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Re: Forwarded mail...

Christopher P. Lindsey wrote:
> 
> This came to me -- anyone have any suggestions?  Please copy Mary King
> ( MKing@genevaonline.com ) with any responses.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Chris
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Forwarded message:
> >
> > Maybe you can help me out.  I have two acres of a  mostly seed planted
> > prairie (on a old grazed field).  I have two six year old rattlesnake
> > masters that until today looked spectacular.  However one has developed
> > some weird problem.  All the lower leaves have turn brown and on close
> > inspection the roots seemed to be trotten.  They fall apart when touched
> > and if I break them apart there is a white goey growth in between the
> > roots. Lots of ants and earwigs all over the immediate area.  I take this
> > as a bad sign.  Can you recommend a book on prairie plant diseases?  I
> > don't want to loose six years of work.  Thank you,  Mary King
> > MKing@genevaonline.com
> >
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
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I can only speculate as to why you have witnessed a sudden decline in
your rattlesnake masters.  From your description, it sounds like your
plants were affected by a bacteria or fungal disease.  This seems
obvious but the real question is why? as it sounds like these were
established plants that had not in previous years been affected by such
"ailments".

My theory is this:

Depending on where you live but in much of the former prairie areas ie.
the Cornbelt, there has been much higher than normal rainfall.  This
plant is listed by many references as adapted to "mesic" sites.  Many of
our prairie soils that are mesic are actually wet, wet, wet during these
wet years.  Some plants just don't do well on these sites during wet
years when in normal years they do fine.  Instead mesic plant
communities are dominated by wet tolerant plants during wet seasons.I
have seen the opposite to be true.  That is in dry years, sites that are
normally mesic are dominated by more drought tolerant species.  I hope
this helps.


Brett Roberts
State Conservation Agronomist
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Illinois

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