DOT Project Number:  90-00-LRTF-404

Fiscal Year:  1994

Award:  $5,914.77

Principal Investigator:  Carole Kern, University of Northern Iowa

Other Project Participants:  Kirk Henderson, Native Roadside Vegetation Center, University of Northern Iowa, kirk.henderson@uni.edu

Summary Report:

HYDRO-SEEDING VS DRILLING; REGREEN VS TIMOTHY/PERENNIAL RYE & MULCHED; VS UNMULCHED FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF WARM-SEASON GRASSES

The LRTF gave Black Hawk County $8000 towards a $16,000 Bowie hydro-seeder stipulating they report on its effectiveness for establishing native grasses. A 3-mile shouldering project on 27th Street west of UNI campus afforded opportunity. The UNI Roadside Program conceived and obtained funding for the project and, working with Black Hawk county engineer and roadside manager and UNI Biology Professor Laura Jackson, designed, oversaw installation and monitored the project.

The per acre native grass seeding rate for drilling consisted of: big bluestem 4lbs, little bluestem 2 lbs, Indiangrass 3 lbs, Sideoats grama 1.5 lbs, Switchgrass 0.5 lbs, Canada wildrye 2 lbs,. The roadside manager inadvertently doubled the seeding rate on the hydro-seeded plots. The timothy/perennial rye cover crop plots per acre seeding rate was- timothy 8lbs with perennial rye 2 lbs. Again these rates were doubled on the hydro-seeded plots. Hydro-seeded Regreen plots were seeded at 5lbs per acre. No Regreen plots were drilled. Some plots were mulched, some were not.

Design included six reps of each of six plot types. Plots were 700 feet long, cultipacked, seeded (drilled or hydro-seeded), straw mulched and hydro-mulched, in that order, from Oct. 11 to Nov. 10, 1994. Monitoring was done during 1995 and 1996 growing seasons.

Conclusion: Cover crop type did not significantly influence native grass establishment although natives in perennial rye mix had slightly better initial establishment and second year survival. Timothy/perennial rye provided better coverage and fewer weeds than Regreen. Probably needed to use at least twice as much Regreen per acre as was seeded in order to give it an equal chance. Hydro-seeded plots had twice as many native grass plants per square meter as drilled plots. No significant difference since twice as much seed was used on hydro-seeded plots. Conclude hydro-seeding is as good as drilling for establishing natives. Mulched plots had better establishment and survival of native grasses.

These results were presented at the 1996 Roadside Conference in Denison, IA and at the 15th North American Prairie Conference in St. Charles, IL 1996. No formal paper written.