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Introduction

Hi,
We are from southern Illinois, just south of Carbondale in the shawnee
hills. We have 40 acres with 20 in mixed hardwoods, 15 currently in fescue
(ugh), and 5 in native grasses and forbs.

The five acre prairie was row cropped when we bought the land 17 years ago.
It went through a succession of ragweed, briars, and then fescue. We bush
hogged it for years before going to see a Native Plant Society prairie
restoration. We knew what we had to do.  We didn't have the resources to
plow and seed with native species, besides back then very little seed was
available. We collected seed along railroad tracks and anywhere else we
could find populations of native grasses and forbs. We broadcast the seed
both fall and spring and started burning every spring to try to knock back
the fescue.

After about four years with virtually no visible results, I came very close
to giving it up to my neighbor to hay. Then we noticed four or five bunches
of indian grass. The following year a remarkable transformation occured. The
whole darn thing burst into bloom. We now have,( I'm a common name person),
indian grass, big and little blue stem, wood reed, compass plant, prairie
dock, rosin weed, shooting star, purple cone flower, two species of blazing
star, yellow cone flower,  etc. etc. etc.  Like I said, it was remarkable.

15 acres are in the conservation reserve program for another year. Next
spring we would like to try something a little quicker to convert that to
native prairie plants. We are looking for a little guidance and discussion
on frequency and times to burn, how to control grasses and increase forbs,
seed sources, etc.

Ed and Gale 


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