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Re: competition of grasses

Rome,

I got my information from experience.

My first tiny prairie plot was seeded about 15 years ago using a grass
and forb mix from Nebraska (there was no local eco-type talk back
then...that I was aware of) The first year there were flowers and the
second year there were lots of flowers but they decreased after that
until now there is mostly just grass...which is spreading thru my other
gardens.

The next tiny prairie plot (about 10 years ago)I seeded right next to
the first one. I seeded no grasses at all, just forbs. It is much more
diverse and the grasses have spread into it from the first plot but have
not taken over.

The third prairie plot I did completely different. I took an existing
meadow and simply tilled a small area here and there and seeded forbs
and occasional grass. I also have transplanted forbs from my little
nursery where I grow a few plants. Of the three I actually prefer this
one.

Then in November 1996 I seeded 24 acres in NE Iowa to 141 species, hand
gathered and combined off of a prairie. I seeded in the fall (it felt
like winter and it was snowing) because it gave the forbs a head start
over the grasses. I did seed more grasses than originally planned but
that was because 1. it kept the NRCS happy (this is CRP land) and 2.I am
told that grasses do best when drilled in the spring. All my seeds were
broadcast.

1997 was the first year of this prairie and it is too early to tell. It
was mowed 6 times during the year and by September I had/or had had 15
species blooming (they were very short though, having been mowed off)and
could i.d another 5 species. I was only able to find 3 grass plants on
the entire 24 acres (course I didn't look at every square foot). 

Altho I consulted with about 20 prairie people when planning this last
prairie, I ended up listening mostly to Carl Kurtz who has been planting
prairies for 20 years and was the original person (around here) to
combine seed off of native prairie stands. He believes that diversity is
the key to stability. He also sells the combined seed (about 50 species
in the mix) at a quite reasonable rate.

In the fall of 1997 I broadcast more seed including 30 new species.
NE Iowa is zone 4 altho most of my seed came from central Iowa which is
zone 5.

I'm not saying that your way won't work, I'm just saying that that has
not been my experience. This year I plan to start roundup-ing some of
the grass in that original plot. I've put it off because it's hard
enough for me to kill plants like poison ivy, let alone grasses that I
planted. (I will have no problem trying to kill the Canadian thistle
that has shown up in my big planting!)

MJ
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