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Re: Plant Succession



Many thanks to all who have responded.  On Succession, does the pioneer plants
root system just get choked out?  What causes a perennial plant to 'disappear'?
Good question Sydney.
I had a vision of what I thought a Prairie should look like.  I envisioned  alot
of tall grasses and patches of forbs here and there.  After all my area is
Central Illinois, the 'Tall grass Prairie'.  Then I visited remnants.  Several
remnants, not recreations.  My initial impression was 'WHERE ARE ALL THE
GRASSES?'  Some grasses, yes.  Allot? NO!.  And ALL tall grass? (Big Bluestem,
Indian Grass and Switch grass) NO!
So there you have it.  I have lots of areas on my property to 'experiment?
with'.  This area will have Little Bluestem added this winter.  Other areas were
seeded with forbs and grass mixtures, some with just grasses(only so much I can
collect/buy each year).  This past December I burned a grass only area, then
tilled in forbs very swallow.  This december, an area I have been killing the
weeds for over 2 years, to be planted in forbs and short grasses.  etc. etc.
I am not sure there is a best way.  Maybe ten years from now I might be able to
tell the difference.  In the mean time I have lots of bluebirds, rabbits, snakes
and frogs that don't really care whats there as long as it isn't a highway or
gets plowed every year!
Send  all spare seed to......  :-).


                                                                  
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 to file:      06/11/99 08:27 PM                                  
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Please respond to prairie@mallorn.com

To:   prairie @ mallorn.com
cc:    (bcc: Alan Rider)
Subject:  Re: Plant Succession




How can you have a "Praririe" with no prairie grasses? What is your goal here?
Do you want to restore a prairie or just have a field of wildflowers? I'm no
expert here but I would think the indtroduction or re-introduction of native
grasses would help to balance the whole thing out.

Sydney

> For example I have an area I planted 2 years ago in Forbs with no grasses.
> Now
> I have a field of Fleabane Daises mixed with some Black eyed Susans and
> (Embedded image moved to file: pic03596.pcx)that are flowering.  The Daises
> have
> grown taller than all the other plants.  I fear they will re-seed the area and
> I
> will have a Fleabane Daisy 'Prairie'.  Other species are present, most are a
> couple of inches tall , but get little direct sun.  I 'think' I want to
> eliminate the F Daisies.
> Could I get some comments on how succession works, time frames involved etc
> etc?
> Also if you are wanting to introduce species into an area being restored-
> seeded
> several years ago- are there any ways better than others to do this....
> Many thanks.....


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