix is available for Planting Area 700.

Example: Need a native seed mix suitable for a wetland area next to a stream in Lake County, MN? The table would give you 34-3xx. Under hydrology, there are 9 choices, but only two are listed in the table of seed mixes available: 34-361 (Riparian NE) or 34-371 (Wet Meadow NE). Best judgment will be needed to determine which one is best for the project.