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Cost-Effective Seed Mix Design And First-Year Management, Justin Meissen

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

No abstract provided.

Prairie Restoration Series: Native Seed Source And Quality, Greg Houseal

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

Restoring a lost landscape such as tallgrass prairie requires plant material; either seeds, plugs, or rootstock. Emphasizing ecological restoration, resource managers seek to use an appropriate genetic source for restoring prairie vegetation to the landscape. Source should not be confused simply with where the plant material is produced or sold (that is the geographic location of a production field, nursery, or seed dealer). Source refers to the original remnant or genetic source(s), sometimes referred to as the provenance, of the plant material. This source material may be used directly on a restoration site, or propagated to establish a commercial nursery …

Prairie Restoration Series: Initial Post Seeding And Early Reconstruction Management, Dave Williams

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

The establishment of a prairie plant community takes 3 to 5 years. Without early management of the vegetation during this critical time, weeds and woody plants will displace the emerging and newly established native plants, resulting in a weedy plant community that will persist for many years. The goal after seeding is to reduce unwanted plants (weeds) and stimulate establishment and growth of the native plants until the prairie plant community is established.

A variety of early management techniques includes frequent mowing, herbicide use, manual maintenance (hand pulling, hoeing, and girdling), prescribed burning, and irrigation to control unwanted plants and …

Prairie Restoration Series: Site Preparation, Dave Williams

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

Site preparation alters the existing vegetation and soil structure in advance of seeding, increasing emergence, growth and survivorship of the seeded natives by removing thatch, improving seed to soil contact, and reducing weeds. From construction sites to cornfields, site conditions can be drastically different and require specific site preparation techniques. There are two broad categories of site preparation: one associated with bare soil sites, and one with vegetated sites.

Caution - most of the site preparation methods described in this publication involve killing the existing vegetation and should NOT be used if remnant prairie vegetation (prairie plants that were not …

Prairie Restoration Series: Evaluating Stand Establisment, Dave Williams

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

This brochure is intended to assist the practitioner/landowner in the sampling and evaluation of prairie plant establishment in a new seeding. We discuss where to sample, how many samples to take, what to measure, and how to analyze the data for an assessment of prairie plant establishment.

Prairie Restoration Series: Designing Seed Mixes, Dave Williams

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

A well-planned seed mix is essential to reconstructing a diverse and stable plant community. Selecting species for any native planting involves knowing the physical characteristics of the site (soil type, hydrology, slope, aspect, and sunlight exposure) then choosing the most appropriate native plants for that site. All native plantings should include grasses, sedges, and forbs (both legume and non-legume species). The seed mix should also include annual, biennial, and perennial species to foster both early establishment and maintain long-term diversity.

The cost and availability of the seed is often the primary factor in determining which species and how much seed …

Prairie Restoration Series: Seeding, Dave Williams

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

Deciding when to plant a prairie is a challenge. Some species establish better when spring-planted, other species establish better when fall-planted and some species are hard to establish whenever they are planted. Seeding rates of some species may need to be increased depending on when and how they are planted.

Prairie seed can be planted by broadcast seeding, hydroseeding, and drill seeding. Regardless of the seeding method used, it is essential that seed be planted at the proper depth and with good seed-to-soil contact.

Prairie Restoration Series: Seed Collecting From Tallgrass Prairies, Greg Houseal

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

Seed of many native species are now commercially available for prairie reconstructions, large or small. Yet many people have an interest in collecting and growing native species for butterfly gardens, backyard and schoolyard wildlife habitat, and prairie restorations. Seed collecting is satisfying and rewarding, a great volunteer activity for introducing people to prairies, and a good way to collect seed for local prairie restorations.

Prairie Restoration Series: Propagating Native Plants, Greg Houseal

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

Propagating native plants is hands-on learning at its best. Gain experience with individual species' life cycles, growth habits, and natural history…and bring important biodiversity to your outdoor living space at the same time!

Prairie Restoration Series: Recognizing And Appreciating Tallgrass Prairie Remnants, Greg Houseal

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

Prairie remnants are fragments of the original prairie landscape with their native plant communities still intact. Typically, this means soils were never plowed, graded, or buried by fill. Original prairie is meant to imply that populations of species have persisted or regenerated themselves on site through time (i.e., not planted by people as in prairie reconstruction). Some sites may have had brief soil disturbance in the past, for example, grading to create railroad beds in the 1800s, or fields that were cultivated for brief periods then abandoned. The key point regarding remnants is that some component of the original native …

Prairie Restoration Series: Drying, Cleaning And Storing Prairie Seed, Greg Houseal

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

Collecting native seed requires a considerable investment of time, patience, and diligence. If the seed is to be stored for any length of time, the next step is to properly care for the harvest! Drying, cleaning, and storage requirements for prairie seed after collecting will depend on how and which species are collected, the length of time stored, and the intended seeding method. If seed is collected in bulk and immediately spread on a restoration site, little processing is necessary. Also, seed quality varies greatly from each year and from one site to another, so extensive cleaning may be fruitless …