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Re: Johnson Grass

At West Tyson County Park in St. Louis Co. MO, a native 
grass planting in formerly agricultural, Meramec River Floodplain 
land initially came up very thick with Johnson grass. Johnson grass 
continues to surround the planting in great abundance at the edges of 
agricultural fields upstream. In the planting itself, however, the 
natives (dominated by Indian and Switch grass) almost completely 
displaced the Johnson grass after four annual spring burns and 
remain dominate now, several years later.

Johnson grass is a short-lived perennial which replaces itself by 
reseeding, as in highway rights-of -way where it gets aggressively 
managed with herbicides but keeps coming back on the bare ground 
thus created. Where long-lived, cold-winter-adapted perennials 
such as prairie plants get established, Johnson grass has little 
opportunity to establish itself. Mowwing to prevent seed set until 
your native plants get established is a good idea. The annual milo, 
etc. are of no concern in the long run, as they will be unable to 
compete against established prairie.
James C. Trager
Shaw Arboretum
P.O. Box 38
Gray Summit MO 63039
PH# 314-451-3512
FAX 314-451-5583
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