Native Willamette Valley Oak Habitat

And

Prairie Restoration

Site-Preparation And Seeding Information Sheet

Prepared by Lynda Boyer

Restoration Biologist and Native Seed Manager

Heritage Seedlings Inc.

www.heritageseedlings.com

September 29, 2004 (updated August 26, 2005)

Note: These are techniques that I, personally, have tried. For a full list of a variety of site prep and seedling techniques, please see the first reference at the end under “Additional Resources” in Appendix A.

Grassland Site-Preparation: Define Your Starting Conditions

1) Remnant prairie with a good native component

2) Meadow with a good native component

3) Meadow with only a few natives

4) Uncultivated old fields and pasture with no natives

5) Cultivated agricultural field

6) Highly disturbed (excavation, logging etc)

7) Steep areas where erosion is a concern

(1 or 2)You need to tiptoe around the natives and only use herbicide in weedy areas with few or no natives. These areas can be planted with plugs of native plants in the fall, or seeded if the area is free of major weeds. In the native rich areas, you can spot-spray weeds or use mechanical control methods such as weed-eaters, pruners or hand-pulling.

(3) You must decide if it's OK to lose the few native species you have and then try to reestablish them from seed. For example, many of our old fields have yarrow and buttercup but little else; since these species are commercially available, you can focus your efforts on preparing a site substantially reduced of weeds, and re-seed them.

(4 and 5) Use herbicide (glyphosate) for AT LEAST two seasons to kill existing vegetation. This should be applied as soon as you can get into the site. Suggested rate is 1 – 1.5% glyphosate and 0.25-0.5% surfactant. Herbicide should be applied fall, early spring, summer, and fall at a MINIMUM. Please, no tilling! Many grasses will be killed in one season; however, many of our deep-rooted or rhizomatous forbs such as Queen Anne’s lace, perennial vetch, St. John’s-wort, and clover take more than one season to control. In addition, hard-seeded species and annuals such as crane’s bill, mustard, and speedwell will take advantage of the newly opened space and become flush the second season. Timing of the herbicide application is crucial. It is desirable to eliminate each suite of weeds prior to flowering.

Note: Cultivation is not necessary in the age of no-till drills. Tilling only brings weed seed continually to the surface and you will NEVER, EVER, EVER, exhaust the weed seed that has built up in the soil for generations.

A recent Restoration site-preparation forum hosted by the Lane Council of Governments and attended by restorationists, researchers, water and soil scientists, and farmers concluded that the best way to prepare a pasture or agricultural field for native prairie seed reintroduction is herbicide application for at least two years without cultivation. Or, if you must till, do it ONLY ONCE and start the herbicide regime. If baresoil is a concern, plant a cereal cover crop such as wheat, oats, or barley in September to control erosion and suppress weeds. According to The Oregon State Extension Service (see Appendix A Below) cover crops “protect the soil surface, smother weeds, ….and scavenge nitrogen from the soil before it is leached below the root zone by winter rains”.

It is important to look at each site realistically and realize the weed seed bank is bigger than you are and that it will never be exhausted. The seed drill will invariably dredge up weed seed no matter how “clean” it may seem post-herbicide application. In uncultivated old fields and pasture, aggressive, non-native grasses such as bentgrass, tall oatgrass, and velvetgrass can be the long-term competitive issue for successful native plant reestablishment. In cultivated fields, the long-term issue is often broadleaf weeds. (See Seeding Options below for herbicide strategies depending on existing vegetation).

Many native species (both grasses and forbs) are very slow to establish. They need a site free of other vegetation in order to germinate unimpeded and to mature. Most bunchgrasses and perennial forbs grow slowly and don't set seed until their second season (some forbs not until the third.) They are also poor competitors. Once the prairie is established, it is critically important to burn the site every 3 – 5 years. If you can't burn, mow. Burning, however, is the most effective tool to maintain native prairie. Willamette Valley Prairie species evolved with fire. Fire reduces the competition from thatch and woody species and stimulates the root crowns of the native grasses and forbs. Burning may also discourage the non-native grasses and forbs that did not evolve with fire. Burning every year is not recommended because it increases the abundance of weedy annual species and noxious thistles. It may also be necessary to continually augment the area with new native seed and/or plants after burning or mowing to try and tip the balance to a sustainable native stand.

During the first growing season, it may be necessary to spot treating noxious weeds with herbicide or hand-pulling. It is more advantageous to target perennial broadleaf weeds such as St. John’s wort, tansy ragwort, clover, and perennial grasses. Annual weeds will not persist in great numbers once the native perennials have established during the second and third growing season.

(6) If the site has been disturbed by earthmoving it is absolutely essential to not let it lay fallow during the winter. Both erosion concerns and the tendency of weeds to occupy bare soil emphasize the need to sow something on the site as soon as possible. If the desire is to re-vegetate the site with native plant species, try to allow any weed seeds that might be present to germinate and then spray them with glyphosate. Species to be sown should be fall and/or winter germinating grasses and forbs that compete well with non-native species. This ensures that they 1) establish prior to erosion problems; 2) they occupy the spot before fall and winter weeds establish; and 3) they can compete with any non-native species that may still be present on the site. For suggested species, see option 3 below.

(7) Since native species are extremely small, even those that germinate in the fall or winter, it might be advantageous on erodable sites to first sow a nurse crop of a spring cereal grain. Sow the spring grain early so it will winter kill, then oversow the area in October with the native seed crop. The native grasses sown should only be low bunchgrasses that do not flower the first year (Roemer’s fescue, Koeleria macrantha, Poa secunda, Danthonia californica) so the barley can be mowed at a height of 6-8 inches. The grain can be drilled at a moderate rate and, perhaps, on wider spacing than the native seed. This should ensure little competition from the nurse crop. Barley has been recommended due to its lack of regrowth if mowed. This would be necessary if the barley does not winter kill. Mowing when the barley is just starting to flower will also reduce the chance of regrowth.

Native Seeding: Options

If the site is clean of weedy grasses but non-native forbs are still a problem (common in cultivated agricultural fields), seed grasses only the first year, then overseed with native forbs. This will allow additional growing seasons where a broadleaf herbicide can be applied. Some herbicides, such as 2,4-D, are only completely effective on a relatively small group of weeds. Thus, it is advisable to use a wider spectrum herbicide (see Appendix B for suggestions).

If the site is clean of weedy forbs but non-native grasses are still a problem (common in old fields, meadows, and pasture), seed native forbs only the first year, then overseed with native grasses. This will allow additional growing seasons where grass-specific herbicides such as Poast® or Envoy® can be applied.

After the first stand is established, burning or mowing the site prior to the second native seed application is a good method for opening up the site. For drilled seed, the suggested sowing rate is 7 – 9 lbs/acre for grasses and 4-5 lbs/acre for forbs. For seed that is broadcasted or hydroseeded this rate should be doubled (this allows for seed predation, and loss due to erosion, desiccation, and poor soil contact). Seed size should be taken into consideration with higher rates used for large seeds and lower rates for small seeds. Seed mixes can be calculated to take into account the seeds/lb of species desired. Drill seed to a maximum depth of ¼”. Mulching is not recommended for drilled seed due the necessity of light for most native prairie species to germinate. For broadcast seed, light mulch may be applied but it must be weed free!

Native bunchgrasses can be sown as a mix with the majority of the mix (85%) comprised of slower growing bunchgrasses: Festuca roemeri (Roemer’s fescue), Poa secunda/scabrella (pine bluegrass), and Koeleria macrantha (prairie junegrass); 10-15% of mix the quickly establishing species Elymus trachycaulus (slender wheatgrass) and Elymus glaucus (blue wildrye). If the most aggressive native grass, Bromus carinatus (California brome) is used, it should be no more than 2-5% of a mix.
Danthonia californica (California oatgrass) should be planted in mono-culture plots. This grass does not germinate until early March and may not be able to germinate well if sown with the grasses listed in part “a” which germinate in fall. This also allows an additional application of glyphosate mid-winter. If erosion is a concern, it can be sown with a SMALL amount of Deschampsia elongata (slender hairgrass) which germinates in the fall but is not very aggressive. Suggested sowing rate for Danthonica californica is 5-7 lbs/acre. It is important to note that California oatgrass is very small the first growing season (3-5 blades) so it leaves a lot of room for weedy species. The tufts will get larger the following year - about 1 ft in diameter.
Forb mixes (see Table 1) should have no more that 10 species, with annuals comprising 25% of the mix and perennials comprising 75%. This increases the chance of successful establishment of each species. Establishing the perennial forb species while the soil is bare gives a greater chance of long-term persistence as the grass starts to dominate the site. The annuals will drop out in significant numbers by the second year, but periodic disturbance by burning or mowing will re-open the site to the annuals. A variety of mixes can be applied to a site by designating plots. This patchwork approach will give the site a more “natural” look over time. In our current restoration project, the most successful forb species by the second season have been 4 species that spread via rootstock, Sidalcea sp (checkermallow), Prunella vulgaris var. lanceolata (self-heal), Achillea millefolium (yarrow) and Eriophyllum lanatum (Oregon sunshine). Other perennials such as Lomatium dissectum (fern-leaved lomatium) and Lupinus albicaulus (sickle-keeled lupine) are still small the second season but it is expected they will be more robust by the third.
Many annual species are great nectar and seed sources for birds and butterflies. Since they become reduced by perennial dominance by the second season, sowing a border area with a mix of annual forbs and no grass, will allow the populations of these species to be maintained on the site and add additional color and habitat value to the restoration area.

If the site is very clean you can apply grasses and forbs at the same time (this only occurs when the top layer of weed seed has been exhausted – for example, by solarization). If you have access to a seed drill, one option is to drill grasses in one direction and forbs perpendicular to the grasses. However, this disturbs the ground twice and may intensify the weed issue. Another option is to drill the grasses and broadcast the forbs using a hand-crank spreader, a large spinner-spreader pulled by an ATV or tractor, or by hand. This ensures the forbs (especially those that do not germinate until spring) do not compete with the grasses and that all the space between drill lines is occupied. If the latter option is chosen, the forbs must be sown at a much higher rate which could increase the cost of the project. If no drill is available, broadcast seeding everything together is still effective (see #1 for sowing rate suggestions.) For ease and uniformity of application, (both drill and broadcast), seed should be mixed with a cutting agent. Medium-grade vermiculite (available from nursery supply stores) or sifted, moist sawdust works well. Rice hulls or crushed hazelnut shells have also been suggested.
If the site is in poor condition or has been disturbed you can sow species that germinate quickly and are good competitors. Elymus glaucus, Elymus trachycaulus (90% of grass mix) and Bromus carinatus (10% of grass mix) germinate quickly and are robust the first year. The following forbs germinate in the fall and early winter: Perennials Achillea millefolium, Lomatium utriculatum, Lupinus albicaulus, Prunella vulgaris var. lanceolata and Rannunculus occidentalis (75% of forb mix) and annuals Clarkia amoena, Clarkia purpurea, Collomia grandiflora, Gilia capitata, Lotus unifoliolatus, Madia gracilis, and Sanguisorba occidentalis (25% of forb mix.)

TABLE 1 – Willamette Valley Native Wetland and Upland Prairie Species

wp = wet prairie; up = upland prairie; w = woodland

Species	Annual or Perennial	Common Name
Grasses, Sedges, Rushes
Carex tumulicola (up)	P	Foothill sedge
Danthonia californica (up, wp)	P	California oatgrass
Deschampsia cespitosa (wp)	P	Tufted hairgrass
Elymus glaucus (up, wp)	P	Blue wildrye
Elymus trachycaulus (Agropyron caninum) (up)	P	Slender wheatgrass
Festuca californica (w, up)	P	California fescue
Festuca roemeri (up)	P	Roemer’s fescue
Juncus tenuis (wp)	P	Slender rush
Koeleria macrantha (up)	P	Srairie junegrass
Luzula comosa (L. campestris) (up)	P	Woodrush
Poa secunda (P. scabrella) (up, wp)	P	Pine bluegrass
Forbs
Achillea millefolium (up, wp)	P	Yarrow
Agoseris grandiflora (up)	P	Large-flowered agoseris
Allium amplectens (wp)	P	Slim-leaf onion
Allium accuminatum	P	Taper-tip onion
Aquilegia formosa (up)	P	Columbine
Asclepia speciosus (up, wp)	P	Showy milkweed
Aster hallii (up, wp)	P	Hall's aster
Aster subspicatus (w)	P	Douglas' aster
Balsamorhiza deltoidea	P	Balsamroot
Brodieae coronaria (up, wp)	P	Harvest brodieae
Calochortus tolmiei	P	Cat’s ears
Camassia leichtlinii (up, wp)	P	Leichtlin's camas
Cammasia quamash (wp)	P	Common cammas
Castilleja tenuis (Orthocarpus hispidis) (wp)	A	Hairy Owl clover
Clarkia amoena (up, wp)	A	Farewell to spring
Clarkia purpurea ssp purpurea (up)	A	Purple godetia
Clarkia rhomboidea (up)	A	Rhombic-petaled clarkia
Collinsia grandiflora (up, wp)	A	Large-flowered blue-eyed mary
Collomia grandiflora (up)	A	Large-flowered collomia
Delphinium menziesii (up)	P	Menzie’s larkspur
Delphinium oreganum (up)	P	Willamette Valley larkspur
Dichelostemma congestum (Brodieae congesta) (up)	P	Ookow
Dodecatheon hendersonii (up, w)	P	Broad-leaved shooting star
Dodecatheon pulchellum (wp)	P	Few-flowered shooting star
Eriophyllum lanatum (up, wp)	P	Oregon sunshine
Erythronium oregonum (up)	P	Fawn lily
Geranium oreganum (up)	P	Oregon geranium
Gilia capitata (up)	A	Blue field gilia
Iris tenax (up)	P	Oregon iris
Ligusticum apiifolium (up)	P	Licorice root
Lomatium dissectum (up)	P	Fern-leaved lomatium/biscuit root
Lomatium nudicale (up)	P	Bare stem lomatium/biscuit root
Lomatium utriculatum (up)	P	Spring gold
Lotus micranthus (up)	A	Small-flowered deervetch
Lotus unifoliolatus (L. purshianus) (up, wp)	A	Spanish clover
Lupinus albicaulis (up)	P	Sickle-keeled lupine
Lupinus bicolor (up)	A	Small-flowered lupine
Lupinus polyphyllus (wp)	P	Large-leaf lupine
Madia elegans (up)	A	Showy tarweed
Madia gracilis (up)	A	Common / grassy tarweed
Perideridia oregana or P. gairdneri (up, wp)	P	Yampah
Potentilla glandulosa (up)	P	Slicky cinqufoil
Potentilla gracilis (up, wp)	P
Prunella vulgaris var. lanceolata (up, wp)	P	Self-heal
Psoralea physodes (up)	P	Scurf pea
Ranunculus occidentalis (up)	P	Western buttercup
Sanguisorba occidentalis (up, wp)	A	Western burnet
Sanicula bipinnatifida (up)	P	Purple sancicle
Sidalcea campestris (up)	P	Meadow checker mallow
Sidalcea malviflora ssp. virgata (up)	P	Rose checker mallow
Silene hookerii (up)	P	Hooker’s silene
Sisyrinchium angustifolium (wp)	P	Blue-eyed grass
Spiranthes romanzoffiana (up, wp)	P	Ladies’ tresses
Trifolium tridentatum (up)	A	Tomcat clover
Triteleia hyacinthina (Brodieae hyacinthina) (up, wp)	P	Hyacinth brodieae
Vicia americana (up)	P	American vetch
Viola adunca (up)	P	Early blue violet
Viola nuttallii var. praemorsa (up)	P	Yellow prairie violet
Wyethia angustifolia (up)	P	Mule’s ear
Zigadenus venenosus (up, wp)	P	Death camas

Oak Habitat – Site Preparation:

What Are Your Starting Conditions????

1) Mature oak woodland with conifers over-topping the oaks and young conifer and oak in the understory

2) Young oak in very thick stands

3) Invasive shrubs

4) Bare-ground after tree and shrub removal

5) Canadian thistle, knapweed, and biennial thistle infestations

6) Oak savanna (grassland with large, open-growth oaks spaced 2-5 trees/acre)

7) No/Few Oak

(1) Remove conifers by hand-cutting. Conifers that would harm oaks if felled can be limbed and topped to provide wildlife habitat. Also, some conifers can be partially limbed and left for replacement snags. Young, skinny oaks with no lower branches should be thinned. Retain any oaks that are in more open habitat and have developed lower branches. Woodland target density should be approximately 40 – 50 trees/acre.

Table 2 – Suggested Understory Vegetation for Oak Woodland

Species	Annual or Perennial	Common Name
Grasses & Sedges
Bromus sitchensis	P	Columbia brome
Bromus vulgaris	P	Sitka brome
Carex deweyana	P	Dewey’s sedge
Elymus glaucus	P	Blue wildrye
Festuca californica	P
Forbs
Aquilegia formosa	P	Columbine
Camassia leichlinii	P	Tall camas
Erythronium oregonum	P	Fawn lily
Geum macrophyllum	P	Large-leaved avens
Iris tenax	P	Oregon iris
Ligusticum apiifolium	P	Licorice root
Lomatium dissectum	P	Fern-leaved lomatium
Osmorhiza chilensis	P	Sweet cicely
Prunella vulgaris ssp. lanceolata	P	Self-heal
Rupertia physodes (Psoralea p)	P	Scurf pea
Sidalcea campestris	P	Meadow checkmallow
Tellima grandiflora	P	Fringe cup
Small Trees & Shrubs
Amelanchier alnifolia	P	Serviceberry
Corylus cornuta (var californica)	P	Western hazelnut
Holodiscus discolor	P	Ocean spray
Mahonia (berberis) aquifolium	P	Oregon grape
Oemleria cerasiformis	P	Oso berry or Indian plum
Ribes sanguineum	P	Red-flowering current
Rosa gymnocarpa	P	Baldhip rose
Symphoricarpos albus	P	White snowberry

(2) Remove the majority of the oaks so that grassland can be reestablished or enhanced. Retain oaks with lower branches and remove the others. The trees with lower branches will be able to mature into open-grown oaks with large crowns. These large branches will contain numerous microhabitats, will become draped with nutritious lichens, and produce abundant acorns. Target density should be 2 – 5 trees/acre. Hand-cutting is one option but there are low-impact (rubber-tracked) skid-steers available that can mechanically remove the trees and apply herbicide to the stump (oaks resprout). Since it is desirable to re-seed immediately after exposing bare soil (see #4 below), logging should be done just before spring rains stop or fall rains begin.

(3) Mow or hand-cut invasive shrubs such as Himalayan and evergreen blackberry, poison-oak (native but can become noxious if not controlled), Scotchbroom, English hawthorn, holly, and sweetbriar rose. Many rubber-tracked skid-steers have brushing mowers that can handle large areas of tall brush. Hawthorn will re-sprout so application of herbicide to the freshly cut stump is imperative. Poison oak and English ivy climbing trees can be cut from the trees using handsaws or a heavy jabbing tool with a sharp blade at the end to cut the weed’s roots near the base of the tree. English ivy growing on the ground can be hand-pulled or cut. However, it roots at the nodes so must be put onto plastic to dry and die. For long-term maintenance and control of brush, see #4 below.

(4) Bare soil is an open invitation to weeds (especially thistles) so it must be immediately seeded with aggressive native grasses such as Elymus trachycaulus and Elymus glaucus. They will germinate readily if sown while there is rain. This will also reestablish native grassland in these areas and allow for long-term shrub control by periodic fire. After seeding the grass, the broad-leaf weeds can be spot-sprayed until under control. Allow two years before burning the grasses to ensure hardiness of the crown. If burning is not an option, mowing is the best alternative. If the area is clean of invasive broadleaf species, sow native forbs after the burning or mowing treatment.

Note: Both of these grass species germinate really well on the residue left after a brush pile has been burned and ensure that weeds to not overtake the bare ground.

(5) Canadian thistle and knapweed are rhizomatous perennials and must not be pulled or tilled as a weed control method. The most effective method of control is to spot-spray the rosettes with a composite-specific herbicide (containing clopyralid) very early in the spring before the grass becomes too tall. Note: herbicides with clopyralid are long-lived in soil and compost so the chemical should only be applied to the target plant. Biennial thistles (bull, Italian, milk) can be treated with glyphosate in the rosette stage. If they are in the early flowering stage, it is best to treat them early with a general broadleaf herbicide, which will kill the plants more quickly, and before seed set.

(6) Work to improve the grassland for ground nesting species (see Conservation Strategy for Landbirds in Lowlands and Valleys of Western Oregon and Washington listed in Suggested References and the Grassland Section above). Retain some smaller oaks as replacement trees.

Note: Retain or plant some native shrubs where appropriate (ravines or around mature trees). Good wildlife shrub species are: Amelanchier alnifolia, Rhamnus purshianus, and Holodiscus bicolor. Non-native shrubs such as Himalayan /evergreen blackberry, English hawthorn, and scotch broom should be removed. Again, there are low-impact skid-steers available that can mow these species down. Re-growth of blackberry can be spot-sprayed with glyphosate in October. Spot spraying for three years has proven very effective. Regular maintenance of the site by burning or mowing should keep the shrubs in control.

(7) If you want to plant oak on your site AND want native grassland habitat, establish the prairie first (see above for suggested methods). When the grassland is established (in 2 – 3 years), mow or burn the site in the fall and plant oaks in clusters of 4 – 5 trees. Plant the clusters at a savanna density (2 – 5 clusters/acre). Oaks (and other native trees and shrubs) establish best when planted in the winter. Spring is often iffy due to unpredictable rainfall. When the oaks are 5-10 years old, the clusters can be thinned to ensure open-growth oaks are established at a savanna density.

APPENDIX A

Suggested Additional Resources

Ø Techniques for Restoring Native Plant Communities in Upland and Wetland Prairies in the Midwest and West Coast Regions of North America by Greg Fitzpatrick (TNC White Paper)

http://www.ci.eugene.or.us/parks/wetlands/pdfs/EPA-WhitePaperFinal.pdf

Ø Native Seed Network http:www.nativeseednetwork.org

Ø OSU Professor of Botany, Mark Wilson http://www.onid.orst.edu/~wilsomar/Index.htm

Ø The Institute for Applied Ecology http://www.appliedeco.org/

Ø Conservation Strategy for Landbirds in Lowlands and Valleys of Western Oregon and Washington – Partners In Fight

http://community.gorge.net/natres/pif/con_plans/west_low/west_low_plan.html

Ø Restoring Rare Native Habitats in the Willamette Valley by Bruce Campbell, ODFW.

http://www.biodiversitypartners.org/pubs/index.shtml

Ø A Landowner’s Guide for Restoring and Managing Oregon White Oak Habitats Oak ecology, site assessment, restoration planning/methods, controlling invasive species, wildlife enhancement. etc. by Dave Vesely and Gabe Tucker, Pacific Wildlife Research. Contact Connie Barnes for the book mailto:connie@irmforestry.com or order on-line at http://www.oregonoaks.org/

Ø Landowner Video Guide for Restoring and Managing Oregon White Oak Habitats (65 min) On-the ground coverage of habitat conditions, management opportunities, restoration projects, common landowner goals, controlling invasive species, etc. by Hugh Snook, BLM, and Barry Schreiber, Flora & Fauna Video Production. Available free at www.OR.BLM.gov/Salem

Ø R-J Consulting Services, LLC (contract brush and tree removal with low-impact skid steer). 541-967-9550 (home) 541-979-7282 (cell) mailto:rowen2378@juno.com

Ø Integrated Resource Management (contract brush and tree removal with low-impact skid steer and grant writing). 541-484-1217 mailto:darin@irmforestry.com

Ø USFW Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program http://partners.fws.gov/, Steve Smith, Willamette Valley Administrator 541-757-7236 mailto:Steve_Smith@fws.gov

Ø ODFW Landowners Incentive Program http://www.dfw.state.or.us/test/LIP/overview.html, Bruce Campbell, Willamette Valley Administrator 503-947-6099 mailto:Bruce.H.Campbell@DFW.STATE.OR.US

Ø OSU Extension Service, Private Landowner Workshops For Conservation and Restoration of Native Woodlands. Brad Withrow-Robinson 503-434-7517 brad.w-r@oregonstate.edu

Ø Cereal Grains as Cover Crops. OSU Extension Service http://eesc.orst.edu/agcomwebfile/edmat/html/EM/EM8692/EM8692.html

APPENDIX B

Target Chemicals for Weed Control

Seed Production and Restorations

Lots of Info on Web – Here are some I have found helpful

http://www.greensmiths.com/herbicides.htm

Overview of some chemicals for specific weeds

http://www.ipaw.org/herbicides.htm

http://grounds-mag.com/mag/grounds_maintenance_new_pest_controls/

Note this site says Envoy effective on perennial grasses! I found this to be true

http://grounds-mag.com/mag/grounds_maintenance_understand_mode_action/

How they work

http://stephenville.tamu.edu/~butler/foragesoftexas/weedcontrol/hermode.pdf

http://www.utextension.utk.edu/publications/pbfiles/PB1728_sec2.pdf

http://www.maltawildplants.com/ASTR/Docs/CNZBO/Weedchart.pdf

Weeds susceptible to various herbicides

My Experience

Note: Broadleaf (dicots) chemicals are safe for monocots (grasses, sedges, rushes, lilies, iris) EXCEPT WHEN FLOWERING (contorts seed heads and lowers yields)

Ø Glyphostate [short lived in soil]

o Everything! [However, spraying post pollination, they will set seed]

o Fall applied to blackberry 3-5 years, effective control

Ø Envoy (grass-specific)

o Works on all wide-leaf grasses (even perennials)

o Not on annual fescue, and red fescue (skinny leaves)

o Hit while young and growing (ineffective in flower)

o Safe for non-grass monocots (lilies, iris, sedges, rushes)

Ø 2,4,-D (broadleaf) [short-lived in soil]

o Good for: composites (thistles, dandelion ect), pearlwort, mustards, geraniums

o Not good for: clover, speedwell, chickweeds, miners lettuce, vetch

Ø Mecoprop “MCPP” (broadleaf) – Combined with MCPA and dicamba or MCPA and 2,4-DP [short lived in soil]

o Kills pretty much everything (not very effective on vetch)!

o Clover, speedwell (MCPA), chickweeds, burdock, bedstraw!

o Best to target prior to pollination or seed-set may still take place.

Ø Clopyralid and Triclopyr [long-lived in soil]

o Targets are composites (especially Canadian thistle) and legumes (great on clover)

o Spot-spray ONLY