South Texas Natives, Volume 9, Number 1, Spring 2015 Page: 3
4 p. : col. ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
6 part extension publication series
titled "Reseeding Natives in South
Texas". Each publication provides
detailed information on native plant
restoration topics, including site
preparation, seed mix selection,
planting techniques and equipment,
post-planting management, noxious
plant control, and mistakes to
avoid. These publications can be
downloaded for free from the Texas
AgriLife Extension Bookstore
(http://www.agrilifebookstore.
org) or the STN Website.
AGRilFE " E
EXTENSION CPhoto by Dusty Crowe/USDA NRCS
Large scale restoration seedings like this one in Dimmit County are being
conducted by private landowners using STN developed seeds.Megan K. Clay ton, Forrest S. Smith,
Keith A. Pawelek, and Anthony D. Falk*
An ESD lists the plant species typically found on a specifi
soi tThe We So Sure site (ht:// wboisurvey.sc.egp.
usda.gov/App/HomePage.htm) by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture's Natura] Resource Conservation Service
IUSDA-NRCS). On this site, first define your "Area of
Interest~and then access the ESD from the "Scil Data
Explorer" and "Ecological Site Assessment" tabs.
The SoilWeb application (ht tp://casoilresource.lawr.
ucdavis.eduldrupal/node/902), which was developed
by the California Soil Resource Lab of the University
of California-Davis. Your location will be determined
usmng your phone's internal GPS. This application can
also be downloaded for use with Google Ear th on a
computer.
- -^
Figure 1. A seed mix that includes more than a dozen plant
species.The suc cess of a native planting can depend on choosing
the right seed mix (Fig. 1). Buying seeds for a vegetable
garden is easy-they are readily available, almost
guaranteed to grow in most soil types, and can be grown
teraiiyto growi specifc soil typ and under crain
weather conditions. How will you know which seeds to buy?
Three resources can help you deter mine which plants may do
well at your South Texas site:
"Ecological stedescriptions (ESDs) produced by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resource
Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS)
The South Texas Natives website at http://kwri.
Lam uk.edu/researc h-programs/south-texas-natives/l
Nearby native remnant fields
A reas t hat have the same soil type as yours may offer clues
about which native plant species to reseed. Take some plant
field guides to a nearby area where native plants grow, and
identify some of the dominant plants.
It is helpful to know some history about the property,
such as whether livestock overgrazing may have eliminated
many of the favorable forage grasses. Nevertheless, exploring
nearby areas can give you some hints as to what plants could
do well at your reseeding site.
Ecological Site Descriptions
Ecological site descriptions are the product ofa land clas-
sification system used by the USDA-NRCS. These classifica-
tions are based on soils, location, and annual precipitation.
Klebergwikllfe Research IstituteTexasA&M Univemty-KingsydleA new publication series was completed with
Texas Agrilife Extension
Large scale restoration
seedings are increasingly being
conducted by private landowners
in South Texas because of the
commercial availability of native
seeds. In 2014, we learned of
at least 5 private land seeding
projects that have been completed
that exceeded 200 acres in size.
STN personnel have worked closely
with most of these landowners
on seed mixture composition
and planting techniques.
STN personnel will be
assisting with a 4 year research
project funded by Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department beginning in
early 2015. The title of the projectis "Converting bermudagrass to
native warm-season grasses in
the Cross Timbers, Blackland
Prairie, Post Oak Savannah, and
Coastal Prairies Ecoregions of
Texas". STN and TNS cooperator
Dr. Jim Muir of Texas AgriLife
Research and Tarleton State
University is the lead investigator.
A key component of the project
will be evaluating seed releases
developed by STN and TNS for
this need, as well as refining control
techniques for bermudagrass.
Native Seed Sources for
Game Bird Food Plots
By Tony Falk
The practice of planting
agriculture crops such as milo,
sunflowers, and sesame to attract
and provide food for doves and quail
is a common practice throughout
South Texas. Many of these crops
require irrigation, fertilization,
and specialized equipment to be
successful. Even when these
agriculture crops are a success, doves
and quail are often found consuming
native foods instead when they are
3available. Thus, many landowners
are interested in a low input, native
option for game bird food plots.
In order to see if any of
the seed sources released by the
South Texas Natives program
would fill this role, we planted
Oso Germplasm Hall's panicum,
Venado Germplasm awnless
bushsunflower, Zapata Germplasm
Rio Grande clammyweed, Balli
Germplasmprostrate bundleflower,
Rio Grande Germplasm prairie
acacia, and Catarina Blend
bristlegrass in food plots on 6
ranches last summer. Each species
was established in a monoculture
plot within a larger food plot in an
attempt to determine if there were
any preferences between species
planted, and adjacent traditional
food plot crops at some sites.
The planting sites were spread
throughout South Texas. Three of
the 6 planting sites were irrigated.
We sampled each plot in fall 2014
to determine performance.
Unfortunately, by most
standards these food plots were a
failure and provided little benefit
for attracting or providing food
sources for game birds. There were
seeded plants that did establish at49 yti f'
Y .e
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute. South Texas Natives, Volume 9, Number 1, Spring 2015, periodical, Spring 2015; Kingsville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1659805/m1/3/: accessed May 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.