Question about weeds in Praire field

22 years ago

My 6 acre praire is into its fourth summer. Every year it seams a different weed takes over the field. The first year the field was covered with giant ragweed. The second year it was covered with red and white clover. Last year all I could see was thistles. Now this summer the entire field is covered in Canadian goldenrod.

I haven't burned it yet and am thinking about burning in November. Will burning get rid of allot of the unwanted weeds? My prairie is in a crp program so I have to follow the required mowing times. Will the big and little blue prairie grass which is doing well finally push allot of these weeds out? What else can I do to suppress the weeds?

If I use something like weed-be-gone will it harm the prairie grass? Thanks for any info.

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Comments (5)

froggy
22 years ago
hey Randy,

what county are u in?

certainly the NRCS guy/gal will go out there to check it out.

and ur prairie sounds like its doing what alot of prairies start out like. 1st yr = ragweed = annual. 2nd yr = clovers from seedbank or existing that bairly grew the first year after prepwork but u didnt see them cuz they put on roots and hardly any shoots. 3rd yr comes back of the perenials that u didnt get with ur prepwork and then comes the tall and strong can. goldenrod that shades out the weak clovers and annuals.

as to helping u out, i think i will let the NRCS ppl do what they feel. its kinda theirs now that u have a contract and who am i to get into the way of the us gov. after u talk to them and they give u the ok to do some kinda of specialized weed management, let me know and we can talk then.

gl

froggy
joepyeweed
22 years ago
you definitely need to burn - work with your NRCS office - they will have contacts on who to work with to get your area burned. what area of WI are you in? you may be able to contact a local pheasants forever habitat specialist to assess your weed control and help you burn your prairie... once it gets established an occaisional burn is the only thing you will need to do - i believe a burn will suffice for the CRP program in lieu of mowing (of course check with NRCS first) ... unfortunately burning isnt going to inhibit goldenrod but it does inhibit other weeds and stimulates the bluestems and other grasses and flowers which will fill in thus making it harder for the weeds to grow. mowing until then helps keep weeds from going to seed ... check out the results the following year after a burn and then look at other options like 24D or roundup selected areas only if the burning is not effective.

and yes - its very typical to notice the cyclacle pattern of your weed development... each year a different species is more prevelant than the previous year - very common situation...
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John_Blakeman
22 years ago
The best way to control the large goldenrods (Canada and tall goldenrod) is to mow off the entire prairie at about 4-6 inches once in late June or July. This single mowing really stresses the goldenrod, which grows quickly in May and June on carbohydrates stored in the roots. By mowing after the plants first get to three or four feet in early to mid summer, the goldenrods don't have much energy left to grow back. The prairie plants can easily withstand this mowing, as they are adapted to being grazed off.

But CRP regs may intervene in this important management technique. Mowing in August or September or later will have no effect. The plant will have already stored plenty of carbohydrates in its roots for regrowth. Mow off the plant just after it has used root reserves to get growing.
Paat
22 years ago
We have 63 acres in CRP in SW Wisconsin for about 20 years. We are not allowed to mow before July 1st to protect nesting birds. We do mow to control weeds. Thistle was quite bad for a few years but is under control now, so the mowing does have a positive effect over time. We have never burned. Goldenrod is our biggest problem now in areas where we have planted trees. It is a perennial plant with rhizomonous root growth so mowing does not seem as effective. The solution is herbicide, or plow and replant, but when you have a contract you have to follow their rules. They should have some suggestions for you and often will subsidize, or cost share. Depends on your contract.
joepyeweed
22 years ago
i thought plowing worsens goldenrod because it is rhizmatous and cutting the roots can double the plants...?
i understand that goldenrod is probably one of the hardest to control in an established planting because - it is native and the things we do to stimulate native growth also stimulates goldenrod... what mix was your CRP planted in... some of the older crp plantings were not native grasses and wildflowers. if you have never burned you may want to consider it - burning really does stimulate the bluestem which is the best competition to help control the goldenrod ... you will never be rid of goldenrod,which is fine - but you also dont want a whole field of it.
my brother is the habitat specialist for pheasants forever in southwest wisconsin... he works with property owners who have CRP and coordinates with the NRCS to help manage native plantings to enhance wildlife ... he may be able to help you set up a burn or get a one time variance on a contract to do an early mow to control a specific aggressive species...