Specialty - Native and C.R.P Seedings

Weeping Lovegrass - is a warm-season, perennial bunchgrass which grows to a height of 2 to 4 feet. Weeping lovegrass is easily established by seed and spreads by tillering. A single plant may form a dense sod bunch 12 to 15 inches in diameter within two to three years. Native to South Africa, the first import was made in 1927; but several imports have been made during the last 20 years. It does well on most any type of well-drained soil, but prefers the sandy loams. This grass responds to nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers with additional forage and remarkable increases in protein and carotin content. Weeping Lovegrass produces excellent pasture during early spring and fall if grazed sufficiently close to keep the forage tender.

Reed Canarygrass - is a coarse, sod-forming, cool-season grass which grows 2 to 8 feet in height. It reproduces by seed and spreads vegetatively by stout, creeping rootstocks. In thin or volunteer stands, this grass grows in clumps or bunches 2 to 3 feet across. Reed Canarygrass is native to the temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. It was first recognized as a good forage plant in Sweden in 1749; much of the seed used to establish stands elsewhere was introduced from that country. It makes its best growth on fertile and moist or wet soils and is one of the best grasses for sloughs, pond banks, and swamplands of a muck or peat nature. Although this grass grows best on moist, cool sites, it makes excellent growth on upland soils. Soil tests should be taken to determine plant food requirements; it responds readily to lime and fertilizer applications. Considered primarily as a pasture plant, reed canarygrass also is used for silage, hay, and in waterways. It is one of the earliest grasses to begin growth in the spring and produces large yields of nutritious, palatable forage. Reed canarygrass will not survive under conditions of extremely close grazing; however, it should be mowed or grazed sufficiently to prevent excessive growth that is sometimes tough and unpalatable.

Wildlife Habitat Tips

When planting grass mixtures with the goal of providing the best possible wildlife habitat in mind, there are several wildlife management tips to consider. By considering these general habitat tips before you purchase your seed, you can provide years of improved, productive wildlife habitat.

1. More Diversity = Better Habitat. The more species you include in your planting mixture, the better wildlife habitat you’ll have in the future. Consider using a high diversity mixture that includes plenty of forbs (Wildflowers) and legumes whenever possible. By putting some time and effort into the design of your grass mixture, you’ll extend the years of wildlife habitat benefits you’ll see in the future.

2. The Balance Between Grasses and Forbs. If you want to keep forbs (wildflowers) in your planting for years to come and provide the best wildlife habitat possible, you’ll need to have a balance of 50% grass and 50% wildflowers in your initial mixture and planting. Better yet, have more than 50% of the mixture be wildflowers and legumes! Having a higher percentage of the seeding rate in your mixture dominated by forbs will mean that your habitat project will provide better results for more years. In addition, when management practices like fire, haying, grazing or disking are applied, the mixture will respond better to those management practices. The biologists with Wildlife Management Solutions can design a custom mixture to meet your exact needs. Contact us for help and guidance today.

3. The Main Ingredient is Time. If you haven’t planted a grass & wildflower mixture before, be prepared to have plenty of patience. Not all species in these mixtures become established quickly. In fact, some may take several years to appear in your planting. Have patience and enjoy the process.

4. Know Your Goals. Different mixtures produce different wildlife benefits. For example, there are key differences in managing for quail or pheasants or deer. By determining the long-term wildlife goals for your property, a wildlife biologist can better help you select and design the correct mixture for your project.

5. Don’t Over Plant. More seeds per acre is not always better! Planting a grass mixture at a higher seeding rate may actually have a negative impact on both the cover and wildlife value. By planting heavier, the plants can become too thick and choke themselves out. Contact a wildlife biologist for suggestions on the best mixture and planting rate for your habitat project. The correct seeding rate should always be made based on the number of PLS seeds per square foot in a planting and not the pounds of seed being planted per acre.

6. Weed Control in Your New Planting. In many cases, your grass and wildflower planting will not require significant weed control to become established. While the new planting will certainly contain weeds and may look unsightly at first, this is also some of the most productive wildlife habitat you’ll have. By resisting the urge to mow or spray your new planting, you can provide great wildlife habitat while the stand becomes established and have a great looking stand after 2 to 4 years. In areas of the country with higher annual precipitation rates (>30” per year), competition from other grasses may require the need to mow or spray with chemicals during the year of establishment.

7. Future Management. Where wildlife habitat is concerned, you never will be able to plant something, walk away for years and expect it to still be great habitat. If you want to produce more wildlife, you need to be managing your planting every 3 to 5 years. There are many conservation programs that can help you manage your grasslands for wildlife. Contact a Wildlife Biologist for assistance; we can help guide you through the maze of conservation programs and available assistance for landowners.

8. Planting Depth. If you are using a no-till grass drill to plant your grass mixtures, make sure that planting depth is considered. The goal should be to place the seed in the ground no deeper than a Ľ”. Seed that is planted deeper than ˝” will have reduced germination and may lead to stand establishment failure. If you are drilling grass seed into crop stubble such as corn, beans or milo, your goal should be to plant the seed so shallow that you see about 25% of the seed on the top of the ground when you are finished planting! Planting too shallow is rarely a problem, planting the seed too deep is always a problem.

9. When to Plant: Fall vs. Spring. While many people feel that all grass planting should occur in the spring, another successful option is to plant grass in the fall in a dormant grass seeding. A dormant grass seeding occurs when seeds are planted after the first hard freeze (around November 1st in most areas of the country) and before the ground freezes. Dormant grass seedings have the advantage of being able to perform field work when conditions are drier and no-till drills are more available for use. In addition, the freezing and thawing action of winter can speed germination of some wildflower seeds that have a hard seed coat and dormancy. When planting in the spring, available moisture in the summer months will be the greatest factor determining your success. For areas of the country with less than 30” of annual precipitation, planting grasses by April 30th is generally advised. Areas of the country with greater amounts of precipitation can extend their spring planting dates to about June 1st.

Switchgrass- a native, perennial, warm-season, sod-forming tall grass with vigorous roots, which reproduces from underground stems and seed. This grass is found growing throughout the bluestem belt of the eastern and central Great Plains and on certain prairie sites in other parts of the United States. Switchgrass is best adapted to lower areas of moist soils, but is winter-hardy and drouth-resistant, thus found growing under a wide range of soils and climatic conditions. Switchgrass is very nutritious and readily eaten by all classes of livestock, either as green forage or in prairie hay. It is usually seeded in mixtures with bluestems, Indiangrass and sideoats grama. Best seedling stands have been obtained where plantings were made on a clean, firm well-prepared seedbed. Two distinct strains are recognized -- the upland and the bottomland. The bottomland strain has a much coarser stem and is from 1 to 3 feet taller than the upland strain and is less desirable for grazing and hay. Blackwell, a new and improved variety, yields excellent forage and shows considerable resistance to stem rust, a disease that is injurious to most native switchgrass plants.

Indiangrass - is a native, perennial, warm-season tall grass which reproduces from seed and short, scaly underground stems. The beautiful golden plume-like seed heads, 4 to 12 inches long, are on stems from 4 to 8 feet tall. Indiangrass is found growing throughout the bluestem belt of the United States and is one of the most important tall grasses. It is very nutritious and readily eaten by all classes of livestock, either as green forage or dry prairie hay. This high producing tall grass is a decreaser on bluestem ranges when continually grazed shorter than 5 to 8 inches during the growing season, and is replaced by less productive plants. It is easily established from seed and is being planted more each year in pure stands. The vigorous seedlings endure a wider range of extremes as regards to drouth than most lowland species. This probably explains, in part, the habit if this grass of readily invading disturbed sites throughout the prairie. This important tall grass responds to nitrogen fertilizer with increased seed and forage production.

Big Bluestem - is a native, warm-season, perennial, tall grass with short scaly underground stems and roots that saturate the top two feet of soil and may reach depths up to twelve feet. It begins growth in early April and seed stalks 3 to 8 feet tall appear from late August to October. The grass is sometimes called "turkey foot" bluestem because the seed head usually branches into three parts resembling a turkey's foot. Big bluestem is found in valley bottomland sites almost to the Rocky Mountains. It grows on most all the better soils in the true prairie belt, especially in the eastern half of Oklahoma and the Flint Hills of Kansas. Few, if any, of the prairie grasses can equal big bluestem in quality or quantity of forage produced. It is relished by livestock and usually eaten in preference to other grasses in the mixture. If big bluestem is never grazed shorter than 6 to 8 inches during the growing season, enough green leaves are left to promote fast regrowth and the dead leaves will soon form a good protective layer of litter on the ground. When continually grazed closer than 6 to 8 inches during the growing season it decreases and is replaced by less productive plants.

Sideoats Grama - is a native, warm season, perennial, mid grass with short scaly underground stems. Growth begins in early April and the seed stalks which appear from July to September are from 18 to 36 inches in height. The small oatlike seeds hang down uniformly on one side of the seed stem as indicated by the name "sideoats". Leaf blades are flat with hairs and bumps along the edges. When dry , the lower leaves of this grass are usually curled and whitish in color. Sideoats is the most widely distributed of th gama grasses and is found throughout the United States. It grows on well drained uplands, shallow ridges, and rocky areas, and is also found on soils ranging from deep to very shallow. It produces high qualiry, nutritious, green forage that is readily eaten by all classes of livestock. Sideoats will increase and tend to replace taller grases on ranges that abused. It will also gradually decrease if continually grazed closer thn 2 to 3 inches during the growing season. Sideoats is a good producer and can be harvested with a small grain combine. The combined seed has been sucessfully planted in pure stands and mixtures with other adopted seed on thousands of acres of formerly cultivated land. A seeding rate of 15 to 25 pounds per acre is reccomended. The desirable seed rate depends on the quality of seed and upon the other grasses used in the mixture. Seedling vigor of sideoats is good, and failure to obtain a satisfactory stand seldom occurs if a minimum of care is used in seed bed preparation and seeding. This grass is considered excellent for conservation use and responds to nitrogen fertilizer for increased seed and forage production.

Eastern Gamma Grass - is a native, warm-season, perennial, tall grass that grows in large clumps from 1 to 4 feet in diameter. It spreads by thick (1/2 to 1 inch) knotty, short jointed rhizomes and produces seed from July to September on stems 3 to 9 feet tall. This "granddad" of the grasses is found throughout the eastern half of the United States and extends west on favorable sites to Colorado. It grows on a variety of soils in low areas where additional run-in water and deeper soils favor its development. This grass grows in pure stands in lowlands where it is usually bordered on one side by sloughgrass and on the other side by switchgrass. On wet, deep prairie meadows it is associated with big bluestem. Eastern gammagrass is palatable, nutritious and readily eaten by all classes of livestock. Cattle particularly like this grass and it has been killed out by close grazing on most ranges. This tall, leafy grass produces a tremendous volume of forage and is probably our most productive hay grass. The addition of nitrogen fertilizer will increase forage production on the good sites.

Little Bluestem - This native grass provides nutritious grazing during the growing season and has been used for hay since the first days of settlement. Cattle have for many years been shipped from the south to the southwest to fatten on the little bluestem ranges in the Kansas Flint Hills and the Osage Hills of Oklahoma. Little bluestem produces 3/4 to 2 tons of forage per acre and makes good winter grazing when supplemented with protein and minerals. When little bluestem is continually grazed closer than 4 to 6 inches during the growing season, it is finally killed out and replaced by less productive plants.

Virginia Wildrye - is a native, cool season, perennial, bunchgrass which reproduces by tillering and seed. It reaches a height of 2 to 3 feet, differing from Canada wildrye in being shorter, with seed heads, that remain straight and upright after maturity, and with much shorter awns. This winter-hardy native grass will grow in more dense shade and seems to prefer a heavier more fertile soil than Canada wildrye. On the other hand, Virginia wildrye requires more moisture for its growth , and is more frequently found in moist lowland areas. It is very palatable, nutritious and eaten by all classes of livestock. A good forage and hay producer, however, it should be harvested early since mature plants are tough and often infested with egort. This grass decreases in rangeland that is overstocked, or over used, and must be properly managed to maintain a stand. Virginia wildrye can be seeded in mixtures with warm-season native grasses, or in pure stands in early fall for winter pasture. Can be harvesrted with suitable combine.

Redtop - is a long-lived perennial grass which grows to a height of 3 feet. Its root system is made up of shallow, vigorous rootstalks - 2 to 6 inches long - that form a loose, coarse turf. It has a creeping habit of growth which enables an isolated plant to spread vegetatively to a diameter of 3 feet. A native of the Old World, it is found growing over most of Europe, Asia, and the western parts of Africa. The first record of its cultivation in the United States was in 1807. No other grass is adapted to such a wide range of climatic and soil conditions. It is one of the best wetland tame grasses. It will remain under water for short periods without damage, yet it adapts to dry conditions on acid or alkaline soils. It is used in pasture mixture, under humid conditions, as a soil binder along waterways and as a winter lawn grass in the southeast. Redtop ranks among the lowest of the standard northern pasture grasses in palatability; however, it is valued in pasture mixtures.

Birdsfoot Trefoil - is a leafy, fine-stemmed, warm-season, perennial legume. Its upper right or spreading stems, 20 to 40 inches in length, grow from a single crown. The slender, spreading pods, about an inch long resemble several toes of a bird's foot. This has given rise to the common name. As the pods mature and become dry, they split and the halves twist to scatter the greenish-brown seeds. Birdsfoot Trefoil is native to the Old World. The date of its introduction into the United States is not known, but within the last century it has attracted considerable attention. Birdsfoot Trefoil will grow under a variety of soil conditions; it is drouth resistant and salt tolerant. As with other legumes, this plant will produce optimum yields on fertile soils. This legume is used for pasture, hay, and as a soil conserving plant. It is well suited to use as a permanent pasture legume both alone or in mixtures and produces nutritious, palatable forage. Birdsfoot Trefoil is of special value because it produces succulent non-bloating forage in late summer and will grow in situations where alfalfa and clovers cannot be grown to advantage.

Showy Partidgepea - is a native, warm-season, annual legume that reproduces by seed. Showy Partridgepea is common on sandy loam soils of the central and eastern United States from Massachusetts to Florida west to South Dakota and New Mexico. It normally grows in dense stands on old fields or disturbed areas but occurs as scattered plants where the grass stand is open enough for invasion. This annual legume is nutritious and readily eaten by livestock, but because it is a summer annual it is seldom present on well managed ranges. However, it is used in the southeast as a soil builder on cropland and for wildlife food. In Georgia and Florida it is considered an important honey plant, often occurring on areas where few other plants are found and provides nectar in late midsummer before autumn flowers bloom. When ripe the pods split open with explosive force, throwing the seed several feet from the plant. This legume offers possibilities for cropland improvement, wildlife food and cover.

Lespedeza - is a slender, much-branched, leafy, summer annual legume which grows to a height of 4 to 24 inches. The genus Lespedeza includes about 125 species; of these, only two are annuals-- common (striate) and Korean. KOREAN LESPEDEZA is a larger, coarser, earlier maturing plant; it has broader and larger stipules (bracts) at the base of the leaves than common lespedeza. At maturity, the leaves of Korean turn forward so that the tips of the branches resemble small cones. Lespedeza was introduced into the United States from Japan in 1846; Korean lespedeza was introduced in 1919 from Korea. The annual lespedezas are well adapted to the eastern half of the United States. They are of major importance as a crop for midsummer and late summer grazing, for soil improvement, and for hay and seed. Lespedeza will grow on most types of soil, it responds to lime and fertilizer applications. The introduction of Korean and KOBE --a variety of common-- and the development of varieties of Korean have extended the lespedeza region north and west. SERICEA LESPEDEZA, L. CUNEATA a vigorous growing, branching perennial of commercial importance, is used as a forage crop in the south central part of the lespedeza area.