Grasses native to Georgia

[Toliver]

As part of the land management I want to do with my property, opening up 1 acre areas to plant native grasses is one of them. I want grasses that will provide food for grazers and then seeds for birds. I'm sure insects will also take up residence to also be food. I also want grasses that will provide cover when it gets tall enough. I'm hoping to plant a variety that will mix well and provide a micro-habitat to enhance the wildlife that visits my property.

I have 32 acres that is currently mostly scrub trees that grew back naturally after the property was logged about 18-20 years ago. I know 32 acres isn't going to do a whole lot but I'm hoping they will just be nice looking areas that will enhance the esthetics of the property if nothing else.

Also part of my management plan is to kill sweetgums and privet as I can.

The plan is to grade out three 1 acre clearings and plant the native habitat and then just let nature do its thing.

I will do some other small openings and plant trees that will provide good food for deer and other critters.

Eventually there will be a 3-5 acre pasture but that will be planted in grass conducive to domestic livestock grazing.

Has anyone done anything like this that can share the types of grasses you planted, where you obtained the seeds and how well it worked both in terms growth and germination rates and habitat enhancement with what level wildlife usage increased, if any.

Thanks!

And if @C.Killmaster has any insight or advice that's always a bonus!

 

[sportsman94]

We got in the gopher tortoise program several years ago and part of that was putting 10% of the property in grasses and native plants. Here was a mix they approved. I can’t promise it’s all native, but it’s what they approved

 

[C.Killmaster]

As part of the land management I want to do with my property, opening up 1 acre areas to plant native grasses is one of them. I want grasses that will provide food for grazers and then seeds for birds. I'm sure insects will also take up residence to also be food. I also want grasses that will provide cover when it gets tall enough. I'm hoping to plant a variety that will mix well and provide a micro-habitat to enhance the wildlife that visits my property.

I have 32 acres that is currently mostly scrub trees that grew back naturally after the property was logged about 18-20 years ago. I know 32 acres isn't going to do a whole lot but I'm hoping they will just be nice looking areas that will enhance the esthetics of the property if nothing else.

Also part of my management plan is to kill sweetgums and privet as I can.

The plan is to grade out three 1 acre clearings and plant the native habitat and then just let nature do its thing.

I will do some other small openings and plant trees that will provide good food for deer and other critters.

Eventually there will be a 3-5 acre pasture but that will be planted in grass conducive to domestic livestock grazing.

Has anyone done anything like this that can share the types of grasses you planted, where you obtained the seeds and how well it worked both in terms growth and germination rates and habitat enhancement with what level wildlife usage increased, if any.

Thanks!

And if @C.Killmaster has any insight or advice that's always a bonus!

If you want native habitat there's really no need to plant anything. All the seeds you want are already in the soil, you just need to do a few key things to make sure the seeds you want will germinate rather than the noxious weeds you don't want.

-Do a soil test on the areas you want to grow native plants and lime and fertilize as if you were planting a legume like clover.
-If the area is currently covered in exotic pasture grasses like bermuda or fescue, spray them first or they will choke out the stuff you want.
-Disk the soil only between November and January, this is the time of year that the desirable seeds respond to soil disturbance. Spread the lime and fertilizer before you disk it.
-Maintain it by burning or lightly disking again every 2 to 3 years. Use roundup to spot spray any trees that come up. Learn what native plums look like, you'll want to leave them if they start growing though.

Grasses are great cover and provide seed for birds, but deer eat very little grass. You really want a good native broadleaf component (beggar weed, partridge pea, ragweed, lespedeza, blackberry, etc.)with any grasses to make it more beneficial for deer and turkeys. The method above will usually provide all of it.

 

[Nicodemus]

If you want native habitat there's really no need to plant anything. All the seeds you want are already in the soil, you just need to do a few key things to make sure the seeds you want will germinate rather than the noxious weeds you don't want.

-Do a soil test on the areas you want to grow native plants and lime and fertilize as if you were planting a legume like clover.
-If the area is currently covered in exotic pasture grasses like bermuda or fescue, spray them first or they will choke out the stuff you want.
-Disk the soil only between November and January, this is the time of year that the desirable seeds respond to soil disturbance. Spread the lime and fertilizer before you disk it.
-Maintain it by burning or lightly disking again every 2 to 3 years. Use roundup to spot spray any trees that come up. Learn what native plums look like, you'll want to leave them if they start growing though.

Grasses are great cover and provide seed for birds, but deer eat very little grass. You really want a good native broadleaf component (beggar weed, partridge pea, ragweed, lespedeza, blackberry, etc.)with any grasses to make it more beneficial for deer and turkeys. The method above will usually provide all of it.

This is the best advice I`ve ever seen put into print on this subject. Thank you for this info, Charlie.

 

[Toliver]

Yes, thank you. Right now there's no grass to speak of that'll have to be dealt with. It's all woods with a few places open enough for some undergrowth. But I have more wild blueberry bushes than I can count. I probably killed 100 or more plants just grading out an area at the front where we could park a few vehicles and put a small storage shed. There's also lots of persimmon trees, blackberries and muscadines. I try to avoid destroying that stuff but where we'll be living eventually a lot of it is just growing in the way.

Burning the whole place is on the agenda for the next burning season.

I'm glad you mentioned the broadleaf stuff. I want deer browse as well as increased habitat for other stuff like rabbits and ground nesting birds.

 

[B. White]

I have some field (approx 10 acres) that hadn't been managed in years. Some of it was terraced to the point to make it difficult to mow. I made multiple trips with a harrow and smoothed them some and did sow some fescue to prevent washing. I saw lots of quail in middle and north/middle GA in the 70s and 80s in fescue pastures, so I wasn't worried about planting it. Other than that, as stated I just lightly disked ever Oct. and mow about three times per year. Saw the first quail last year after doing this for two years. I looked into native seed, but never saw anything that made me want to do any more. I'll keep doing what I have been, now that birds have moved back in.

 

[Bucaramus]

I have some field (approx 10 acres) that hadn't been managed in years. Some of it was terraced to the point to make it difficult to mow. I made multiple trips with a harrow and smoothed them some and did sow some fescue to prevent washing. I saw lots of quail in middle and north/middle GA in the 70s and 80s in fescue pastures, so I wasn't worried about planting it. Other than that, as stated I just lightly disked ever Oct. and mow about three times per year. Saw the first quail last year after doing this for two years. I looked into native seed, but never saw anything that made me want to do any more. I'll keep doing what I have been, now that birds have moved back in.

We have a field that's terraced just like you're talking about. Makes mowing a real pain.

 

[doomtrpr_z71]

I'd talk to nrcs to help get costshare on the seed expense cause native seed is stupid expensive, the most expensive single bag of seed I've ever seen was a native mix for CRP this year.

 

[Toliver]

I'd talk to nrcs to help get costshare on the seed expense cause native seed is stupid expensive, the most expensive single bag of seed I've ever seen was a native mix for CRP this year.

Yes, sir. We're already approved and waiting for final contract. The clearings, the burning, and destroying the privet are all parts of what we discussed. I just have to wait to see what all got final approval. I just like planning ahead and getting ideas and experiences from others that might be beneficial in the process.

 

[NCHillbilly]

As Charlie said, native grasses don't grow in monocultures. They are part of a grass/forb community, and the broadleaf forbs are just as important or more so in it as the grasses.

 

[longrangedog]

Had a state wildlife biologist visit my place with the goal of having him recommend changes that I could make to benefit wildlife. The topic of food plots came up and he surprised me when he said that they were not beneficial to deer or any other wild species. He likened food plots to junk food for humans. His recommendation was to use a disc harrow in late fall or early winter to disturb the soil which encourages the growth of the forbs that are beneficial. The goal is to encourage growth, whether by disc harrowing, burning, or thinning old growth canopy, of early successional plants. He recommended reading "Wildlife Food Plots and Early Successional Plants" by Craig A. Harper.

 

[davidhelmly]

Had a state wildlife biologist visit my place with the goal of having him recommend changes that I could make to benefit wildlife. The topic of food plots came up and he surprised me when he said that they were not beneficial to deer or any other wild species. He likened food plots to junk food for humans. His recommendation was to use a disc harrow in late fall or early winter to disturb the soil which encourages the growth of the forbs that are beneficial. The goal is to encourage growth, whether by disc harrowing, burning, or thinning old growth canopy, of early successional plants. He recommended reading "Wildlife Food Plots and Early Successional Plants" by Craig A. Harper.

That seems odd to me that he would say that about food plots, we had a state biologist out several years ago and spent most of a day riding and walking the property and he just kept saying how great all of the plots looked and how much it was helping all of the wildlife on and around the property.

 

[Canuck5]

Are Your Deer Hungry? - North American Whitetail

If you're not providing the local herd with enough of the right groceries for maximum antler and body size, as well as high fawn survival, you're not enjoying the full benefits of sound management.

www.northamericanwhitetail.com

 

[Jim Boyd]

That seems odd to me that he would say that about food plots, we had a state biologist out several years ago and spent most of a day riding and walking the property and he just kept saying how great all of the plots looked and how much it was helping all of the wildlife on and around the property.

It is all about personal perspective.

Investors don’t all say the same thing.

Neither do doctors.


Thus……….