Good native prairie mix?

[Rally1148]

Hey all,

So we disced the field, and we're going to get a good spray in before planting. I'm hoping that this will be enough, as my neighbor said he didn't want to spray all summer and then plant next year. I've found some seed that is all local genotype, and is a pretty reasonable price. The goals are structure to make deer feel more safe while in the field, but also for the birds and other flying critters. I'll be no-till drilling with a cover crop (probably rye, but whatever I can get at the local store). Half acre in size.

http://www.michiganwildflowerfarm.com/seed-mixes-and-cover-crop/budgetdrylandmix/


What do you all think?

 

[Rally1148]

Here is the seed list:

http://www.michiganwildflowerfarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/MWF-BUDGET-DRYLAND1.pdf

 

[wiscwhip]

Rally, that doesn't really list the cultivars of the grasses. Are all the NWSG seeds from the Southlow Michigan Germplasm varieties? They have Southlow varieties of big bluestem, little bluestem, and indiangrass, as well as the Southlow switchgrass. I am pretty sure they would all be well adapted to your place.

Here is a link, it may help

http://www.michcrop.com/seeddirectory.asp?section=11

 

[Rally1148]

Rally, that doesn't really list the cultivars of the grasses. Are all the NWSG seeds from the Southlow Michigan Germplasm varieties? They have Southlow varieties of big bluestem, little bluestem, and indiangrass, as well as the Southlow switchgrass. I am pretty sure they would all be well adapted to your place.

Here is a link, it may help

http://www.michcrop.com/seeddirectory.asp?section=11

That's a good point. I reread the site, and they said it's great lakes region. I've looked at native connections, and they are more expensive, but I'll look at them again now that I realize they were the actual Michigan types.

 

[Rally1148]

http://nativeconnections.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/2015-01-Budget-Summary3.pdf

Here we go! I'd say that looks like the stuff! I'd need to order enough for an acre, which is double what I need, and I'd prefer to have more forbs, BUT I think it looks ok.

 

[wiscwhip]

I would pose the question to the folks at Michigan Wildflower Farm as to the specific genotype of their grass seed, it very well could be from the Southlow series.

 

[wiscwhip]

I like that second mix better than the first actually, and it is only a little over 60% of the price to plant an acre over that first mix. Win-Win.

 

[Rally1148]

I put in about an acre of wildflowers/forbs (no grasses) 3 years ago. The spring/summer before I nuked the area with glyphosate 4 times and 1 time with a gly/broadleaf herbicide combo. It was bare ground going into winter. I spread my seeds in December. By the middle of the following summer, there was plenty of broadleaf weeds and grasses creeping in :oops:. Just sprayed the wildflowers/forbs with clethodim and crop oil about 3 weeks ago. It appears to have done a good job on the grasses, but the broadleaf weeds will either need to be "tolerated" or spot treated with gly. I'm hesitant to spot treat anything but the thistles...because bare ground results in more thistles getting a foothold.

Good luck with your plot

I'm fine with weeds as long as they don't take it over. I mean vetch is something that is coming up, which in this case would be a weed.

I like that second mix better than the first actually, and it is only a little over 60% of the price to plant an acre over that first mix. Win-Win.

The trouble is I don't have an acre to put in! I have about 1 acre in a food plot, and then I'm taking half of that and putting it into native prairie.

 

[wiscwhip]

It seems the % of Canada wild rye in the mix from Native Connections is a bit high, but I think that may be because it won't compete as well with the larger more aggressive grasses like switch and big bluestem if planted at a lower rate.

That is a pretty good basic prairie mix, I bet you wouldn't have any trouble selling that other 1/2 acre of seed. Find someone that wants to share it with you before you jump in.

 

[wiscwhip]

The more I look at that mix from Native Connections, the more I like it. Some really cool prairie forbs in that mix. Foxglove beardtongue, wild bergamot, rattlesnake master, and the primrose are all really neat prairie plants. It is nice that they are working with the USFWS to collect the Southlow genotype seeds from the National forest plantings.

 

[Rally1148]

The more I look at that mix from Native Connections, the more I like it. Some really cool prairie forbs in that mix. Foxglove beardtongue, wild bergamot, rattlesnake master, and the primrose are all really neat prairie plants. It is nice that they are working with the USFWS to collect the Southlow genotype seeds from the National forest plantings.

There are quite a few nurseries in Michigan that collect almost all of their seed locally. However, this is one of the few that I know that go and specifically test their genotypes to the point where it can be ID'd. I'm all for these guys, and other native nurseries. In a few years, once I'm out of school, I'd definitely be interested in starting one as a part time thing.


That's the mix I'll get! I'm just worried about the prep and it not being adequate. We sprayed last year, tilled, and then planted the fall mix. We disced this year and we'll spray on greenup. Hopefully that's enough!

 

[wiscwhip]

I had to Goggle "Montcalm Co, MI" because I was unsure exactly where that was latitude wise, but it sure looks like you are right in the midst of where the Southlow genotypes were collected and will thrive. I agree, the prep and initial plot work is the real wildcard in getting something like this to really take off. Good Luck!

Oh yeah.....photos......

 

[Rally1148]

We'll keep everyone updated!

We're pretty much straight across the lake (and inland) from Milwaukee. Just a touch Northeast of Grand Rapids (Michigan)

 

[Rally1148]

I had to Goggle "Montcalm Co, MI" because I was unsure exactly where that was latitude wise, but it sure looks like you are right in the midst of where the Southlow genotypes were collected and will thrive. I agree, the prep and initial plot work is the real wildcard in getting something like this to really take off. Good Luck!

Oh yeah.....photos......

Well, long story short, my neighbor had some left over pheasants forever seed. He said it was native prairie, so at this point I'm guessing it was either

Grass: Big Bluestem (2), Indiangrass (0.75), Little Bluestem (0.75), Switchgrass (0.5), Canada Wildrye or B.Michigan Mix #04 – Tallgrass Prairie (Eligible for CRP/CREP/SAFE – CP2, CP4D, CP33, CP38E) $130 PLS seeds/ft2: Grass (20.15), Forbs (17.45), Legume (1.52), Total (39.12) Grasses: Big Bluestem (1.5), Canada Wildrye (1.5), Indiangrass (0.5), Switchgrass (0.5), Little Bluestem (1). Wildflowers: New England Aster (0.031), Foxglove Beardtongue (0.063), Wild Bergamot (0.063), Purple Prairie Clover (0.15), Yellow Coneflower (0.188), Purple Coneflower (0.188), Lanceleaf Coreopsis (0.063), Culvers Root (0.006), Evening Primrose (0.063), Stiff Goldenrod (0.063), Partridge Pea (0.5), Blackeyed Susan (0.125)

Either way, we no-tilled it, at half the rate that my neighbor was using for that PLUS extra switch (he was using mainly switch for a screen). I also ordered just the forbs, plus some extra asters, silphium (compass plant, prairie dock, etc...) and lead plant. I'll broadcast that the next time I'm at the property in a week or so.

 

[Rally1148]

Everything to the right of the spruce is a going to be put into a perennial mix (clover/chicory/burnet) that will lead in a kind of walk way into the larger, green portion which will be in the same mix. The rest of that which is disced will be prairie.


In this picture, I'm standing just S of the 3 pink dots that are on the right half side of the aerial. I'm facing West.