Hello all!

Does anyone have any suggestions for grass species that can
effectively out-compete cheatgrass (bromus tectorum)?

Here's my story: I moved onto an old farmstead about 6 years ago. The
"lawn" and surrounding several acres with outbuildings were infested
with broadleaf weeds—mostly kochia and Russian thistle. I've
controlled these and replanted much of this area with native
grasses—mostly buffalograss, blue grama, western wheatgrass and
intermediate wheatgrass. Unfortunately, cheatgrass continues to be a
problem for my natives. They simply can't compete with it. Cheat
starts growing in the fall, and greens up earlier in the spring,
taking the water from nearby natives. Each year the cheat seems to
expand its "range" at the expense of the natives. The wheatgrasses
don't do too bad, but the intermediate wheatgrass is a bunchgrass and
doesn't expand too rapidly, and the cheat just moves in between the
bunches. The western wheat has been slow to expand, and by the time
it does, the cheat has occupied all the areas around it.

I've tried several methods of controlling the cheat—controlled burns,
round-up in the fall/spring and repeated tilling (to encourage
germination, and then kill the seedlings, then repeat), but ultimately
the cheatgrass returns.

So now I'm thinking that I'm ultimately fighting a losing battle
hoping to outcompete cheatgrass with native grasses, and whether there
are non-natives I should consider that would require little care
(watering, fertilizing, etc.)—the main reason I planted natives in the
first place. Smooth brome comes to mind, but I was hoping I might get
some ideas from others who have faced this problem.

My location is western Nebraska—sunny, warm, windy in summer, can be
very cold in winter. Soil is sandy loam alluvial. Precipitation is
around 15"/year.

Thanks so much for any ideas!!!

"coyotefred" wrote in message
om...
Hello all!

Does anyone have any suggestions for grass species that can
effectively out-compete cheatgrass (bromus tectorum)?

Though not a native and somewhat coarse, Nordan Crested Wheatgrass often works well in the conditions
you describe.


--
Bob Weinberger - La Grande, OR

Remove "invalid" and place a dot between bobs and stuff to reply email

In article , Bob Weinberger
wrote:

"coyotefred" wrote in message
om...
Hello all!

Does anyone have any suggestions for grass species that can
effectively out-compete cheatgrass (bromus tectorum)?

Though not a native and somewhat coarse, Nordan Crested Wheatgrass often
works well in the conditions
you describe.

And then what?

I've also tried early burns -- but it has to be before the cheat seed
is viable. I tried this slightly too late on a mountain site in N. Ca.
coast range (on a very damp evening with a rain front coming in across
the valley toward me).

Watching a slow fire work across a field infested with cheatgrass is an
astonishing experience -- the flame is almost invisible in the dry
cheat, but it crackles fiercely. Behind the advancing line of flame is
a smooth, soot-blackened surface -- covered with small, green
cheatgrass seeds.

I could almost hear them saying "Oh, THANK YOU."

Now Im trying "flame weeding" -- big propane torch ("Red Dragon" brand)
early enough, if I can manage to get there at the right time, so when I
wave it across the cheat it puffs steam, turns brilliant green as the
cells break open -- and in a few hours, falls over. But it's got to be
early, early, early.

Now, about Nordan Crested Wheatgrass -- what eats it? What happens if
it does outcompete cheat? What does it do versus later native
perennials on the same soil, does it leave enough moisture for them?

"hank roberts" wrote in message
...
snip
Now, about Nordan Crested Wheatgrass -- what eats it? What happens if
it does outcompete cheat? What does it do versus later native
perennials on the same soil, does it leave enough moisture for them?

Cattle will readily eat Nordan Crested Wheatgrass (moderate to good palatability thru the growing
season) if it is not allowed to get too rank; i.e. it must be kept moderately grazed. If it is allowed
to go ungrazed too long cattle will avoid the coarse dry residual, and the best solution is to graze
it heavily in the fall or winter - after the coarse dried material has been softened by rain & snow-
so that it comes back nice and lush in the spring. This needs to be taken into account when designing
rest-rotation grazing plans for pastures that contain crested wheatgrass seedings.

I don't know if it's still the case, but for many years either Nordan or Fairway Crested Wheatgrass
was the grass of choice to revegetate large intense range fire areas or areas that were being
reclaimed from heavy stands of sagebrush or juniper on BLM, USFS and private land in Nevada, Idaho,
and Eastern Oregon & Washington, among others. Many huge seedings of these species -even those done
in the 60's - are still very productive. From the description given of the conditions, it should also
do well in the area of Nebraska coyotefred is dealing with.

It does quite well in competing with cheatgrass, but also is quite competitive with native
bunchgrasses. Under moderately heavy to very heavy grazing, it will crowd out some of the more
palatable native bunch grasses such as Idaho Fescue and Smooth Brome, but native wheatgrasses such as
Intermediate, Bluebunch, and Pubescent will usually hold their own.

I personally prefer to see rangeland restored with native species. I simply put forth one possible
solution to coyotefred's problem.


--
Bob Weinberger - La Grande, OR

Remove "invalid" and place a dot between bobs and stuff to reply email

I could almost hear them saying "Oh, THANK YOU."

And what would it say if you gave it a dose of Roundup?

Bob