Flooding = new seedbank?

[Boll Weevil]

I honestly don't know the answer to this question so thought I'd pose it here. For those of you with bottomground or fields prone to periodic flooding, do you see more grasses/weeds in the growing season following a high water event? To what degree does new seedbank float in and settle?

 

[swat1018]

I really can't tell one way or the other. I'm sure some seed comes that way, but probably no more than what comes airborne.

 

[Baker]

Actually for me flooding works out very well for controlling weeds. As soon as the water recedes I follow it into the field which is perfectly clean and drill heavy enough to be ahead of any weeds. With the moisture in place I get quick germination ahead of weeds

 

[IkemanTx]

Some “light” reading on the subject. It was done in the UK, but I would think still relevant.

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/77137298.pdf

There are several research papers on pay-for-use sites I can’t access, and a couple more free ones I haven’t paroozed through yet.

Do a search for “Seed bank response to flooding” and it pulls up a couple pages of links with varying degrees of relevance.

It seems that: yes, flooding can have a dramatic, but unpredictable effect on the seed bank based on flooding type, and season in which it occurs.

One thing I wish the above study had attempted to compare was a separate seed bank that was disturbed (mechanically or chemically) at the same times as those in the study, but without flooding. Specifically, this would shed some light as to wether the change in species seen was primarily related to there simply having been a disturbance or if the high waters indeed altered the seed bank by introducing new species.



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[chickenlittle]

In my area, flooding is one way Japanese knotweed gets spread, either by seed or rhizome.

 

[Baker]

We do see new weed species in uncultivated but flooded openings that aren't represented anywhere else leading to believe flood waters brought them in. Also salvinia { an extraordinarily aggressive aquatic weed...think kudzu } gets spread to uncontaminated lakes, ponds, bayous etc from flooding.

 

[ksgobbler]

I get a new crop of sericea lespedeza seed everytime it floods (like is happening now) off the corp of engineers and my other neighbors.

 

[buckdeer1]

I see johnson grass and the flood water is almost off my CRP and fields as of this afternoon,as the buzzards eat the dead carp the johnson grass seeds are getting washed back in my CRP so now I will need to plan to spray early spring with plateau

 

[Boll Weevil]

Ok...y'all are somewhat seeing what I'm seeing. Ready for the rain and high water to cease....gonna really be a weed battle kind of year on my low ground. Dang grasses and reeds and just plain trash are on a tear.

 

[Tap]

In my area, flooding is one way Japanese knotweed gets spread, either by seed or rhizome.

I was gonna say the same thing. 1 tiny chunk of root can float downstream and start a new invasion.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

In my area we have a problem with wild parsnip. It grows along many streams and with flooding comes the spread of seeds. Nasty stuff.

 

[j-bird]

On my place flooding is the biggest source of spreading of many of the more noxious weeds. On my place this is jap stilt grass and johnson grass. These weeds are by far the worst where the water floods. I am sure mother nature brings me these in other ways as well. Biggest issue I have with flooding is the silt covered plants it leaves behind. It sounds bad....but the best thing that can happen after the water recedes is a light rain to wash the silt off! I also have a hard time with regen in flooded areas as the flooding seems to be very difficult on young poorly established plants. I also tend to get huge piles of smoothering corn stalks and the like that don't help matters as well.

 

[Catscratch]

Sericea, Johnson Grass, Cuckleburs, etc follow floods like the plague! Any debris left along the high water mark makes it way worse. And, flood tear out watergaps (where fence crosses the creek). Floods create a ton of work and expense for me.

 

[Cap'n]

Sericea, Johnson Grass, Cuckleburs, etc follow floods like the plague! Any debris left along the high water mark makes it way worse. And, flood tear out watergaps (where fence crosses the creek). Floods create a ton of work and expense for me.

Your right about that. The water gaps got taken out with these 3-4 inch downpours. Not only that but you can’t get in there to really fix them.

 

[ksgobbler]

Had the sericea under control here but luckily the Corp of engineers gave me a new crop

 

[Catscratch]

Isn't that fun! Every flood brings fresh seed... every time.

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[buckdeer1]

I lost alot of NWSG and it got replaced with lots of new johnson grass.I some really nice 4ft tall NWSG and now there is some maybe 12 inches tall and new JG showing up

 

[ksgobbler]

I lost alot of NWSG and it got replaced with lots of new johnson grass.I some really nice 4ft tall NWSG and now there is some maybe 12 inches tall and new JG showing up

I am positive I have johnson grass in that mess, its just not up yet.

 

[Boll Weevil]

Downright disheartening...it's a battle for sure. It was finally dry enough to get into the last bottomfield a couple of weeks ago so got about half of it planted while the lower end finishes drying out.

 

[pinetag14]

Dang, you guys are making me nervous! I've already got jap stilt grass & honeysuckle, now I've got to worry about new invasives every time it floods. Y'all sure know how to give a guy a pessimistic outlook. LOL