![]() ![]() Residual Effect – Some herbicides remain in the soil and continue to be active for several days, weeks, or even months after application. Glyphosate is the most common non-selective herbicide used in food plot management. These are commonly used to kill all existing vegetation in a field prior to planting a food plot. Non-selective Herbicides – Unlike selective herbicides, non-selective (or broad spectrum) herbicides kill (or damage) all plants. ![]() The herbicide 2,4-D does just the opposite, killing broadleaf weeds but leaving grasses unscathed. For example, the herbicide clethodim kills grasses but does not harm broadleaf plants. Selective Herbicides – Selective herbicides kill certain types of plants but not others. Before we dive into the next three herbicides you need to know, let’s take a look at a few important terms I’ll refer to when describing each of these products. These herbicides can be used to control woody encroachment in fields and roadsides, kill large hardwood trees for forest stand improvement, or to establish and maintain old field or early successional habitat. In this article, I want to dive a little deeper and cover a few more herbicides that may be beneficial to your habitat improvement efforts, particularly if you are working with forested areas or old fields. That article included glyphosate, which is often used to kill all vegetation in a specific area prior to replanting grass-specific herbicides clethodim and sethoxydim the broadleaf-specific herbicide 2,4-D and a closely related herbicide that kills many broadleaf species without harming clover, 2,4-DB (Butyrac). It tends to go dormant without moisture, so the best appearance is preserved with weekly watering, especially those plants in containers.īluestem grass is a remarkably adaptable and attractive addition to the home landscape as long as you are aware of its invasive potential.In a previous article- 5 Herbicides Every Deer Steward Should Know - I covered what I believe to be five of the most common herbicides used by habitat managers, with a specific focus on those used for creating and maintaining food plots. The plant needs supplemental water in early establishment stages, but thereafter is quite self-sufficient except in severe drought. It needs no nitrogen application the first year, but in subsequent years will benefit from a high nitrogen fertilizer application in spring. Sow the seed in spring or plant plugs for quicker establishment. There are no serious pest or disease threats to little bluestem plants. In container situations, this means you will need to divide the plant annually to prevent overcrowding and the take-over of the container. The plants also grow side shoots which can be divided from the parent and transplanted. The only way to prevent this is to cut off the seed heads before they mature, but this reduces some of the visual appeal. The seeds establish easily after spring rains wash them into the soil, which means the unwary gardener may find little bluestem in lawns and other areas where it is not wanted. The grass’s fluffy seed heads are an added attraction to this colorful plant but they freely disperse in wind and, when disrupted, send floating seeds to all corners of the garden. Considerations when growing little bluestem grass Seeds and plugs make growing little bluestem grass in the landscape easy, and they are available where wild plants are sold. It is a forage grass in native regions for wild grazers and other animals. The leaves are flat with slightly hairy bases and tend to roll up at maturity. It prefers warm regions where there are rocky outcrops or dry gritty soil but is also found as transition material between cultivated land and forest. Its color deepens to rusty mahogany in fall and the clumps persist through much of the winter unless crushed by snow. This 3 foot (1 m.) tall bunchgrass grows a foot (31 cm.) in diameter. As an added bonus, songbirds and gamebirds enjoy the seeds and it provides cover for foraging wildlife. Growing little bluestem grass in the landscape as an ornamental foliage plant provides a dimensional and architectural foil for broad leaved and flowering plants. It is a perennial warm-season grass with pretty bluish green color followed by rust colored fall foliage and fluffy white seed heads. Schizachyrium scoparium is the botanical name for little bluestem plant. Read on for little bluestem information so you can decide if this interesting plant is right for your landscape. It is a prolific self-seeder and can become invasive with little bluestem in lawns a major competitor to traditional turf grass. It is found in many types of soil but is particularly adapted to well-drained, nearly infertile soil which makes it an excellent erosion barrier. ![]() Little bluestem plant is a native grass to North America. ![]()
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