florida native landscaping 3815/5815cirrecenvhort.ifas.ufl.edu/fnl/lectures/meadows/meadows.pdf ·...

Florida Native Landscaping 3815/5815C

Jeff Norcini

Establishment and Management of Meadow Plantings

Establishment / Management

• Meadows • Applicable to greenways, roadsides • Mini-‐meadows

Native Wildflower Meadow – Why?

• Aesthe<cs • Ecological benefits • Preference for na<ve species • Reduce management costs

Weed interference is usually the cause of wildflower stand failure

in Florida

Use Practices That:

è Favor na<ve wildflowers è Minimize weed interference

Mother Nature is

Obsessed with Coloniza<on

Disturbed Sites , Bare Soil

Establishment / Management

gFavors wildflowers gMinimizes weed interference

• Site selec<on • Species, seed origin • Site prepara<on • Sowing prac<ces • Management prac<ces

Site Selection

Select site where weed comp. unlikely* • Sparse to moderate bahiagrass • Sparse undesirable broadleaves

* seed bank

Seed Bank

Anne Frances. 2008. PhD Diss. Univ. of Florida

ASer bahiagrass compe<<on reduced, note increase in seedlings from seed bank

Site Selection

Avoid sites (or por<ons of sites) where: • Wildflowers will be outcompeted • Reducing compe<<on is too costly Exis<ng vegeta<on: • Category I invasive spp. / noxious spp. • Cyperus esculentus and Cyperus rotundus • Rubus spp.; Smilax spp.

Determine Species

• Soil type • Soil moisture • Ecoregion

Determine Amount of Seed Needed

• Seeding rate should be based on pure live seeds (PLS) • Rarely prac<ced however

• Sowing rate – usually bulk seed • Bulk = viable seed + nonviable seed + weed seed + leaves, etc.

Determine Amount of Seed Needed

•  50 lb bag; 90% pure by wt; 60% viable seed; PLS in bag = 27 lb

•  PLS sowing rate = 6 lb/acre 6 lb PLS x 50 lb bulk

27 lb viable = 11.1 lb bulk seed

•  To sow 6 lb PLS, need 11.1 bulk seed

Bulk Seed Rate

Can increase cost of seed (regionally-‐adapted, pre-‐variety germplasm is expensive) • Example – bulk rate spec. is 10 lb/A • PLS: Lot A – 60%; Lot B – 90% • Amount of PLS sown • May be excessive Lot A – 6 lb/A; Lot B – 9 lb/A

Coreopsis lanceolata

Frances et al. 2010. Restora<on Ecology 18:945-‐963.

Increasing PLS sowing rate increases number of seedlings/m2

but…..

Coreopsis lanceolata


….no benefit in terms of biomass when increasing rate from 600 to 1100 seed/m2

Optimal Seeding Rate Coreopsis lanceolata


No. of seedlings Seedling biomass

Optimal Seeding Rate

Microsites – Coreopsis lanceolata

Purchase Seed

Wildflower Seed and Plant Growers Assoc. (“Florida Wildflower Growers Co-‐op”)

FloridaWildflowers.com

Purchasing Seed

• Purchase by scien<fic name •  Inquire about germplasm origin

Important Seed Issues

• Germplasm origin • Gene<c diversity

These issues are discussed in detail in germplasm origin PowerPoint lecture.

Determine Sowing Date

Opinions vary widely; consensus is: • N Fla. Mid. Sep. to late Oct. (mid Nov.) • NC Fla. Mid-‐Oct. to mid-‐Dec. • C Fla. Mid-‐Oct. to Dec. (early Jan.) • S Fla. Nov. to Mid. Jan.

Spring generally not recommended (*Early bener than later; rain, soil temp.)

Seed sown 1st week of each month from July-‐Dec. 2002 Site prep: glyphosate 2X; mow

Seeding Date Demo

Coreopsis basalis *Good wildflower display *Best wildflower display

Sowing date

Seeding Date Demo

Apr. 30, 2003 ra<ng of wildflower stand appearance: *Good to excellent; **Best

Ave. no. plants per square foot – March 24, 2003

Sowing date -‐ 2002

C. basalis

C. basalis

C. leaven.

C. leaven.

G. pulch.

P. drum. R. hirta

JUL 4 12* 4 5* 8* 4* 1

AUG 2* 7** 4* 7** 4** 3** 6*

SEP 16** 21* 10** 10* 1* 7 27**

OCT 5* 20* 1 8 5* 4 17

NOV 2 6 1 10 5 1 20

DEC 2 2 3 3 2 1 5

Site Preparation

• No <ll methods • Nonselec<ve herbicides

• Bare soil • Minimize thatch/ clippings

Site Preparation

• 1 month before seeding – apply glyphosate 2X, 2 weeks apart Do not use glyphosate products that provide preemergent, residual, or extended weed control

Glyphosate Products

• Prepare herbicide solu<on the day of spraying, not the night before

• Apply to nonstressed vegeta<on • Apply early in morning aSer dew has dried

• “More” is not bener

Site Preparation

Soil-‐to-‐seed contact is cri<cal • 1 day before seeding – mow to leave stubble of ≤1 inch

• Eliminate thatch, clippings, but minimize soil disturbance

Site Preparation

Site Preparation

Soil-‐to-‐seed contact is cri<cal

• Ensure seed bed is firm, but not overly compact

• May need turf roller on sandy soils

Sowing Seed

1/8 inch deep

Sowing Seed

If seeding manually, ensure soil-‐to-‐seed contact

Seeding and Imazapic

• Where allowed, consider applying imazapic the day of seeding

•  Imazapic marketed as: • Plateau, Impose, Panoramic

• Do not exceed 4 oz rate •  Increase seeding rate 10-‐20%

Establishment Phase

• Mow in winter to control winter weeds • Use grass herbicides if needed (and if no na<ve grasses in seed mix) • Fluazifop, sethoxydim • Nonionic surfactant

• Do not fer<lize • Nutrients facilitate weed growth • Na<ves more compe<<ve under low fer<lity

Minimizing Weed Interference

Postemergent Grass Control Grass herbicides • Do not use products that provide preemergent, residual, or extended weed control

• Follow same applica<on guidelines as men<oned before for glyphosate

• Do not use if na<ve grasses present • Use nonionic surfactant


Postemergent Grass Control con6nued •  Grass herb. for wildflower plan<ngs •  Grass herbicides w/open-‐ended labels • Allows use on unlisted ornamental species but only at sites listed on label

• Must test on small por<on first • Applicator assumes all risk


Postemergent Grass Control con6nued Grass herbicides registered in Florida

FDACS hnp://www.flpes<cide.us/ hnp://state.ceris.purdue.edu/doc/fl/statefl.html

Optimal Establishment Protocol

• Select suitable site • Apply glyphosate • 2 applica<ons, 2 weeks apart • 1st applica<on ~4 weeks before seed

• Mow to leave 1” stubble • Ensure bare soil

Optimal Establishment Protocol

• Sow within 1 day of mowing • Use Florida-‐adapted germplasm • Sowing depth • Seed drill – 1/8 to 1/4” • Rotary spread – roll seed in

• Sept. to Dec. depending on region

Long-Term Management

• Mow at least 1X per year but no more then 3X should be necessary • 6 to 8” high • Last mowing aSer Thanksgiving

• Build up wildflowers in seed bank -‐ <me mowing to seed matura<on

• Use grass herbicides only as needed (but not if na<ve grasses in mix)

Seed Bank Sustainability


Build up of wildflower seed in soil seed bank; important for developing a sustainable popula<on

Evidence Supporting Protocol

Glyphosate Protocol

Seeded: October 2005; Image: April 11, 2007

Glyphosate/mow Mow only

Glyphosate Protocol

Glyphosate/mow Mow only

Alternative Establishment #1

• Situa<on: • Using glyphosate not possible or warranted AND

• Bahiagrass/other weeds are sparse • Mow bahiagrass low (w/flail mower if necessary)

• Sow seed with seed drill • Gaillardia, Phlox, some Coreopsis


Select a site with an exis<ng popula<on of na<ve wildflowers and/or grasses • Manage for the na<ve species • Enhance by seeding • Time mowing to seed matura<on • Once to twice per year; may be 3X

• Avoid sites with aggressive nonna<ves or, adjacent Cat. I invasive species


Select a site with exis<ng popula<on of na<ve wildflowers and/or grasses



Site managed to facilitate preserva<on and expansion of Flaveria linearis.(mowers excluded)

Disclaimer

The use of trade names in this document is solely for the purpose of providing specific informa<on. OecoHort, LLC does not guarantee or warranty the products named, and references to them in this document do not signify OecoHort’s approval to the exclusion of other products of suitable composi<on.

Read and follow all label direc?ons

Image Credits

• Dick Bush • Anne Frances •  Jeff Norcini

Na?ve Wildflower Library hnp://flawildflowers.org/library.php Founda?on Na?ve Flower Research hnp://flawildflowers.org/research.php

FlaWildflowers.org

florida native landscaping 3815/5815cirrecenvhort.ifas.ufl.edu/fnl/lectures/meadows/meadows.pdf ·...

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