Example: air traffic controller

Department of Agronomy MF-2291 Native Grasses

Department of Agronomy MF-2291 Native GrassesKansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension ServicePlanning is the key to a successful Native grassstand. Native Grasses must be seeded differently thanintroduced Grasses . Most Native species are slow toestablish and do not compete well with other establish-ing plants (weeds). The use of named grass cultivars isrecommended for most plantings because they havebeen selected for better establishment and forageproduction characteristics. Species and cultivarselection, site preparation, seed quality, seedsource, seeding date, and other factors must beconsidered to ensure the successful establishment ofa Native grass grass seedings can take up to 4 years tobecome fully established. To ensure seeding success,careful planning is essential.

Department of Agronomy MF-2291 Native Grasses Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service Planning is the key to a successful native grass

Tags:

  Department, Natives, Grasses, 9212, Agronomy, Department of agronomy mf 2291 native grasses

Information

Domain:

Source:

Link to this page:

Please notify us if you found a problem with this document:

Other abuse

Transcription of Department of Agronomy MF-2291 Native Grasses

1 Department of Agronomy MF-2291 Native GrassesKansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension ServicePlanning is the key to a successful Native grassstand. Native Grasses must be seeded differently thanintroduced Grasses . Most Native species are slow toestablish and do not compete well with other establish-ing plants (weeds). The use of named grass cultivars isrecommended for most plantings because they havebeen selected for better establishment and forageproduction characteristics. Species and cultivarselection, site preparation, seed quality, seedsource, seeding date, and other factors must beconsidered to ensure the successful establishment ofa Native grass grass seedings can take up to 4 years tobecome fully established. To ensure seeding success,careful planning is essential.

2 Technical assistance canbe obtained from the local Natural Resource Conserva-tion Service, county Research and Extension office,wildlife agencies, and commercial seed for SeedingGood planning requires an assessment of resources(including soil type and current and past croppinguses), expected problems (including existing weedproblems and potential cropland herbicide carry-over),necessary changes in the farming operation, equipmentavailable, seed sources, intended use of the seededarea, costs and returns anticipated, and suitability forwildlife habitat. The planning should result in aseeding work first step to seeding an area begins with aninventory of the soils. It is important to know the soiltype and its present condition to determine whatspecies can best establish a permanent cover for theintended use.

3 Previous cropping history (particularlyherbicide use) is necessary to prevent seedling damagefrom herbicide carry-over. Seedling damage can resultfrom long-residual herbicides, particularly those usedfor grass control. Short-residual herbicides are lesslikely to injure seedlings unless extremely dry weatherlimits the degradation of the herbicide. Herbicideswith rotation restrictions for corn or grain sorghum arean indication of potential seedling species and cultivar selected should beadapted to the soils. If several different soils occur in afield, a mixture should be considered, and changes inseedbed preparation may be PreparationA firm, weed-free seedbed is preferred. Threedifferent types of seedbeds can be used when seedingcropland: standing cover, surface mulch, and clean-tilled. The particular seedbed preparation used willdepend on climate, soils, and the intended cover.

4 A standing cover crop is used toreduce weed competition, prepare a firm seedbed,and provide a standing stubble to modify themicroclimate at the soil surface. It must be man-aged to prevent the production of viable crop orweed seed and excessive growth. Excess cover canbe removed by mowing, haying, or grazing to leavea 12- to 18-inch sorghum has provided the best grass estab-lishment over the years. Grazing of the grain sorghumstubble immediately after the combine normallyimproves the seedbed sorghums also produce good grass standswhen they have been harvested by haying or grazingand allowed to regrow in late summer. Forage sor-ghum may be planted in July to allow the plants to befrost-killed before they set seed. Grass is seeded intothe standing stubble without additional tillage. Ap-proved herbicides may be used if weed growth beginsbefore of wheat stubble as a standing cover has beendifficult.

5 Snow or heavy rain accompanied by highwinds tend to lay the stubble flat, creating a mulchlayer that slows soil warming in the spring and is anideal cover for weed growth. Wheat stubble that isstill standing in late March to early April is anacceptable mulch. A seedbed may be prepared bytillage or chemical destruction of current growingvegetation, such as wheat, to provide a mulch. Thegrowing crop must be completely killed or it willbecome direct competition with the establishingseedlings. The surface needs to be left free of weedsand with a mulch Clean-tilled seedbeds are usuallyused where precipitation is greater than 32 inches peryear. Two tillage approaches can be Native GrassesTable analysis----------------------Seed typeGerminationHard seedPurity% PLSS eeding rate (PLS lbs)Bulk Normal seeding date the seedbed is tilled asneeded to destroy all weeds and leave a firm, friableseedbed.

6 Seeding should be done during the optimumseeding period. Weed control will be a major require-ment to a successful stand. Mid-June seeding the seedbed is tilled fromMarch to mid-June maintaining it in a firm, weed-freecondition. Seeding is done in mid-June. The use of acultipacker or similar equipment prior to and/or afterseeding can greatly improve the stand of grass, espe-cially during seasons of low rainfall. This approachstores soil moisture but requires precipitation afterseeding to ensure a good MethodPlacement of the seed at the correct depth isimportant. Most Native grass seeds cannot emergefrom deeper than 1/2 to 1 inch. Special grass drills havebeen developed that will handle the fluffy seed of mostnative grass species and ensure accurate drills have special mechanisms that deliver theseed at a uniform rate.

7 Planting depth is controlled bydouble disc openers with depth bands that ensure thecorrect planting depth. Packer wheels are desirable andnecessary to cover the seed well and firm the soilaround the alternative method that can be used if a grass drillis not available is to use a cultipacker to roll the seedbed,then broadcast the seed immediately and roll again. Thecultipacker will plant the seed at approximately thecorrect depth and ensure that a firm covering has beenprovided. Historically, this has been the least effectiveseeding method unless timely precipitation and Quality of SeedBest results are obtained by using named cultivarsof adapted Native species. Contact NRCS for areas andsite adaptations for named law requires knowing seed quality to deter-mine the correct amount of seed to plant. Native grassseed quality is measured on a pure-live-seed (PLS)basis.

8 Germination and purity tests are available fromstate and private laboratories. To obtain percent PLS,use equation 1. To determine the amount of bulk seedto be planted, divide percent PLS into the seeding rateper acre in PLS pounds (equation 2).% PLS = (germination purity) 100(1)bulk PLS pounds = seeding rate in PLS pounds 100(2)% PLSSome examples. A switchgrass seed lot has a testof 92 percent germination, 5 percent firm or hardseeds, and a purity of 98 percent. The PLS for the seedis 95 percent [(92 + 5) 98 100]. If the switchgrassseeding rate is 3 PLS pounds per acre, the bulk seed tobe planted per acre is or bulk pounds per acre( 95 100).A big bluestem seed lot has a germination of 85percent with no hard seed and a purity of 60 percentwith a seeding rate of 6 PLS pounds per acre.

9 The bulkseeding rate would be pounds per acre [6 (85 60 100) 100]. The results are in table RatesSeeding rates vary by soil, precipitation, andintended use of the seeding. For help on seedling ratesand mixtures, consult the county Natural ResourceConservation Service Office, county Research andExtension agent, wildlife agencies, or seed DatesRecommended planting dates are based on re-search and experience. For a warm-season grass, theoptimum seeding date is about 2 weeks before theaverage last frost date and at least 6 weeks prior to hot,dry summer weather (figure 1). The acceptable periodfor seeding should be from one month before to 3weeks after the average last frost date. This allows theseedling 6 to 8 weeks to establish the permanent rootsystem before the onset of hot, dry summer the drier climates of Kansas and Nebraska,fertilizer and lime normally are not required nor recom-mended on Native species at seeding time.

10 Lime issuggested if the pH is below by soil test. ConsultNRCS or county Research and Extension personnel forlocal needs. Fertilizing will stimulate weed During EstablishmentThe main management consideration duringestablishment is to control weeds and should be deferred during the first andpossibly the second growing season depending onstand establishment. Short periods of grazing (flashgrazing) for weed control early in the first growingseason are encouraged in most cases. An examplewould be to graze one day with enough animals toharvest the weeds without damaging the grass seed-lings. Grazing stimulates tillering in the grass seed-lings. Consult local NRCS or a county Research andExtension agent for further the year of seeding can be beneficial ifthere is enough forage produced. Cut the hay at a4-0inch height to ensure the plants can readily a general rule, hay most Native species by will allow time for the plants to develop tillerbuds for the following year and to build food reservesfor early ControlWeed control is necessary in new seedings toreduce competition for moisture, nutrients, and sun-light.


Related search queries