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Re: Frost seeding

Jef makes two good points below:

1) Dormant season (frost) sowings favor forbs and C3 grasses 
(dropseed, Panicums, also sedges), and may (but don't always) 
lead to spottier C4 grass (big blue, Indian, gama) success. This is 
in fact desirable if the attempt is to create a planting with higher 
diversity.

2) The initial stages of frost sowings may be weedier. I should have 
mentioned that it seems to be essential to mow the new planting a 
few times through the first growing to about a 6-inch height to help 
control the "weeds". This has the effect of speeding up succession 
by reducing the vigor of the pioneer weeds in competing against the 
long-lived prairie plant seedlings.

I'm not sure we have enough data to say the plantings will end up 
looking them same no matter when they're put in. The more I learn 
about prairies, I find no two look just the same, and in many cases 
the differences seem to be attributable to the site history. I think 
we may find this to be true of plantings in the future, as well.

James C. Trager

On 24 Oct 00, at 20:41, PrairieSource.com wrote:

> I've done a number of dormant season seedings with mixed results. My
> basic opinion is that it can be successful but is not as consistant as
> spring seedings. Speaking primarily about grasses. The perennial forbs
> seem to do better with dormant season plantings. My general
> observation is that dormant seedings tend to be weedier the first
> couple of years. If there is any germination at all, though, after
> then they develop very nicely and ultimately you can't tell the
> difference between a spring seeding and a dormant seeding.
> 
> I have sown switchgrass on top of snow, same as with clover or
> lespedeza, on one occasion with excellent results.
> 
> Jef Hodges
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Bob Kehres <rkehres@dvoice.com>
> To: <prairie@mallorn.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2000 11:23 AM
> Subject: Frost seeding
> 
> 
> > Does anyone have any experience with frost seeding native forbs and
> grasses?
> > Personal, books, articles etc?
> >
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