Workshop on New Grass Germplasms
13
3
NEW GRASS GERMPLASMS: ESTABLISHING NATIVE
PLANTS AND DEVELOPING RESILIENT GERMPLASMS
Current techniques and problems for native plant establishment
Larry Holzworth, Plant Materials Specialist, USDA-NRCS, Bozeman, Montana
Reclamation objectives include
Stabilizing soils
Minimizing environmental impacts
Creating a favorable plant growth media
Species selection and appropriate establishment techniques
Plant protection during establishment
Maintaining a desirable plant community.
The key to establishing natives on a site is to know the site: its soils, climate,
and other limitations on what can grow there. Timing of the seeding is important.
Soil is a good seed storage bank; seeds can persist for a long time waiting for
favorable germination conditions.
If the disturbance has not already occurred, preplanning can be valuable.
Things to consider are
Biological inventory, such as climate, vegetation, etc.
Soil physical and chemical characteristics
Land form
Topsoil and subsoil preservation: topsoil is the most precious commod-
ity; do what you can to preserve or stockpile it so it can be replaced after
the disturbance
Toxic material remediation
Reclamation construction and soil replacement
Site preparation techniques.
Steps for revegetation are
Eliminating competition
Previous Page
