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Re: Seeding forbs into Established Grass

I should have mentioned a few additional things to what I 
sent in yesterday about sowing forbs into grass. What I've written 
still doesn't exactly address the subject of establishing forbs in 
established stands of tallgrasses, which has however been 
demonstrated possible with light disking and overseeding with forbs. 

The old field mentioned below was burned twice (spring 1990 and 
spring 1993) before the 1995 burn, which had the effect of pushing it 
from a fescue and bluegrass dominated field with interspersed 
Asclepias tuberosa, Sporobolus asper, sedges and various Panicums 
to one in which these interspersed natives became dominant -- before 
the sowing described below was ever done. The essence of this 
addendum is that the process has taken over 8 years, rather than the 
3 years implied by my earlier description. Also, I left out Monarda 
fistulosa, Rudbeckia subtomentosa and Baptisia alba (leucantha) on 
the list of species that have appeared. Read on with this in mind.

> At Shaw Arboretum we have had success sowing a mix of about 20 forb 
> species plus some grasses into a long-undisturbed 
> old field. The seed was sown in mid-March of 1995, following a 
> clean, hot burn -- directly onto the charred ground. Luckily, rain 
> and frost followed in the next few days. Since then, the field has 
> been burned once, in early February 1998. This summer, at 
> least Eryngium yuccifolium, Coreopsis tripteris, Ratibida pinnata, 
> Coreopsis tripteris, Liatris pycnostachya and Dalea (Petalostemum) 
> purpurea have flowered, and I see Aster novae-angliae, A. laevis, 
> Physostegia virginiana and Silphium integrifolium,  laciniatum, and 
> perfoliatum "waiting in the wings". Big bluestem, Indian grass and 
> eastern gama grass are also making an appearance.
> 
> In sum; burn hot just before green-up, sow immediately , do rain 
> dance and frost dance to get seed worked in, burn early two or three 
> years later, and maybe it will work for you, too!
> 
> Good luck
> 
> 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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> 
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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