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RE: burn

If you want to promote lots of flowering (and do not have the need for fire to control nondesirables) then a dormant season burn should work well.  Burn early enough in the spring to be just ahead of the regrowth of your first prairie species (have you seen anything yet?).  Most likely mid-April will work unless you have some early spring species (like pasque flower, violets, prairie dandelion, pussytoes)

You may observe that repeated spring burns begin to favor the grasses over forbs (grasses respond more vigorously to spring burns).  That's why I would consider alternating between spring dormant season and late summer burns.  The late summer burns will tend to set back the aggressive tallgrasses.  Of course since you have just a 1/3 acre, you could always go in and weed whack any grasses that are getting a bit too vigorous for your prairie garden.

In most years annual burning will encourage more flowering.  An exception may be in dry years (and your sandy soil), since burning does remove the mulching effect of litter which can help conserve moisture if there isn't much precip. falling.  However this may not be a factor for your garden if you can water it.


Thomas Rosburg
Dept. of Biology
Drake University
2507 University Ave.
Des Moines, Iowa  50311-4505

515-271-2920
thomas.rosburg@drake.edu


On 04/12/00, prairie wrote:
>Hello,
>
>I am new to this list. ( and prarie maintainance). >I am in southern Wisconsin,
>near Madison, my prarie is going into its 4th. >year, lots of material, sandy soil,
>heavy in flowers, mostly short grasses, with a >little bit of tall grass.
>
>I would like to manage a little heavier for flowers >than grasses. This is a
>fairly small, 1/3 acre, plot in a residential >setting.
>
>My question is, when is the time to burn for my >locale, soil, and
>desire of lots of flowers ? Am I too late for this >year?
>
>Thanks, Dan Dietz
>             Reedsburg WI
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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> Subject: Re: burn
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