Native Grass Improvement Question

[TexasOaks]

Has anyone planted any of the following: Bluestem Big, Bluestem Little, Alamo Swithgrass, Blackwell Swithgrass, or Sideoats for cover/nesting improvement? How successful were they? Thoughts?

[canny]

Nesting? I'm assuming you are referring to quail. both the bluestems are great plants for nesting cover, but only after the first year or 2. Another species of grass to plant also is johnson grass. grows quick and is a prolific seeder, which makes it a great food source for quail and other ground nesting birds

[Bobcat]

Start burning, aerate the soil and allow sporadic intermediate brush stands. Bulldoze into piles and do not burn. Refrain from spraying except basal spray to kill back over-grown pastures. Adjust habitat to allow for brushy cover other than that found only along fence lines making nests easy targets for predators running fencelines.

[Leftridge]

I hope someone with experience in your question chimes in as I have a grossly overgrazed pasture that I'd like to rehab.. Great questions...

[TexasOaks]

The nesting I was talking about was mostly for Spring Turkey nesting. We havent seen really any quail but it would be an added beneifit. Johnson Grass requires more rain than the others I was looking at.

Johnson Grass
Description:
General:
Life Span: 3-6 feet tall, bunchgrass.
Perennial
Adaptation:
pH:
Soil:
Rainfall:
Temperature: 5.0-7.5
Sandy-loam, clay loam.
28-60 Inches.
-13º F (minimum)
Management:
Seeding Rate:
Planting Date:
Planting Depth:
Seed Cost:
Season of Use:
Production: 20-25 lb PLS/A
April
<0.25-0.75 inch
$25-30/A
May-September
5000-7000 lb/A

Sideoats grama
Description:
General:
Life Span:
1.5-3 feet tall, bunchgrass.
Perennial
Adaptation:
pH:
Soil:
Rainfall:
Temperature: 5.5-7.5
Sandy-loam, clay-loam.
12-25 inches.
-33º F (minimum).
Management:
Seeding Rate:
Planting Date:
Planting Depth:
Seed Cost:
Season of Use:
Production: 4.5 lb/A
March-May
0.25 inch
$65-70/A
May-October
2500-3000 lb/A

Notes:
Good seedling vigor.
Highly palatable compared to other range species.

Little bluestem
Description:
General:
Life Span: 2-4 feet tall, erect, bunchgrass.
Perennial
Adaptation:
Habitat:

pH:
Soil:
Rainfall:
Temperature: In Texas found in prairies, dry hills, rocky slopes of pastures.
5.5-7.5
Sandy-loam, clay-loam.
16-45 inches.
-33º F (minimum)
Management:
Seeding Rate:
Planting Date:
Planting Depth:
Seed Cost:
Season of Use:
Production: 3.5 lb PLS/A
March-May
0.25
$40/A; $7/lb
May-October
2500-3000 lb/A

Notes:
Reproduces via tillers, rhizomes, and seeds.
Blooms from August to December and produces seed from September to December.
Provides fairly nutritious grazing for cattle early in the growing season but decreases with maturity.
Poor forage for wildlife.
Provides seed and forages for birds and small mammals (denning and nesting).

Big bluestem
Description:
General:

Life Span: 4-6 feet tall, bunchgrass, lower leaves covered with silky hair.
Perennial
Adaptation:
Distribution:

pH:
Soil:
Rainfall Most of Texas. Not at its best in Arid Panhandle or Trans-Pecos area.
5.5-75
Sandy-loam, clay-loam.
10-30 Inches.
Management:
Seeding Rate:
Planting Date:
Planting Depth:
Seed Cost:
Season of Use:
Production: 6 lb PLS/A
March-May
0.25 inch
$72/A
May-October
4000-6000 lbs/A

Notes:
One of the big four grasses of the American tallgrass prairie (Big bluestems, Little bluestem, Yellow indiangrass and Switchgrass).
Reproduces primarily via rhizomes and blooms from August to November. Seeds mature in the fall.
Contributes to wildlife habitat for cover, nesting and denning.

Switchgrass
Description:
General:
Life Span:
4-6 feet tall, bunchgrass.
Perennial
Adaptation:
pH:
Soil:
Rainfall:
Temperature: 5.5-7.5
Sandy-loam, clay-loam.
20-40 inches.
-10º F (minimum).
Management:
Seeding Rate:


Planting Date:
Planting Depth:
Seed Cost:
Season of Use:
Production:

Fertilization: 2 lb PLS/A. Using conventional equipment like Brillion seeders, or other drills, seed is planted on narrow rows (4-6 inches).
April
0.25 inch
$16/A
May-October
4000-8000 lb/A; when well fertilized yield ranges from 8,000-20,000 depending on seasonal rainfall.
5-100 lb/Ac.
Notes:
Used as biomass energy feedstock.
Switchgrass is one of the main prairie-type grasses together with big bluestem, little bluestem, and indiangrass.

I got a mix to try, was hopoing to get it in this weekend but didnt.

http://foragesoftexas.tamu.edu/species/speclist.html

[skyhawk]

Seeding native grasses is very hit-and-miss. Lots of variables at play.
Odds are, there are native grass seeds lying dormant already, you just need to provide an opportunity for them to take hold (or recover). Remove non-native and detrimental plants (cedar, mesquite, etc.), and within a few years, the native grasses will begin to come back.

[BRALEYOUTDOORS]

I have a 400 acre praire grass meadow that has never been plowed, sprayed or anything....my dad sued the neighbor one time for plowing into the field and won the suit. Now where he plowed is all johnson grass...no praire grass!

[Bobcat]

Leftridge, tell some specific about the pasture and acreage size. What are you stocking it with, what are your options and do you have a rotational grazing plan or opportunity to begin one? Do you spray?

[JeffJ]

Call J Mercer at Turner Seed. We have been dealing with him on food plot seeds for a couple years and he is working up some ideas for the areas we have cleared.

[Txnrog]

leaving brush in small piles is a good idea as mentioned. We've cleared, left the brush down for a couple years, now just recently burned most of it. Delaying a couple years after clearing to burn helped the native grasses get established, and helped minimize the size of the fire. We didn't wait long enough in a couple areas, and we ended up with some really charred earth.

[raiderpower]

If your managing for quail shoot me a pm. I can offer what advice I have.

[Leftridge]

Leftridge, tell some specific about the pasture and acreage size. What are you stocking it with, what are your options and do you have a rotational grazing plan or opportunity to begin one? Do you spray?

Our back pasture is about 58 acres and has had unlimited access for 20 years.. Since the wifes grandad passes a year ago I've been trying to convince my FIL to get rid of the leasee of the grazing rights and put it in wildlife exemption..

Had a TPWD wildlife biologist make it out and show me all the cow damage.. Fortunately he wrote me up a nice letter on recommended changes including keeping cows off for 2 years then only allowing access for 6 months a year..

Anyway, the little big blue stem is completely chopped or only growing in some secluded areas.. Mesquites are coming in and other non-prefered species..

If I get the cows out I'm going to be wanted to rehab the place..Thats why this thread is of great interest to me..

[TexasOaks]

If your managing for quail shoot me a pm. I can offer what advice I have.

More looking towards Turkey and Deer:

Bedding Cover for Deer
Ground cover over 18 inches in height for turkey nesting.

I appreciate the offer.

[Bobcat]

Leftridge, that is dead solid advice to start with. Essentially fool proof, but a rancher or old cattleman won't jive with it if his goal is using the land for traditional purposes.

That blue stem though is one of your main opportunities. You need to research the benefits of grazing native grass in a seasonal lease. As opposed to a year round lease for cattle requiring constant upkeep. Focus on USING the native grasses and their benefits. There are many. Stocking rate is also an issue. You might research the possibility of becoming part of a rotational grazing operation. The native grasses can take seasonal grazing under rotational pressure. That is essentially what the bison provided along with flash fires. So in that regard grazing can be a tool to achieve both wildlife and ag goals. Letting the pasture rest is important.

The mesquites and other invasives are easy. Basal spray one tree at a time. Twice if needed. Bulldoze or chainsaw level with the ground and build into piles. Let them lay. They can provide habitat and cover for quail. Then if you want burn them later. A prescribed burn would be beneficial to the soils along with aeration.

One of the keys for turkey and quail is intermediate cover. While deer can exist in many cover types this is also the best for them. Think of it this way, if the light can touch the ground and the soils are kept hydrated from lack of leaching by cedars and mesquite then the pasture is allowed to produce a wider variety of native grasses in a more historically natural state. Heavily restrict your use of boom spraying and become more target oriented. Hope that helps and good luck in your goals.

[JeffJ]

Texas Side Oats Grama is another good native seed to plant. It IS the grass of Texas after all. The biggest problem with native seeds and mixes is the cost. At $25-50 per acre you can put out a lot of money pretty quick. Seeing as I have 50 +/- acres I could do right now...

If I have time I am going to try replanting some native grasses in strips in my cleared areas. Hopefully overa couple years the seeds will spread. Strategy may be to figure out when they drop seeds and what the prevailing winds are that time of year...then plant downwind so the wind would help scatter the seed.